The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-09-11
ImperiaIiSt Plot
Shown at Inquiry
By MARGUERITE YOUNG
CONTINUED from Page y

oI6el JIuSl-LQe keystone both of
the munitions business and of Am
erican capitalism. It was learned
also that the committee has no in
tention at this time Of inquiring in
to the manner in which a high OIL
cisl of the War Department is in
volved in contracts Of the war de-
partment with American firms.
The whole emphasis of the COM
mittee thus far has been upon
the fiction that European, particu-
larry British, munitions makers are
even more vensl than American
impeuaIists in the same business.
This correspondent also has in
formation that there is a definite
chauvinist determination upon the
part of certain of the committee
to concentrate upon showing up
the corruption in South American
munitions dealings - and thereby
to tend to Whitewash American
imperialists by contrast.
Have To Soft-Pedal Inquiry
The fact is that the Nye-anden-
berg investigators cannot touch the
depths of their subject for the
simple reason that to really investi-
gate munitions, particularly steel,
Is to probe the scandal of basic
American capitalism-in which the
line between honest" and dishon-
est graft is mythical.
Bothering the committee. too. is
the question of what they can rec
ommend to remedy the situation.
Once they pry the lid, however
cautiously, they are in for danger
Gus exposure, as demonstrated
today. One member of the COM
mlttee has remarked already that
the evidence now in the record
makes a paradox of Government
efforts to establish national or in
ternational control of the arrna-
ments business"
Today's record Is replete with
factual material which, no doubt.
will be explained and analyzed by
the Second American CONGRESS-
Against War, at the end of this
month in Chicago. There, anti
lmperialists who don't have to
worry about the effect of their con-
clusions upon business interests will
adopt a program of action based
upon conditions such as are now
being disclosed.
The British firm in today's testi-
mony was that of the Solely Arma-
ment Co, Ltd, London, which con-
trolls one of the worlds biggest
stocks that held by the British war
Office. Their American agent, the
American Arms Corp New York,
was on the stand, the chief witness
being A. j. Miranda, Jr.
1t was to Miranda that the Soley's
director, ironically named John
Ball almost John Bulb wrote the
letter concerning China, Japan, the
Chinese Soviets, and the U. S. This
document read in part:
"As you are no doubt aware,
China (the Marking and Canton
governments) consumes a vast guam
tity Of small arms per year, and
they have bought large quantities
of rifles from us, mainly Mausers
lover 100000 in 1931-32) but have
Stacked off lately owing to the loss
of Manchuria, and the shortage of
ready money in the South, i.e.-
Canton and Marking. In spite of
all the dreams of idealists, who i'm
agine that Homo Sapiens is filled
with honor, justice, love and self
sacrifice, Japan is going to take a
still larger slice of China, and COM
paratively shortly, while the getting
is good. To place herself in favor
able position, Japan must either buy
over the Soviet or fight them-and
Japan will do ono or the other be-
fore attending to some more of
China.
such a move on Japan's part
would seriously affect the United
States interests in China and we
think that the United States would
under the above circumstances sup
port the Chinese (Nanking), supply
them with arms, etc. . We think
it might be very advisable for you
to approach the U. S. Department
for Foreign Affairs and the War
Department and hand them list
of what stocks there are over here.
informing the departments at the
same time that you are the sole re-
preventative for the U. S. A.
This is only our suggestion to
you, and you may possibly have
other ideas 1t might be better
to bring the stocks to the notice
only of some of the big business
gentlemen
How intimately this British firm
was associated with the official Brit
ish government was indicated by
Balls notes to Miranda in discuss
ing making the latter the American
agent. Ball said that due to the
size of the stocks involved $3.50, 000,-
600 WORTH that "the sale of a big
block of them could alter the poll
tical balance of power of the small
er countries. Therefore, said Ball
1--WE are to a very great extent con-
trolled by the varying policy of the
government" He added, Arms
for other destinations (besides
Latin America) such as China OF
European states could not be Of
/ fered by you without our previous
! consent"