UNITED STATES IN WORLD AFFAIRS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 264, 5 August 1939, Page 10

UNITED STATES IN WORLD AFFAIRS

Swing From Isolation Policy Seen

DOMINION STUDENT’S IMPRESSION By Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, August 4. “The United States of America is much less isolationist in her attitude today than a year ago," said Mr. lan Milner, former New Zealand Rhodes Scholar, who arrived by the Monterey after two years in the United States of America studying international relations tinder the American Commonwealth Fellowship.

“Since Munich, and particularly since the final destruction of the Czechoslovak Republic, and the increasing interference with American rights in the Far East, there has been a general swing of opinion away from isolationism. It seems that Congress, in blocking President Roosevelt’s desire for revision of tlie Neutrality Act to assist tlie democracies against possible aggression, is unresponsive to public opinion and is actuated by political motives.”

Mr. Milner said that the United States has been deeply stirred by Japanese provocation. A recent poll to test public opinion showed that threequarters of the American people favoured an arms embargo against Japan. There was also in the United States hostility toward further concessions by the democratic Powers in their relationships with dictatorships. The Americans favoured the United States standing firm “at all costs” behind Britain and France to resist further territorial aggression by Hitler and Mussolini.

At the present stage the CraigieArita understanding has resulted in an abandonment of Britain’s mild support for China. American public opinion would be seriously alienated by such, a development and it might destroy the existing basis for American co-opera-tion both in the Far East and the wider field of international affairs.

ANOTHER ASPECT

View That United States Would Stay Aloof

By Telegraph—Press Association

AUCKLAND, August 4. The firm belief that in the event of war the United States of America would not be drawn in was expressed by Dr. Roseo Pound, • world-famous jurist and formerly Deau of the Law School of Harvard University. He arrived by. the Monterey today. He does not believe war inevitable. “In fact,” he said, “I have a feeling that it will not happen at all." No country could foot the bill. People did not want war and the dictators must consider the feelings of their people. He thought, too, he could detect the begiunings of a change toward saner thought. Dr. and Mrs. Pound will later visit Australia, whence they will fly to England on their way to Harvard. ATTACK NOT FEARED Why Americans Urge Peace At Any Price

Dominion Special Service.

AUCKLAND, August 4

"The United States of America has decided, in its wisdom, that Pre-sident Roosevelt shall not have dictatorial powers, and this result was achieved in the face of persistent personal pressure by the President and those associated with him,” said Mr. G. Fitzpatrick, Sydney, who was a passenger in the Monterey, which arrived at Auckland from San Francisco today. Mr. Fitzpatrick has been touring the United States and Europe. The decision of the American Congress about the powers of the I’r-tsident did not possess the iwlitical signitieancc which somei>eople assumed, he added. - Americans were also determined to retain isolation. It was not. that they disliked England, tout that they liked the United States of Anifiriea more. Another factor influencing Americans, said Mr. Iritzpatrick, was that far more Europeans came to the United States than English people. There were more Germans in New York than in Berlin, more Irish than in Dublin and more Italians than in Rome. Americans said they considered no price too great to pay for peace. They could not conceive that they would to attacked, and were prepared to risk a great, deal before going to war except in their own defence.