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Also, without sufficient bases of its own, the United States
Navy would be unable to protect American trade routes across
the pacific and Atlantic and could be cut off from vital sources
of supply in Malaya and Dutch east Indies. Even the coastwise
traffic to South America might be subject to attack by raiders
in a manner similar to the damage inflicted on Greek vessels
in the Mediterranean during the past year.
Because of the possibility of the blocking of the Panama canal
by sabotage, the United States would have to maintain adequate
naval forces on the Atlantic Coast as well as in the Pacific.
In spite of the fact that distances in both the Pacific and Atlantic
decrease to a certain extent the possibility of a successful
naval attack, a very large fleet- two fleets, in fact- would
be necessary to meet these requirements.
An imponderable in the situation is, of course, Soviet Russia.
There is, however, no warrant for believing that the Soviet Union
would be on the side of the United States. It seems just as likely
that Germany would be able to exert a preponderant influence
on Russia without actual invasion, or that the doctrinaires of
the Kremlin would retire into splendid isolation, hoping for
the day when the pickings in Europe or Western China