FEARS IN BERLIN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20486, 21 February 1941, Page 7

FEARS IN BERLIN

ARMY CONCERNED U.S. AID TO BRITAIN EARLY COUNTER WANTED TALK OF WAR ENTRY SENATOR VOICES ALARM '•’.lce. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Feb. 21, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 20. Responsible military circles in Berlin which hitherto have been reluctant to comment on America’s aid to Britain are now of the opinion that American help v/ill begin to become effective by August, and is certain to have effect by the end of the year. Therefore, from the military viewpoint, military or diplomatic counteraction is necessary as soon as possible. A Washington message states that the isolationist, Senator Nye, citing recent pro-war speeches in the American Senate, declared to the press that 30 Senators were at present ready to vote for a declaration of war, and he predicted that the United States would enter the war 30 days after the passage of the lend-or-lease bill, due to encountering “some incident which would leave no alternative tout war.”

Change of Front

In the Senate debate on the lend-or-lease bill. Senator Reynolds surprisingly announced that he would vote against giving aid to Britain. He formerly was favourable to the bill.

To-day Senator Reynolds denied that American defence was dependent upon Britain. Instead, he declared, Britain was dependent upon the United States to maintain her worldwide Empire. Before American farmers and labourers were called on to finance Britain's war effort, the “wealthy industrialists and landowners throughout the British Empire should be called on to strip themselves of their hunting lodges, castles, hounds, falcons, horses, dogs, jewels, cash and securities.”