AMERICAN NEUTRALITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19886, 13 March 1939, Page 5

AMERICAN NEUTRALITY

REVISION MOVEMENT GROWING OPINION (Reed. March 13, 10 a.m.) NEW YORK, March 12. The latest nation-wide survey of the American Institute of Public Opinion indicates that Americans are swinging behind President Roosevelt's policy of concrete assistance to the democratic States in the event of war. It is stated that 75 -per cent now favour selling food to Britain and France and 52 .per cent favour the supplying of planes and munitions. Eighty-three per cent are against giving assistance with the American army and navy, but the institute reports a growing fear that America would not be able to stay out of a major war and also the/ belief that 'Germany and Italy would attack the United States if Britain and France were vanquished. The survey stresses the momentous shift going on within America. Two weeks before the Munich conference, the institute found the majority of Americans opposed even to sending food to Britain and France. Now the institute finds public opinion favours a revision of the provisions of the Neutrality Act. President Roosevelt, according to the New York Herald-Tribune, is prepared to back the move for the revision of the Neutrality Act, but will not take the lead. It is reported that he wants authority to permit belligerents to buy supplies if they are prepared to pay cash and transport the munitions in their own ships. It is believed that this would harmonise with the American traditions of neutrality, yet would carry out the Administration's policy of assisting the democracies theoreti- ; caiiy. Both totalitarians and democracies would :be able to buy armament actually, but only the democracies have ' naval power to protect their ships. It was revealed to-day that over three-fourths of the American exports of armaments in the past two months have .been to Britain and France. J Britain took £2,200,000 worth and ; France £1,100,000. Italy and Japan were pot granted a. solitary license. ! The exports to Germany were valued at only £lO7.