AMERICAN NEUTRAL ZONE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21554, 17 January 1940, Page 7

AMERICAN NEUTRAL ZONE

Not Satisfactoiy To

Britain

Sanctuary For Nazi Vessels

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright

(Received January 16, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON. January 15.

According to a message from Rio de Janeiro, it is reliably stated that the British reply to the Pan-American protest of December 23 against the violation of the neutrality zone suggests the enforcement of the zone by new methods. The British express sympathy with the principle of the zone, but term it unenforceable as at present constituted.

The British Minister to Panama has delivered to the Government of the Republic a reply to the communication sent by the Acting-President of Panama to the King on December 23 on the subject of Pan-American proposals for establishing an extensive security zone around the American coast, states a British Official Wireless message. The text of this communication and the text of the reply will be issued for publication to-morrow. The British reply to the Pan-Ameri-can protest that belligerent naval activity violated the 300-mile neutral zone, declares that the Government reserves full belligerent rights therein until it is assured that the security scheme will operate successfully. It denies the right of Pan-American unilaterally to withdraw certain privileges in that zone to which belligerents are entitled under international law. The PanAmerican protest stated that the measures being discussed to strengthen the zone included the prevention of belligerent ships taking on supplies and repairing damage after warlike acts in the zone. The British Note emphatically repudiates the suggestion that the activities of British warships justified the adoption by neutrals of punitive measures. It adds that if American States adopted such a scheme of sanctions they would be offering German warships and supply ships a vast sanctuary from which to attack allied shipping and in which German ships could take refuge and avoid combat. The Note suggests that the most effective method of safeguarding the zon” would be to forbid the passage of German warships in it and if the allies gave up the right to capture German shipping taking refuge in American waters this shipping should be laid up under Pan-American control for the duration of the war. The exchange of Notes specifically instances the Graf Spee encounter and the British capture of German merchantmen.