LEND AND LEASE BILL

Southland Times, Issue 24352, 5 February 1941, Page 5

LEND AND LEASE BILL

CONGRESS DEBATE OPENED QUESTION ABOUT LORD HALIFAX (United Pres Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) WASHINGTON, February 3. The public galleries were packed when the House of Representatives began the debate on the Lend and Lease Bill after approving the proposal for a three days’ general debate. The people in the galleries were warned not to applaud or express disapproval. Mr Sol Bloom, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House, started with an appeal for the passage of the Bill and was followed by Mr Hamilton Fish for the Opposition, who described it as: “A dictator, war and bankruptcy Bill.” Mr Dirsken demanded an explanation of Lord Halifax’s visits to Mr Bloom and Senator Walter F. George, chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. He said that if Lord Halifax made anv disclosures Congress should be informed. f Mr Bloom replied sharply: “Lord Halifax called at my office. He didn’t sneak in. Everybody knew about . it. We had a nice talk, the main subject of which was the exhibit of Magna Charta during the World Fair.” He added that Lord Halifax inquired about the timetable of the Congressional procedure on the Bill.

Republicans guffawed at Mr Bloom’s explanation, after which Mr Dirsken said: “It is undeniable that it is extraordinarily unusual for an ambassador to contact the chairman of a committee for the purpose of discussing a timetable.”

Mr Bloom said the Bill did not authorize the President to use American warships to convoy shipments ot war materials. He said Mr Roosevelt already had this power under the constitution. The World Telegram publishes on the front page a story from its Washington correspondent under the headlines “Pressure on Congress Resented—lndiscretions bj Lord Halifax Will Lose Most Votes for the Lease and Lend Bill.” It describes Lord Halifax’s visits to Mr Bloom and Senator George as “Lobbying resented by Congress.” This follows ths criticism by the isolationist America First Committee, which contends that Lord Halifax’s meetings with Mr Bloom and Senator George were highly improper. They telegraphed Mr Cordell Hull requesting him to investigate the Ambassador’s conduct and make the findings public. The World Telegram opposes the Bill. OPPOSITION TO BILL Senator Philip LaFollette, giving evidence before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, opposed the Lend and Lease Bill. He said that the ultimate effect of the Bill would be to authorize American warships to convoy supplies to Britain. He felt that the Bill vested President Roosevelt with the power of peace or war and issued the warning: “There is danger that, once involved over our heads thereby vastly increasing British bargaining power, we may have another Hoare-Laval deal and suddenly find ourselves quite alone at war with the whole world. We underestimate the large bloc of influential opinion both in France and Britain which feels closer to Germany—and I mean Nazi Germany—than it does to the United States.” He recalled the Dusseldorf Agreement of February 1939, “which.” he said, “was entered into by the British Toi-ies. It provided specifically for

collaboration against the United States. Remember that British industrialists are merely postponing the operation of that agreement . for the duration of the emergency.

“I doubt if the English, who have withstood the worst bombing in history ami have been offered only American dollars for their blood and sweat, will worry about America if, and when, what they think is a reasonable peace comes their way,” Senator LaFollette said, and added that Britain would be wise to make peace when she wants to, since she would not win without the help of an American expeditionary force and no American spokesman had offered such aid.

Senator Burton K. Wheeler requested that the President should reveal the extent of the aid it is proposed to give to Britain and the extent of American

arms production already diverted to Britain. He asserted that he knew that five-sixths of the fighter planes produced in 1940 went to Britain. OFFICIAL EXPORT FIGURES It is officially stated that the export in December of 221 aeroplanes to Britain and 87 to Canada is the second highest total since the outbreak of the war. It represented a 20 per cent, increase compared with the total in November and made the total value of aeronautical exports in 1940, 312,000,000 dollars which is an increase of 165 per cent, over the 1939 figure and 357 per cent, over the 1938 figure. The value of the aeronautical exports in December was 20,000,000 dollars to Britain, 5,000,000 dollars to Canada and 2,000,000 to Australia.