Evening star., 1937-06-06
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.


trip to earth every 20 years,
showed up in Washington on
the anniversary of our enter
ing the last world conflict, when
Americas man power and Americas
financial and economic resources
were marshalled to make the world
safe for democracy"
He was somewhat aStoniShed Not
because the nations of this planet
were once more preparing to jump
at each others throats, but because
the United States, which he considered
the only sane country on the globe,
was slowly drifting toward another
saving" act. And in his somewhat
unsophisticated Martian mentality,
he could not quite understand why
the proverb "once bitten, twice shy"
was not used to good purpose by the
Government of this republic
We have placed barbed wire en-
tanglements around this country to
preserve the Nation from another sad
experience. We have a neutrality
act which is supposed to prevent
America from becoming involved in
interests" We have the Johnson act
to prohibit defaulting nationS-that
Is to say, all major European powers
which participated in the last war
from obtaining credits which would
admit the possibility of starting and
carrying on another war successfully.
But as soon as Congress surrounded
the United States with this barbed
wire fence to guarantee our political
isolation, the means were found to
cut it in certain places so as to make
1t possible for the forces of this coun-
try to get out and fight again for the
democratic ideal Two important in
strumentS are, at the present time,
being used for the cutting of the
barbed wire: Foreign propaganda, and
diplomacy. The former is manifest
In many ways-lectures, press news,
alluring suggestions of purchases from
farmers and induStrialists and appeals
to the emotional side of the American
citizens who are told of the dastardly
methods applied by the European
dictators, mainly Mussolini and Hitler.
The hands across the sea" and the
cousin" stuff used between 1914 and
1917 no longer works
Would Ruin johnson Act.
The neutrality act and its flaws,
which might enable the Chief Execu-
tive to play favorites in the event Of
another world conflagration, were dis
cussed in this column three weeks
ago. There is now another movement
afoot to facilitate the task of Great
Britain and her eventual associates
in fighting their potential enemies
the junking of the johnson act as
far as the democratic countries are
concerned A reciprocal trade agree
ment, which will pull the teeth out of
the Johnson act, making it imperative
with respect to France and Great
Britain, is being discussed by
the Washington, London and Paris
governments.
Three important men have visited
Washington in the course of the last
few months-Walter Runciman, presi-
dent Of the board Of trade the
British secretary Of commerce);
Mackenzie King, Premier of Canada,
and Lord Tweedsmuir, governor gen.
eral Of that Dominion. With Walter
Runciman the President discussed
principally the debt question. The
White House guest explained to his
host that settlement of that problem,
as irksome for the British as it is for
the American Government, could not
be reached unless there was a certain
downward revision of the debt and
ha do
in kind instead of in shipments of gold.
This thought has been repeatedly ex-
pounded, publicly and privately, by
Leon Blum, premier Of France. Last
August M. Blum said to this writer
that he and his cabinet were in favor
of settling the debt but means must
be found whereby gold could be re-
placed by other commodities. Gold
payments would be detrimental, he
said, to both countries; the creditor
nation already has too much and the
other too little.
Onicials Weaken.
This thought has been taken up by
the British and the argument was
successfully driven home by Mr..
Runciman last Spring, in his con-
versations with Mr.. Roosevelt.
Secretary Hull had love feast with
the British cabinet officer. The pros
pect of a trade agreement was dis
cussed at length and our Secretary of
State accepted the thesis OF his visitor
that any agreement pertaining to an
effective exchange of goods must apply
In the same measure in peace as well
as In war time. In other words, it was
agreed, in principle, that the United
States would not place any restrictions
on the export of raw materials nee
essary in war time, provided the
British agree to import them from this
country under normal circumstances.
Mackenzie King discussed the po-
litical angle of an eventual British
American entente. He, too, pointed
out that in order to achieve real
addition to free interchange of goods
In time Of peace and war, there must
be also a more liberal financial CO.
operation between governments, and
not only between banks as it exists at
this moment And as long as the
johnson act penalizing Great Britain
as a defaulter remains operative, there
Is no possibility o. such cooperation.
Ambassador-at at-large Norman H.
Davis did not spend all his time in
London talking Of sugar. He had
frequent interviews with the mighties
of the British cabinet, especially with
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain,
then Chancellor of the Exchequer.
While no definite understanding was
reached, the fundamental principles
were laid down for an agreement to be
arrived at In the course Of this year.
To Talk Debt Settlement.
They are, briefly, as follows: The
British government is willing to study
sympathetically the American pro-
posals for trade pact since the new