BITTER ATTACKS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 27, 3 February 1939, Page 7

BITTER ATTACKS

PUBLIC OPINION STIRRED IN AMERICA ROOSEVELT’S PICTURE WORLD ON TOP OF VOLCANO Received Feb. 3. 1 a.m. WASHINGTON, Feb. 2. No act of any President relative to foreign policy since the world war has caused such a stirring of public opinion as Mr. Roosevelt’s approval of the sale of planes to France, ostensibly to aid the democracies against the dictatorships. Bitter attacks launched against .Mr. Roosevelt in Congress to-day seem likely to be augmented to-morrow, since further revelations of what allegedly transpired between the President and the Senate Committee will likely add fuel to the fire. Mr. Roosevelt is now reported to have painted a picture of the world on top of a volcano which is ready to explode, and have taken the view that the United States wou’d feel the consequence of that explosion no matter what policies it might follow. The President is further reported to have indicated that he felt that In the growing conflict between the democratic and authoritarian ideals Britain and France had carried the brunt of the attack, while the United States had remained relatively secure and aloo?. America’s basic isolation sentiment seemingly will receive a bad jolt from these revelations, and the proponents of this isolationism seems certain to be driven to extremes against Mr. Roosexelt’s point of view. Nationwide editorial comment is critical of the method tne President has adopted, even if it approves of the policy itself. As an example, the New York Herald-Tribune says the shock proceeds from the secrecy of the President’s tactics rather than

from the substance of his policy. The five Republican members of the Senate Military Affairs Committee held a caucus after which they announced that they had agreed on a common course for future meetings of that body in reference to the national defence policy. Their decisions are: (1) Priority for the United States on all new devices and aeroplanes. (2) No standing army or military establishments intended for service overseas or capable of inducing an aggressive attitude by the United States Government. (3) Freedom of trade under a spirit of true neutrality. This is to include traffic is aeroplanes, with all nations receiving exactly equal treatment. (4) Legislation requiring all aeroplane companies to put into their contracts with foreign buyers clauses under which they could be cancelled if fulfilment appeared to be injurious to the United States. (5) Payment in cash for all planes bought in the United States. Some indication of the part the United States is playing in equipping foreign nations for war is seen, in the Commerce Department’s 1938 export figures for scrap metals and aeronautical products. Scrap material was valued at 45,891,000 dollars, Japan taking approximately a third of this amount with Britain and Italy next and Germany fourth. Aeronautics totalled 68,000,000. The Netherlands. Japan, and China were the greatest purchasers.