Evening star., 1936-01-17
NEUTRALITY BILL
HEARINGS CLOSED
Tinkham to Seek to EIim-
mate Present BeIIigerents
From Provisions.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The House Foreign Affairs Commit
tee today set about polishing up the
proposed permanent neutrality law.
Hearings closed yesterday after
Secretary Of State Hull expressed op-
position to a committee move to ex-
empt Italy and Ethiopia from opera
tions Of the law. Chairman McReyn-
olds said he was confident no amend
ment along that line would be ap-
proved by the committee although he
expected floor fight on the proposal.
Nevertheless. Representative Tink-
ham. Republican of Massachusetts,
had prepared an amendment to make
the legislation inapplicable to nations
now at war and planned to present 1t
at the committee session today. Some
members said they favored the change
since any alteration of neutrality rule
during the progress Of the East Afri-
can conflict might lay the Nation open
to charges of taking unneutral action
discriminatory against Italy.
Limited Credit Provided.
The legislation, which McReynolds
predicted would remain unchanged in
major aspects, would continue man
datory embargoes on movements Of
arms and munitions to warning coun-
tries, limit credits Of belligerents, and
give the President the right in his
discretion to embargo materials that
could be turned to war uses.
McReynolds said his position and
that Of the administration is that ap-
plication Of the legislation to countries
now fighting could not be considered
unneutral and change of policy dur
ing the course Of a war.
The temporary neutrality act, he
contended, provides for embargoes on
implements Of war. and President
Roosevelt supplemented that with q
declaration that the policy of the
Government would be to discourage
any shipments of war materials to
belligerents in excess Of normal trade.
The principal battle in the COM
mittee, McReynolds said, will revolve
around the section giving the Presi-
dent permission to use his Judgment
in imposing embargoes on war ma
terials. Some members want to make
it mandatory.
In the Senate more declarations for
neutrality came yesterday from Sen
ators Capper. Republican. of Kansas,
and Thomas. Democrat, of Utah.
Extension of Act Asked.
A one years extension of the tempo
rary neutrality act, due to expire
February 20, was called for in a reso-
luton introduced by Thomas. Enact
ment Of "a permanent neutrality
measure that will leave no question
where the United States stands" was
urged in the Senate today by Capper.
Diplomatic snarls which enmeshed
the United States as a neutral before
the European war had become the
World War, were portrayed graphi-
cally last night in the second OF a
two-volume survey of American neu-
trality practice opened to the public
by the State Department.
The material, containing many
hitherto unpublished papers and form
ing the basis of American policy dur
ing that period, unfolded chronology
ical account of serious clashes between
this Government and Great Britain
over allied interference with American
shipping as well as Of the gradually
widening split with Germany and the
Central powers over unrestricted sub
marine warfare.
Wilson Policies.
Threaded throughout the State De-
partment's summarization OF more
than 400 documents was the sharp
contrast between the course the Gov
ernment sought to pursue at that
time and that as set forth in the ad-
ministration's present neutrality pol
icies.
Under the Wilson administration
the Government sought with all the
moral force at its command to pre-
serve the right of Americans to trade
with belligerents as well as neutrals
and to travel on enemy ships in the
face of the death struggle between the
allies and Germany for command OF
the seas.
In the present temporary neutrality
law, a fiat ban on exports of war i'm
plements to belligerents is provided.
citizens are warned that they travel
on ships of combatants at their own
risk and q proposal to curtal dras-
tically all trade in other essential war
supplies Is under consideration. The
Senate Committee yesterday made
some concession to freedom of the
seas" advocates by amending the ad-
ministration's permanent neutrality
bill to provide protection for American
commerce, under discretion of the