U.S. ACCEPTS GAGE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 298, 13 September 1941, Page 9

U.S. ACCEPTS GAGE

Freedom Of Seas RAIDERS TO BE ATTACKED Waters Of Defence (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) Received Sept. 12, 8.45 p.tn. WASHINGTON, Sept. 11. “From now on, if German or Italian vessels of war enter waters the protection of which is necessary for American defence, they will do so at their own peril,” said President Roosevelt in his world broadcast today. , “In these waters American warships and planes will not wait for the Axis raiders to strike first,” he said. “I have ordered the navy to carry out that policy immediately. “The sole responsibility is Germany’s. There will be no shooting unless Germany continues to seek it. That is the only step possible if we would keep the tight wall of defence which we are pledged to maintain round this Western Hemisphere. , “I have no illusions about the gravity of this step which is the result of months of constant thought, anxiety and prayer.” The President said that under this decision, by which the United States will actively protect her principle of freedom of the seas, ships of other nations engaged in commerce in these waters will also be protected. \

Mr. Roosevelt said: “In spite of what Hitler’s propaganda .bureau has invented, and in spite of what any American obstructionist organization may prefer to believe, the German submarine fired first upon the destroyer Greer, whose identity as an American ship was unmistakable, with the deliberate design to sink her.

“Our destroyer was proceeding on a legitimate mission in waters which the United States had declared to be waters of self-defence. If the submarine, beneath the surface and with the aid of its listening devices, fired in the direction of the sound of the American destroyer without even taking the trouble to leqrn of its identity, as the official German communique would indicate, then the attack was even more outrageous, for this indicates a policy of indiscriminate violence against any vessel, belligerent or non-belligerent. “This was piracy, legally and morally. It was not the first or the last act of piracy which the Nazi Government has committed against the American flag in this war. Attack has followed attack. A Battleship Menaceci. “A few months ago the Robin Moor was sunk by a Nazi submarine under circumstances violating long-established international law and every principle of humanity. No apology, no . allegation of a mistake, no offer of reparations has come from the Nazi Government. “In July an American battleship in North American waters was followed by a submarine, which for a long time sought to manoeuvre itself into a position of attack. No British or American submarines were within hundreds of miles of this spot at the time, so the nationality of the submarine is clear. “The American-owned ship Sessa, operating under the flag of our sister republic Panama, was first torpedoed without warning and then shelled while carrying civilian supplies to Iceland. Three survivors were picked up, and it is feared that the other members of the crew were drowned. In view of the established presence of German submarines in this vicinity, there can be no reasonable doubt as to the identity of the attacker. “Another United States merchant ship, the Steel Seafarer, was sunk by a German aircraft in the Red Sea. Plot Against Americas. “In face of all this, we Americans are keeping our feet on the ground. Our type of democratic civilization has grown away from the thought of feeling compelled to fight some other nation by reason of any single piratical attack on one of our ships. We are not becoming hysterical or losing our sense of proportion. We are taking a long-range point of view in regard to certain fundamentals which must be considered as a whole, as part of a world pattern. The important truth is that these acts of international lawlessness are a manifestation of the Nazi design, which has been made clear to the American people for a long time: to abolish freedom of the seas and acquire absolute control and domination of the seas for themselves, for with control of the seas in their own hands the way can become clear for their next step—domination of the United States and the Western Hemisphere by force.” “This Nazi attempt to seize control of the oceans is but a counterpart of the Nazi plot which is now being carried on throughout the Western Hemisphere, and it is all designed toward the same end; for Hitler’s advance guards—not only his avowed agents but also bis dupes among us—have sought to make ready for him footholds and bridgeheads in the New World to be used as soon as he has gained control of the oceans. His intrigues, plots, machinations and sabotage in the New World are all known to the United States Government. •■Conspiracy has followed conspiracy. There was a plot to seize the Government of Uruguay, but it was smashed by prompt action in. that country. There was a plot to seize the Argentine, and more recently an attempt to subvert the Government of Bolivia. Again there was an attempt to secure landing fields in Colombia, within easy reach of the Panama Canal. British Naval Shield. “To be ultimately successful in world mastery, Hitler knows he must ret control of the seas. He must first destroy the bridge of ships which we are building across the Atlantic and over which we shall continue to roll implements of war to help destroy him and all his works. In the end he must wipe out our patrol of the sea and air, and he must silence the British Navy. “It must be explained again and again to the people who like to think that the United States Navy is an invincible protection that this can be true only if the British Navy survives. It is time for all Americans of all the Americas to stop being deluded by the romantic notion that the Americas can go on living happily and peacefully in a Nazi-dominated world. “If Hitler got control of the rest of the Old World, he would have manpower and physical resources that could outbuild the United States several times over. . “Generation, after generation, the

