BRITAIN'S POLICY ATTACKED

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21715, 24 February 1936, Page 11

BRITAIN'S POLICY ATTACKED

SENATOR BORAH'S OUTBURST PLEA FOR AMERICAN NEUTRALITY ATTITI OE TO A! Y.SSINIAN WAR U-JITID I-lUSS AS3OCIATIU*-COPT»IOHX.) (Received February 23, 10.22 p.m.) WASHINGTON, February 22. In Washington's birthday address to-day on the two hundredth and fourth anniversary of the nation's first President, Senator W. E. Borah made a strong plea for American neutrality in the ItaloAbyssinian war, or in any other foreign controversy in which the nation was not directiy concerned. At the same time he made an attack on the policy Britain is now following. The speech is considered to be of the utmost political significance, as it is Senator Borah's first public utterance since he formally announced that he would be a candidate for the Presidency In plain language, Senator Borah accused Britain of being neutral when Japan broke the League Covenant in Manchuria, and "non-neu-tral when Italy invaded Abyssinia. "Here British interests were directly affected," he said. "There is no longer neutrality, because it is not to the interests of the British Empire to have neutrality." He conceded that Britain had the right to change her policy, but added: "I deny her right, or the right of any group of nations, to brand the United States as favouring war or as pursuing a selfish or immoral course in adopting a policy of neutrality in the Ethiopian affair."