REJECTION BY REICH

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1940, Page 12

REJECTION BY REICH

AMERICAN NOTE

THE MONROE DOCTRINE

RECIPROCITY ASPECT

COMMENT BY MR. HULL

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) (Received July 6, 2.10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 5. The German Government has rejected the American Note in -which the United States informed Germany that it would not recognise the transfer of parts of the Western Hemisphere from. one non-American Power to another. The State Department announced: "The German Minister for Foreign Affairs states that the Reich Government is unable to perceive for what reasons the United States Government addressed this communication to the Reich. *'He states that, in contrast to England and France, Germany, has no territorial possessions on the American continent and has given no occasion whatever for the assumption that it intends to acquire such possessions. He therefore asserts that as far as Germany is concerned . the communication addressed to the Reich is without object. "The German Minister continues l>y remarking that in this case the interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine implicit in the United States communication would amount to conferring upon some European countries the right to possess territories in the Western Hemisphere and not on other European countries. "He states that it is obvious that such an interpretation would be untenable. , "He concludes by remarking that, apart from this, the Reich would like to point out again that the nonintervention in the1 affairs of the American continent by European nations which is demanded by the Monroe Doctrine can in principle be legally valid only on the condition that American nations, for their part, do not interfere in affairs on the European continent." "PRINCIPLES CLEAR TO MOST." Official comment was made by the Secretary of State, Mr. Cord'ell Hull. "I feel that no. useful purpose could be served at present by this Government undertaking any further communication with Germany on this subject," he said. "The fundamental questions involved are entirely clear to all peoples and Governments of the American Republics and undoubtedly also to the majority of Governments and peoples of the rest of the v/orld. "The Monroe Doctrine is solely a policy of self-defence which is intended to preserve the independence and integrity of the Americas. It is designed to prevent aggression in this hemisphere by any non-American Power and also to make impossible further extension in this hemisphere a* any non-American system of government imposed from without.", " Mr. Hull contrasted the Monroe Doctrine with policies of economic, political, and military domination elsewhere in the world and reiterated that the United States would not recognise or 'acquiesce in transfers of territory in the Western Hemisphere. He said that the United States pursues a policy of non-involvement and nonparticipation in the affairs of Europe but will continue to co-operate with all other nations, where their policies make co-operation possible, for the purpose of promoting economic, commercial, and social rehabilitation and "advancing the cause of international law and order, of which the entire world stands in such tragic need today."

Mr. Hull sought to differentiate between the Monroe Doctrine and "policies which appear to be arising in other geographical areas and are allegedly similar to the Monroe Doctrine.'.' These, he said, in reality, seem to be only a pretext for conquest by the sword, military occupation, and complete economic and political domination of free and independent people.