AGAINST THIS TORRENT

In concise and crystal clear form, Edward Mead Earle presents a brief survey of the clear directions of totalitarianism. He charges our nation with vulnerability through its far flung reaches; he accepts a defensive program as a political objective but demands the offensive in keeping the initiative, choosing our time -- not the time of the Axis powers. We are ""parochial in concepts of national security"" he says. And blind in recognizing the Nazi technique of flanking manoeuvres. He discusses the importance of Panama, problems of hemisphere defense, and urges as our aim, the maximum of security with the highest degree of freedom. Isolation was once soundly based on geographical advantages, and its four essentials scarcely bear the bright light of today's problem:- geographical remoteness, Europe's balance of power, the continued power of the British navy, and acceptance of basic principles of internal order. The choice, he says, lies between a surgical operation now or chronic illness later. We are in for a test of power on all fronts, which involves armor-plating and stream-lining the American way. This is not a fight for democracy but a fight for fundamental liberties. A stimulating and clarifying book, brief enough for those who want a clear cut presentation of a point of view to meet the isolationists and appeasers. I found especially interesting his quotations from the founding fathers which proved that they, too, were thinking beyond the conditions of the immediate moment. A good investment of