SEVERE JOLT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23262, 3 February 1939, Page 9

SEVERE JOLT

AMERICAN OPINION CRITICISM CiF PRESIDENT ) BITTER WORDS IN CONGRESS RESENTMENT AT SECRECY By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received February 2, 10.40 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Feb. 2 No act of any President relative to foreign policy since the World War has caused bo much stirring of public opinion as Mr. Roosevelt's approval of the sale of aeroplanes to 1 France ostensibljr to aid the Democracies against the dictatorships, k Bitter attacks were launched against Mr. Roosevelt in Congress to-day, and 5 seem likely to be augmented to-morrow, 3 flinco further iovelations of what j allegedly took plaue between the President and the Senate Military Affairs Committee will be likely to add fuel 5 to the fire. k World on Top of Volcano Mr. Roosevelt is now reported to i have painted a picture of the world . 'Dn top of a volcano which is ready to r explode, and to have taken the view ' that the United States would feel the consequence of that explosion no 5 matter what policies it might follow, t The President further is reported. > to have indicated that he felt that in f the growing conflict between the demo- - cratic and authoritarian ideals, Britain : and France had carried the brunt of ; the attack, while the United States > remained relatively secure and aloof. America's basic isolation sentiment seemingly will receive a bad jolt from these revelations, and the proponents of this isolationism seem certain to be driven to extremes against Mr. Roose- • velt's point of view. 1 Comment In the Press Nation-wide editorial comment is , critical of the method the President has adopted even if it approves of his policy itself. The New York HeraldTribune says: "The shock proceeds from the secrecy of the President's , tactics rather than from the substance of his policy." The Chicago Tribune: "White House has become an imperial palace, and Mr. Roosevelt is acting as if he were an absolute ruler." The Minneapolis Tribune: "If Mr. Roosevelt is planning to favour Britain and France above other nations in the sale of war materials ... in that direction lies the deliberate taking of sides with all the probabilities of war that taking sides involves." The Atlanta Constitution: "In the long view, the effect of the President's policy may be good, but it is perhaps unfortunate that he attempted to shape national policy secretly." RIVAL POLICY ISOLATIONIST GROUP FREE TRADE IN ARMS REPUBLICAN SENATORS (Received February 2, 11.20 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 Five Republican members of the Senate Military Affairs Committee held a caucus, after which they announced that they had agreed on a common I course for future meetings of that body with reference ti> the national defence policy: — (1) Priority for the United States on all new devices and aeroplanes. (2) No standing army or military establishments intended for service overseas or capable of inducing an aggressive attitude by the United States Government. (3) Freedom of trade in the spirit of true neutrality, this to include traffic in aeroplanes, with all nations receiving exactly equal treatment. (4) Legislation requiring all aeroplane companies to put into their contracts with foreign buyers clauses under which they could be cancelled if fulfilment appeared to be injurious to the United States. (5) Payment in cash for all aeroplanes bought from the United States. Some indication of the part America is playing in equipping foreign nations for war is seen i:n the Commerce Department's 1938 ej;port figures for scrap metals and aeronautical products. Scrap material was valued at 40,891,000 dollars, Japan taking approximately a third of this, with Britain and Italy next and Germany fourth. Aeronautical products exported totalled 68,000,000 dollars. The Netherlands, Japan and China wore the greatest purchasers, the respective figures being: Netherlands, 11,774,000 dollars; Japan, 11,062,000 dollars; China, 6,391,000 dollars. DEMOCRAT CRITICS DISGRUNTLED SENATORS (Received February 2, 5.5 p.m.) ( WASHINGTON. Feb. 1 Senator B. C. Clark (Democrat — Missouri) to-day declared that the United States' fighting aeroplane requirements were being put aside in order to facilitate the arming of France. Senator D. 1.. Walsh (Democrat — Massachusetts) said: "Under downright neutrality, we should mind our own business. What assurance has any American that Britain or France will remain democracies, or that Germany may not become a democracy? In God's name, who are we to determine where truth and jusitice exist? When we attempt it we find ourselves in