U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 30 January 1939, Page 7

U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

SEARCHING SENATE INQUIRY EXPECTED

REPORTS OF HELP FOR FRANCE IN EVENT OF WAR SALE OF WARPLANES B.v Electrio Telegraph—Copi right J WASHINGTON, 28th January. A searching Senate inquiry into the Administration’s entire foreign policy appears to be likely as a result of reports that President Roosevelt, through the Secretary of the Treasury, Mr Morgentliau, and over the heads of Army and Navy chiefs, made available military aviation secrets to an agency of the French Government.

These reports have brought to a head the suspicion within the Senate Military Affairs Committee that the Adminstrations’s present I foreign policy is pointed directly toward participation on behalf of | France in a European war. The following developments are regarded as backing up the reports: (1) President Roosevelt’s statement that the Cabinet had spurred on American factories to produce a rush order for as many as 600 warplanes for Fiance as a means of making idle plants busy. (2) President Roosevelt’s request for the immediate appropriation of 50,000,000 dollars to build nearly 600 planes for the American Army for the same reason. (3) The closed hearing in which the Senate Affairs Committee questioned Mr Morgenthau, Mr Woodring, Secretary of the Army, and General Craig, Chief of the Military Staff, regarding the presence of M. Paul Chemidlin, a representative of the French Air Min-, istry, in the light Douglas bomber when it crashed during a test flight in Los Angeles six days ago. (4) The announcement by the chairman, Mr Vinson, of the House Naval Affairs Committee, that he had “invited” the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Mr Edison, to tell the committee on 31st January whether the Administration really intended to fortify Guam Island and to what extent.

AMBASSADOR’S ACTION Senate is also expected to probe a report that the United States Ambassador in France, Mr Bullitt, impressed with the imminence of a European war, had approached the chiefs of the Army and Navy with a request that they order service type airplanes, which legally could not be exported, so that, when and if a crisis developed, but before France was actualy at war, President Roosevelt could ask Congress to anthorise their sale to France. The services’ chiefs turned down the suggestion, whereupon it is reported that Mr Bullitt went to President Roosevelt, who sent a letter to Mr Swanson, Secretary of the Navy, Mr Woodring, and Mr Morgenthau directing them to give every possible consideration to French needs and every courtesy to the French Air Mission. President Roosevelt’s request for the 50,000,000 dollars’ appropriation closely followed the circulation of this rumour. BOMBER’S CRASH President Roosevelt, at a Press conference to-day, explained regarding the crash of the Douglas bomber, in which the pilot was killed and M. Chemidlin injured, that the plane had not yet been accepted by the Government and therefore the company had a perfect right to permit anybody to ride in it With reference to French purchases of planes, President Roosevelt said that, since the factories were idle, the' Cabinet considered it a desirable step, particularly since the French order could be completed before the start of construction of American planes. Several senators, who looked in on the conference, left unconvinced by President Roosevelt’s comments. They said that, if it became apparent that unusual facilities had been accorded the French mission, it would raise doubts regarding some of the purposes behind the huge United Slates air rearmament.

Some Senators are even resolved to inquire into whether there is any informal understanding that, in the event of Britain and France being involved in war, some of America’s air fleet would be placed at their disposal. MILITARY UNDERSTANDING WITH FRANCE? The Senate Military Affairs Committee investigating the reports of a military understanding with France secretly questioned General Craig as to whether Fiance had been given American military aviation secrets, but mem-

l bers interpreted his answers in various ways. General Craig is reported to have said, “no devices of the War Department which are regarded as secret were shown to the French mission.” Some members were satisfied with this, but others considered the statement ambiguous and semi-meaningless. ■ Senator Nye said: “The airplane deal j with France in my opinion constitutes a military alliance.” Senator Clark asserted: “I think it a shocking situation when the Government is prepared to permit the sale of our latest planes to a foreign Government before they have been made available to America.” The “New York Herald Tribune,” in a leader, says that the French airplane episode is a minor illustration of the confusion existing in Washington. “There is not the slightest reason why France should not buy American planes, but the secret fashion in which the negotiations were completed makes it appear that Mr Bullitt (United States 1 Ambassador in Paris) persuaded President Roosevelt to accept military collaboration with France. Such muddles are dangerous to international understanding.” REBUFF FOR PRESIDENT WASHINGTON, 28th January. Congress to-day administered its first rebuff to President Roosevelt when it passed a relief appropriation of 750,~ 000,000 dollars, which is 125,000,000 dollars less than the President asked for.