TO TEST FEELING

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21534, 24 September 1941, Page 6

TO TEST FEELING

AMERICA AND WAR

MOVE BY ISOLATIONIST MR ROOSEVELT’S REQUEST (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) WASHINGTON. Sept. 22 A prominent isolationist member of the House of Representatives, Mr Hamilton Fish, told representatives of the press tonight that he intends to place before Congress next week a resolution to declare war against Germany. Mr Fish said: "The issue is crystal clear today—shall we go to war, or stay out ? I want to bring this issue to a head in the constitutional American way.” Speaking earlier in the House, Mr Fish demanded that President Roosevelt should "do the only honest and honourable thing” and present a war resolution to Congress. He predicted that the House would defeat such a resolution two to one. At his “legislative strategy” conference at the White House, says the Washington correspondent of the New York Times, President Roosevelt received assurances from the Democratic leaders in Congress of the speediest possible passage for the new 5,985,000.000-dollar lend-and-lease appropriation. They also agreed to tie to the measure a Deficiency Bill carrying 100,000,000 dollars in defence items. Both measures, the President told the conference, were necessary to keep aid moving to Britain and the Allies. A few hours later the President sent to Congress estimates calling for an additional 150,000.000 dollars for defence purposes, including 120,000,000 dollars for naval ordnance. Nazi Spies in America The trial of 16 alleged Nazi spies was resumed today. One defendant, Edmund C. Heine, former manager of the Ford Motor Company, Cologne, through his attorney admitted the authorship of letters produced, containing detailed and highly technical data of United States aircraft manufacture and American aid to the Allies. In the letter Heine wrote: "Henry Ford no doubt could make good on his promise of the production of 1000 aeroplanes a day if he had definite orders, but fortunately this genius of production refuses to manufacture for the warring Powers, but for American defence only. However, General Motors and Chrysler are huge companies and can do almost the same thing.” The letters were allegedly given by Heine to Lily Stein, a German spy who pleaded guilty to their transmission to the Reich through William Sebold. an American counter-espion-age agent, who posed as an employee of the Gestapo. No Shooting Reported The Secretary of the Navy, Colonel Knox, told press reporters that no shooting had been reported since Mr Roosevelt’s “freedom of the seas” speech. Colonel Knox said there was no apparent foundation for the reports that a German raider had been sunk in the Pacific by American warships. CHINESE SUCCESS 15,000 JAPANESE CASUALTIES (Unit ml Props Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Sept. 24, 3.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 23 According to a message from Chungking from a representative of the United Press of America, the Chinese military spokesman claimed today that the Japanese drive towards 'Changsha was stopped by Chinese troops 48 miles northward. The spokesman said the Japanese suffered 15,000 casualties. Sixty thousand Japanese troops are surrounded. The Minister of Information, Mr Wang Shih Chien, denied reports that peace overtures have been made to China.