Evening star., 1935-10-28
American Neutrality.

aged Italy depicted as 'gratitled' and
Britain and France more or less dis
appointed" it is clear that Secretary
Hull's reply to the League on the United
States attitude toward sanctions las
encountered a mixed reception in FIJI
country, it does little but reaffirm the
position of the administration respect
ing the Ethiopian conflict and re-
count the successive steps the Govern
ment has taken in connection with 1t.
The nearest that Washington's COM
munication comes to identifying the
United States with collective efforts to
check Mussolini's campaign of conquest
IN Africa is the assurance that America,
sin keeping with the letter and spirit
of the Kellogg pact and other peace
obligations, undertakes at all times not
only to exercise its moral influence in
favor of peace throughout the world
but to contribute in every practicable
way within the limitations Of our foreign
policy to that end"
Geneva doubtless will derive more con-
crete comfort from the concluding pas
sage of Secretary Hull's note, which de-
clares that the United States views with
sympathetic interest the individual or
concerted efforts of other nations to pre-
serve peace or to localize and shorten
the duration of war" Just before say
ing that Judge Hull recalled President
Roosevelt's warning to American busi-
ness that it would deal with the bellig
erents at its own risk and emphasizes
that this was certainly not intended
to encourage such transactions"
Throughout the message, with its
cautious failure to engage in formal COM
mitments as to sanctions, runs the un-
mistakable determination of the admin
istration to proceed strictly within the
neutrality resolution of Congress max
ing mandatory an embargo only upon
Particles considered implements of war"
It has been urged from some quarters,
notably by former Secretary of State
Stimson, that this country should bring
the embargo more fully into line with
League measures to deprive Italy of any
and all products that enter into the
business of war-waging, such as copper,
cotton, scrap iron, oil and foodstu1fS.
Certain authorities have held that the
President possesses discretionary author
ity to construe that these various prod
ucts are implements of war" and as
such could be withheld from Italy and
Ethiopia alike under the act of Congress.
There is obviously no present inten-
ton on the part of the President to
give any such Interpretation to neu-
trality. He adheres firmly to the policy
previously laid down, with our purpose
of keeping out of war and avoiding en-
tanglements the paramount considera-
tions. The question as to whether or
not we would object to League or Brit
1sh blockade OF Italy remains unan-
swered. But there is certainly no ground
for inference that the United States
would take any step deliberately de-
signed to defeat the sanctions program.
If Italy cherishes such hopes, she is
surely indulging in illusions, for, nom
committal as its critics may find it, the
Hull note leaves no doubt of American
desires that League measures against
the aggressor shall accomplish their pur-
pose.
It has been observed that the reply to
Geneva represents an attitude of "alert
aloofness," which rings an alliterative
change on a famed American diplo-
matte idiom, "watchful waiting" 1t is
plainly intended as a statement of our
position as of today. 1t does not close
the door to future action. There is, at
any rate, no room to doubt that In
holding fast to the principle of non-
ENHANCEMENT under any and all cir
cumstances commensurate with Ameri-
can rights and national honor, the note
to the League reflects the overwhelming
bulk of the Nations opinion. If our ex-
porters can persuade themselves not to
be lured into trade adventures for the
sake of profits, the chances are all in
favor of our escaping embodiment. That
is the chief concern of the American
people at this hour.