Americas have battled for a general policy of freedom of the seas. That policy means that no nation has the right to make the broad oceans of the world at greatxdistances from the actual theatre of a land war unsafe for the commerce of others 1 . That policy has applied from time immemorial and it still applies, not merely to the Atlantic but also to the Pacific and all the other oceans. “The unrestricted submarine warfare of 1941 constitutes a defiance against that historic American policy. It is now clear that Hitler has begun a campaign to control the seas by ruthless force and by wiping out every vestige of international law anti humanity. ’“The attack on the Greer was a determined step toward creating a permanent world system based on force, terror and murder, and I am sure the Nazis are now waiting to see whether the United States will be silent and give them the green light to go ahead on this path of destruction. The time has now come for us to say: ‘You shall go no further.’ The normal practices of diplomacy—Note-writing —are no possible use in dealing with the international outlaws who sink our ships and kill our citizens. “One peaceful nation after another has met with disaster because it has refused to look the Nazi danger squarely in the eye. The United States will not make that fatal mistake. No act of violence or intimidation will keep us from maintaining the two bulwarks of our defence: First, our line of supply of material to the enemies of Hitler; and, second, freedom for our shipping on the high seas. No matter what it takes, no matter what it costs, we will keep open our Hue of legitimate commerce in these defensive waters. Active Defence Now. “We have sought no shooting war with Hitler, and we don’t seek it now; but neither do we want peace so much that we are willing to pay for it by permitting him to attack our naval and merchant ships while they are on legitimate business. “We cannot go about the defence of the United States by the use of longrange invective. When a person sees a rattlesnake poised to strike he does not wait until it has struck before he crushes it. Those submarines and surface raiders are the rattlesnakes of the Atlantic. They are a menace to the free pathways of the high seas. They are a challenge to our sovereignty. They hammer at our most precious rights when they attack ships of the American flag, symbols oUour independence, our freedom, our very life. “It is clear to all Americans that the time has come when the Americas themselves must be defended. Don’t let us split hairs; let us not ask ourselves whether the Americas should begin to defend themselves after the fifth attack, or the tenth attack, or the twentieth attack. The time for active defence is now. If submarines or raiders attack in distant waters they can attack equally well within sight of our own shores. American naval vessels and American planes will no longer wait till Axis submarines or raiders strike their deadly blow first.

“Upon our naval and air patrol, which is now operating in large numbers over a vast expanse.of the Atlantic, falls the duty of maintaining the American policy of freedom of the seas. That means, very simply and clearly, that our patrol-

ling vessels and planes will protect all merchant ships: not only American ships but also ships of any flag which are engaged in commerce in our defensive waters.

“It is not an act of war on our part when we decide to protect the seas which are vital to American defence. The aggression is not ours. Ours is solely the defence ; but let this warning be clear. From now on if German or Italian vessels of war enter waters the protection of which is necessary for American defence they wilj do so at their own peril. “The orders I have given as Com-mander-in-Chief of the United States army and navy are to carry out that policy at once. I have no illusions about the gravity of this step. I have not taken it lightly. It is the, result of months and months of constant thought and anxiety. In the protection of your nation and mine, it. cannot be avoided.

“The American people have faced other grave crises in history with

Americau courage and American resolution. They will do no less today. They know that the times call for clear heads and fearless hearts, and witli that inner strength that comes to a free people conscious of their duty and of the righteousness of what they do, they will with Divine help and guidance stand their ground against tins latest assault upon their democracy, their sovereignty _and their freedom.”