Evening star., 1938-02-09
Free and Unfettered.

A1CC dllu OulCllcTcUs
Americans whose blood may have
curdled as a result of the hue and cry
raised in the Senate during the past few
days by eminent spokesmen of the iso-
lationist group can sleep peacefully
again tonight. Uncle Sam is enmeshed
in no entangling alliances with Great
Britain or any other nation with chest
nuts to pull out of the international
fire. The spirit of the Farewell Ad-
dress still hovers over the White House
and the State Department. The land
OF the free and the home of the brave re-
mains free agent, to do or not to do
in sorely troubled world wholly as
It's heart and will decree and it's inter-
ests dictate.
Assurances to this effect, though
couched in terser terms, were conveyed
to the Senate yesterday by Secretary of
State Cordell Hull. He did not wait for
the Foreign Relations Committee to act
on Senator Johnson's three-point reso-
luton. In it the distinguished Cali
fornian called for information (a) as to
whether or not any alliance, agreement
or understanding exists, or is contem-
plated, with Great Britain relating to
war, or the possibility of war; 90 as to
whether or not there is any under
standing or agreement, express or i'm
piled, for the use of the Navy of the
United States in conjunction with any
other nation" and Co as to whether
or not there is any understanding, or
agreement, express or implied, that the
United States Navy or any part there
of, should police, or patrol, or be trans
ferred to any particular waters, or any
particular ocean" To each and all of
those questions Secretary Hull very
definitely" returned a simple No"
The promptness and directness of that
response should Danish once for all
the bogey that the United States, in
consequence of the world crisis pre-
cipitated by war in the Far East, and
particularly in connection with the
pending proposal to expand the Amer
lean Navy by twenty per cent, has con
splred' with the British government
under conditions suggesting an Often
sive alliance. Even if there were foun-
dations for charges recently aired by
DR.. Charles A. Beard intimating that
Mr.. Roosevelt has Messiah complex"
which might urge him to plunge the
United States into another World War
adventure, the most incorrigible isola-
zionist would hardly credit the President
with the hardihood to embroil the Ma
ton IN foreign war commitments with
out the knowledge of either Congress or
the country. 1t scarcely requires Secre-
tary Hull's fortnight statement to
torpedo such suspicion.
Supposing the Californian, who played
so worthy and unforgettable a role in
keeping the United States out of the
League of Nations, had asked these
questions:
(a) Is the United States pursuing a
parallel course with Great Britain, look
ing to the safeguarding of international
treaty rights in China? 90 Is the
United States, in adhering to that pro-
gram, retaining complete independence
OF judgment and action? Co Is the
Washington Government, because of the
mutually of interests involved, main
tanning diplomatic contact, including
constant and confidential interchange
OF views, with the London government?
And cd have the naval authorities of
the two countries taken the elementary
precaution of consulting each other as
to what might, could, would or should
happen in the Pacific, in certain now
uncontemplated emergencies, with a
view to possible action that would serve
the joint purposes of the United States
end the British Empire?
If Senator Johnson's resolution had
posed such questions, Secretary Hull's
categorical mo-" in the case of the
others, would probably in each case have
been an equally unqualified yes" Had
his reply been anything else he would
be unworthy to hold the place he now
adorns and so ably fills