The Way of the War- (continued from page 139)
 
      
 
 
Hitler Goes on Tour Four months after totally defeating France, 
      Hitler, the great dictator of Europe, finds it necessary to go 
      on tour; to visit Paris and to request a conversation with M. 
      Laval. One might have expected the Head of the victim country 
      to be ordered to visit the conqueror. Yet Hitler was content 
      to talk matters over with a deputy and through him, we are told, 
      to transmit an invitation to Marshal Petain. Even more remarkable, 
      perhaps, he makes the long journey to the Spanish frontier in 
      order to meet General Franco.
 
      
 
 
In advance of full knowledge it is rash to speculate on what 
      passed. General Franco has always admired Germany as a military 
      machine. He will certainly have been interested to meet the dynamic 
      Ftxhrer. Yet it is hard to escape the conclusion that Hitler 
      requested the meeting because of his own urgent necessity. It 
      will not be surprising to find that the main object was to present 
      to the world a picture of Europe well able to settle down happily 
      under the new Nazi-Fascist Order that only selfish Britain bars 
      the path; that the United States will be prolonging bloodshed 
      if they continue to back Britain; and a vote for Roosevelt is 
      a vote for continued misery in Europe.
 
      
 
 
Mr. Kennedy and the President
 
      All this by-play becomes more easily understandable when we know 
      that Mr. Kennedy made up his mind some time ago to "get 
      even" with Mr. Roosevelt. The ambassador feels that the 
      State Department and the White House have slighted him. Instead 
      of accepting without question Mr. Kennedy's reports on the way 
      of the war Mr. Roosevelt has thought it prudent to send independent 
      investigators to London. One of the most important was Colonel 
      "Bill" Donovan, of whom I wrote in these notes at the 
      time. Whereas Mr. Kennedy's reports had been blankly pessimistic 
      about Britain's chances, Colonel Donovan thought we were "doing 
      fine."
 
      
 
 
No useful point would be served by goin %g into all the little 
      matters which have led to a growing estrangement between the 
      President and the ambassador of his earlier choice for the key 
      position in London & middot; Unfortunately, it now appears 
      that Mr. Kennedy feels so keenly on the subject that he has insisted 
      on returning to the States in time to cast his weight into the 
      scales of the election against Mr. Roosevelt. Before he left 
      England he had drafted the newspaper articles whereby he will 
      justify this step and seek to secure Mr. Roosevelt's defeat.
 
      
 
 
On the day Mr. Kennedy left England a shrewd old judge of 
      American electioneering said the betting had now shortened to 
      even money in the race for the Presidency. Can Mr. Roosevelt, 
      with his keen political sense and admirable radio personality 
      stop the rot that has obviously set in? Can Germany pull another 
      trick at the last minute to make his fight more difficult? If 
      Hitler can do so he will; and it looks as though it would be 
      a "peace in Europe if only selfish Britain would stop" 
      move. We shall know the answers to these questions almost at 
      once.