RISING ANGER

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24104, 24 October 1941, Page 7

RISING ANGER

AMERICAN OPINION SINKING OF SHIPS DEMAND FOE, ACTION WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 The sinking of two more United States-owned ships and the reported sinking of a third have thoroughly aroused the American people. German U-boats have now sunk nine, possibly ten, American ships, and damaged two American destroyers. Ten American naval ratings have lost their lives, 11 have been injured, and a number of merchant seamen are missing. Isolationism in Congress is melting like snow under a hot sun. The arming of American merchantmen will certainly be approved, and there is a move to repeal the whole of the Neutrality Act. Another Loss Reported Besides the freighters Lehigh and Bold Venture, it is also reported that the West Amargosa (5162 tons), an American ship in British service, has heen sunk. All three were owned by the United States Maritime Commission. Other United States-owned vessels sunk were: —June: Robin Moor. September: Stool Wayfarer. Sossa, Montana. Pink Star, Trinidad. October: 1. C. White. In addition, the United States freighter Arkansan was damaged by aerial bombing in September, the United States destroyer Greer was damaged by a torpedo in September, and the United States destroyer Kearny was hit by a torpedo, with the loss of ten lives, last week. The Maritime Commission has announced that the 22 missing members of the crew of the Lehigh have been landed safely at Freetown, on the eoast of Sierra Leone. Eighteen of the crew of the Bold Venture are still missing. " Throw Of! Pretence " American public men and the press are demanding action. The executive ■onmi it tee of the Fight for Freedom League adopted a resolution calling for <ome high and clear voice to raise itself above the Tower of Babel (this is Washington) and to cry out and declare war on Nazi Germany. The league adds: "Only Washington seems unaware that we are in a war to the death. The time has eome to throw off all pretence that the real crisis over the national life has eome. Unless there are wholly unforeseen developments, the repeal ot all. or most, of the Neutrality Act. and particularly the section prohibiting the entry of American vessels into belligerent zones, seems a certainty. A White House announcement states that Mr. Roosevelt wants the early attention of Congress tor a further revision of the Neutrality Act. One report states that this will be designed to permit American ships to enter belligerent ports. Republicans' Leadership The spurt by the Republicans to assume the leadership, under Mr. Wendell Willkie's proddings, of the movement for the repeal of the entire Act. is evidence that isolationism is dying. The Republican movement is beginning to assume the proportions of a national sweep, and is proving almost embarrassing to the Administration forces, who fear that the leadership of the new vigorous resistance to Hitler may be taken from them. both the New York Times and the Herald-Tribune hail the Republican action as evidence of national unity. The Times says: "The time for national unity has come. It is time to close outranks, to be done with neutrality, and to throw our full strength into the defence of the Atlantic/' " Reign of Terror at Sea " In Washington the Secretary of. State, Mr. Cordell Hull, told the press that the sinking of the Lehigh was a perfect example of the Nazi policy of attempting to create a reign of terror, irightfulncss and absolute lawlessness on the high seas. Rear-Admiral Andrews, at the commissioning ceremony on board the destroyer Bristol, a sister-ship to the Kearny, saitl: "Often at such ceremonies the fond hope is expressed that the warship will never have to fire a hostile shot. To-day that fond hope beI comes futile. There is a grim business ' ahead. We must maintain the freedom of the seas, and always remember that a ship's fate in battle may well depend on one man. That test may come very soon." WOUNDED PRISONERS LONDON, Oct, 22 The Berlin radio announces that the | United States Embassy has again approached the Germans regarding the I exchange of British and German | wounded prisoners.