BACKING DEMOCRACIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 27, 3 February 1939, Page 6

BACKING DEMOCRACIES

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT has made plain to the Senate Military Affairs .Committee that America’s policy is the backing of the democracies of England and France, but that such backing shall be a long way back.

The President took the initiative by telling his inquisitors that America’s frontier is in France, but it was made clear that Ihere was no intention of manning the frontier, but only of doing business with those who do so by the safest possible methods, namely, by paying for the goods when they are delivered in America, but leaving all the risks of losss in transit with the buyers; Apparently manufacturers are to be left to decide whether they shall forego the profits which would come to them if they decided to assist in the break-up of democracy. Seeing that armament manufacturers are likely to have within their ranks many persons of easy political virtue, the freedom to be accorded them in accordance with the reported Roosevelt statement appears to present some real dangers. The arrangement, however, does offer a considerable advantage to Great Britain and France, in that it indicates the official attitude will be favourable from the start. Should a conflict ensue, then it is to be hoped that American interests would be so affected that the Administration would find itself led by events to take more than a trader’s interest in the conflict. For any American President to make intervention in a European conflict a plank in his platform, would be to go out to meet his own defeat. America is still Monroe Doctrine-iiiinded, and President Roosevelt's statement is possibly as far as he can go at the moment.