DELIBERATE LIE ALLEGED

Southland Times, Issue 23735, 6 February 1939, Page 7

DELIBERATE LIE ALLEGED

Mr Roosevelt Denies Change In Policy

FRONTIER NOT IN FRANCE

PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF EATING WORDS

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received February 5, 7.50 p.m.) WASHINGTON, February 4. A full airing on the floor of the Senate of what occurred at the conference between the President (Mr Franklin D. Roosevelt) and the Military Affairs Committee is likely to follow a declaration by Mr Roosevelt that it was a “deliberate lie” to say that he had put America’s defence frontier in France. The indignant senators stick to their story, and reliable newspapers, after again checking their sources of information, havei not withdrawn their earlier accounts. It is suggested that Mr Roosevelt sent up a trial balloon; The New York Herald-Tribune observes that such an amiable metaphor can hardly be used when the President “simply eats his words.” It is pointed out that Mr Roosevelt retreated similarly, though not so far, after his speech on foreign policy at Chicago in 1937 and after declaring his support for Canada last year. The New York Times comments: “There is reason to doubt whether the matters discussed on Tuesday were intended to be kept confidential; it was obviously impossible, with 17 listeners. The President chose the worst possible way to advance his own foreign policy, and followed ’ this up, quite unfairly, with an omnibus attack on the Press. If he will lead the way in proposing an amendment of the Neutrality Act to enable American influence to be used more effectively in restraining aggression he will have prompt support from all who agree with him that there are methods, short of war, of bringing home to the aggressor governments the sentiments of the American people.” Declaring that the President “has fallen into a ditch of his own digging,” The New York Herald-Tribune says: “The present episode is a new record in advance and retreat for this or any other President.”

UNADULTERATED BUNK Addressing a Press conference Mr Roosevelt branded as’ a “deliberate lie” the report that he had placed America s new defence frontier on the Rhine. He asserted that his foreign policy was unchanged and added that the American people were beginning to realize that file things they read and heard were “pure, unadulterated bunk.” Mr Roosevelt again stated his foreign policy thus: (1) No entangling alliances. (2) Encouragement of world trade by all nations, including the United (3) Sympathy with any and every effort to bring about a reduction of armaments. (4) National sympathy with, the peaceful maintenance of the political, economic and social independence of

all nations. Mr Roosevelt pointed to a stock of newspapers on his desk and declared that all contained articles and headlines giving an erroneous impression of. the Administration’s aims and intentions. He described implications which were placed on the secrecy of his conference with the congressional committees as “100 per cent, bunk.” Mr Roosevelt asked the journalists if they thought he should make public information from the United States intelligence service on matters which the agents believed to be true, but could not prove immediately. The United States Embassy in Rome has protested against the Italian Press campaign against Mr Roosevelt. It has pointed out that many recent comments are personally insulting. Some newspapers , today implied . that Mr Roosevelt’s physical disabilities caused his “mental aberrations.”

The newspaper Diplomatische Korirespondenz, organ of the German Foreign Office, accuses Mr Roosevelt of aiming at open and belligerent intervention in European affairs, in violation of the Monroe Doctrine.