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In Minneapolis, the America First Committee closed its downtown office. In Detroit Isolationists Hamilton Fish and Senator Wheeler drew small crowds; Senator Wheeler, the more popular, getting only 3,500 at a high-school auditorium. St. Louis, with a huge German-born population, has had only two isolationist rallies in the past month, both drawing audiences which reporters called large and enthusiastic but not representative. Cleveland has had only one isolationist rally of any note in the last month, with Senator Wheeler attracting a good crowd, according to local reporters, but negligible in relation to the steady progression of pro-Allied meetings. From the whole Midwest the accounts are the same—no slackening of the desire to aid Britain, a fear of U.S. entry into the war, small meetings everywhere opposing U.S. foreign policy, but no movement with strength enough to influence Governmental action.
Most demonstrative crowd on Senator Wheeler's trip came in Denver, where 4,000 attended his meeting, 4,000 more were turned away. He drew only, 2,000 in Salt Lake City, a good crowd, said isolationists, because a blizzard was raging at the time. Senator Nye drew 3,000 in Spokane, 1,500 in Seattle.
There has not been an isolationist meeting in Georgia. Observers calculated that 85% of Southerners are for aid to Britain, up to and including the risk of war. In Texas (which leads the U.S. in volunteers) reporters found two common comments: a fatalistic, unenthusiastic acceptance of U.S. entry into the war, and a grimmer statement: "We should have been in there long ago." Southern interventionists principally regretted that the battle cry was not "To Hell With Hitler" instead of "Aid to Britain."
No one could ponder reports of local opinion throughout the U.S. and conclude that the country was eager to act and sure of what it wanted. But neither could he conclude that its morale was too low to be raised by effective leadership. Last week it appeared that Washington worriers had confused cause & effect, and wanted a high morale before really undertaking a national effort which alone could make it possible.