3x4 ONE WORLD I TWO WARS

enemies, and prevent those enemies from concentrating the full force
of their armed power against the heart and the nerve centre of the
Empire.

The British need assistance along the lines of our generally estab-
lished policies at many points, assistance which in the case of the
Far East is certainly well within the realm of " possibility " so far as
the capacity of the United States is concerned. Their defence strategy
must in the nature of things be global. Our strategy of giving them
assistance towards ensuring our own security must envisage both
sending of supplies to England and helping to prevent a closing of
channels of communication to and from various parts of the world,
so that other important sources of supply will not be denied to the
British and be added to the assets of the other side.

You also suggest as chief factors in the problem the questions
whether and when Britain is likely to win the European war. As I
have indicated above, the conflict is world-wide, not merely a European
war. I firmly believe, as I have recently declared publicly, that the
British, with our help, will be victorious in this conflict. The conflict
may well be long, and we must bear in mind that when England
is victorious she may not have left the strength that would be needed
to bring about a rearrangement of such territorial changes in the
western and southern Pacific as might occur during the course of
the conflict if Japan is not kept within bounds. I judge from the
remarks which appear at the bottom of page 4 and at the top of
page 5 of your letter that you, too, attach due importance to this
aspect of the problem.

I am giving you my thoughts at this length because the problems
which we face are so vast and so interrelated that any attempt even
to state them compels one to think in terms of five continents and
seven seas. In conclusion, I must emphasize that, our problem being
one of defence, we cannot lay down hard-and-fast plans. As each new
development occurs we must, in the light of the circumstances then
existing, decide when and where and how we can most effectively
marshal and make use of our resources.

With warmest regards, as ever

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

• GENERAL HARAGUGHFS HOLIDAY GREETINGS
January i, 1941

The following somewhat baffled but not the less inspired attempt
of the Christian General Haraguchi to express his sentiments on his
Christmas and New Year card is worthy of something more than
mere derision :

Grant all your hopes a singing breeze.

Happy harbour safe to win
Quick upon un-troubled-seas

May your ships sail in !