ROOSEVELT WILL NOT MEDIATE

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 October 1939, Page 7

ROOSEVELT WILL NOT MEDIATE

UNLESS HE IS ASKED OFFICIALLY ■ ' ■ i REPLY TO GERMAN PEELERS 35y Telegraph—Press Aasn.—Copyright Received Sunday, 6.30 p.m. NEW YORK, Oct. 13. The New York Times' Washington says President Roose- I Telt dissipated any possibility of his j intervention as a peacemaker on the j unofficial German suggestions. More i ljy*his silence than what he had said he indicated that he had no intention •to move either through proffered mediation or otherwise unless one or all | •of the belligerents asked officially. Mr. Cordell Hull said no phase of the question of mediation was raised in the United States Embassy at .Berlin by Germany. The New York Times, in an editorial, says: "Should Germany formally request the United States to convoke , a peace conference it would be our privilege to draw attention to the successive official appeals and warn- ; ings the United States has given ■against German aggression and •assert her readiness to participate in -a conference when Germany made restitution and appropriately guaranteed her intention to respect future treaties." The Herald-Tribune, in an editorp ial, says "Herr Dietrich's interview has altered the whole face of the . international situation. , There has been no more brilliant and more. ominous revelation of the paranoiac state of the Nazi mind than this. Apart from its divorce from all sense <of realities of the American attitude it exposes a view of the international situation appalling in its implications. Exactly repeating the familiar technique it reduces the British Empire to the role of a second , Poland and gives the United States the role hitherto contemptuously allotted to Britain. If the United States fails in this it will be branded as a warmonger solely responsible for the slaughter the Nazi Napoleon ruthlessly threatens. Can even Senator Borah talk of the United States as an isolated private island of peace when Hitler thus orders us to be his allies in the colossal second Munich <or take the consequences? It is certainly impossible for the United to move toward peace or mediation after this." A Berlin message says the German News Agency, referring to Dietrich's statement cabled yesterday, now denies there was any suggestion that President Roosevelt should intervene and adds:. "This assumption was due to misunderstanding a private conversation.'' Determined to Stay Out of War. .The New York Times' Washington states that the final vote on the embargo will indicate definitely the people's desires relative to the war. 'The American people, Congress and the Administrators have settled on only one thing—that is the purpose to stay out ■of the war.

The Administration believes the United States' best role is the dynamic weighing of the scales as much as possible towards a just peace. It hopes and prays England and France will win from the standpoint both of justice and United States' national defence. In pursuance of the latter if not the former it might be permitted to resort to numerous means short of war to aid victory. On the contrary Congress even if it repeals the embargo does not thereby subscribe to the Executive policy. Unless sentiment changes materially the price of repeal will be a substantial restraint on the Executive. The majority of the people obviously hope for an Allied victory and desire repeal but are ."more determined to stay out of the war than political circles believe.

NEUTRALITY COMPLICATIONS ; MAJORITY MAY BE NARROWED Received Sunday, 5.30 p.m. " WASHINGTON, Oct. 14. As the Senate nears the end of the general debate the Administration leaders are confident, that President Roosevelt 's objectives will be accomplished very soon. There is every disposition toward a compromise on the shipping and credit classes. The Administration leaders l are canvassing the possibilities of a compromise on the shipping and short term •credit provisions as a means to hastening the final vote, thereby following Vice-President Garner's advice to grant any necessary concessions short of surrendering repeal in order to conclude the issue quickly. This action is the result of new rumours concerning the narrowing of the majority for repeal. There will be a full length session on October 14 and long daily sessions afterwards. The New York Times' Washington •correspondent says the amendment effort is complicated by a division of •opinion as to whether United States ships will carry munitions to belligerents' Pacific ports. It is felt a formula can be found to free ships from the restrictions but the problem' "is more acute than any other at present. The removal of the Azores from tho tftwger zone is also urged to enable the maintenance of the trans-Atlantic clipper service. Senator Connally closed the second -week of the Senate neutrality debate by contending that the embargo repeal -would be the first step to peace. Previously Senators Frazier and Lundeen

had attacked repeal on the ground that it was likely to involve the United States in war. Senator Frazier declared that Britain and France were at present "stalling" on the Western Front, awaiting the outcome of the neutrality controversy, and added: "Our war lords' desire is to push us into this insane European war in order to try out our war paraphenalia.'' Senator Lundeen, citing the war debts, declared that the word of Britain and France was no better than Hitler's. "I do not believe any of these foreign diplomats." Senator Lundeen suggested that the United States should seize British West Indies possessions in payment for the war debt because they would be useful to the United States for naval Senator Connally said: "The claim that the retention of the embargo means peace is wholly baseless and not supported. It probably means war." Senator Pepper, in a statement to the press urging that inter-American naval forces should sink belligerent submarines and warcraft entering the safety zone, said: "The warring Powers should be shown that we mean busin6ss.'' Senator Taft suggested that waters within 300 miles of Europe, including | the Scandinavian and Mediterranean, should be declared a war zone from which American ships should be barred. The Navy Department has announced the re-opening on December 1 of the Key West station, which was closed in 1930. The Department declined to explain the reason for this, but it is presumed it is designed to strengthen the neutrality patrol operations off the south-eastern seaboard, also in the Caribbean Sea area.