Evening star., 1939-07-05
Hull Convinced Peace Desired.


Mr.. Hull is convinced that the
American people want peace, that
they do not want a single drop of
American blood spilled in aid OF
either side in Europe's quarrels and
that not single soldier or sailor
should be pledged to go overseas
again as in 1917.
But how to keep America out of
world war, how to keep American
troops and sailors from being drawn
into the combat in Europe? This is
the central question on which opin-
ions differ. In fairness to the men
who voted last week to prohibit the
shipment of arms and munitions to
European countries in war time
they think this is one way to keep
America out. But in all sincerity
the administration thinks this is
the very way to bring on war.
The reason for these differences is
that a propaganda has been widely
spread that if the United States
had not shipped munitions to Eu-
rope in the last war, there would
have been no German submarine
attacks on American ships and the
United States would not have been
involved. The fact is the German
navy attacked every vessel whether
or not it carried munitions. Ships
flying the American flag and des-
tined for neutral countries like
Sweden and Denmark were blown
up at sea. The German command
in effect was that neutral countries
give up the right to travel on the
ocean. This the United States re-
fused to do.
United States Would Fix Zones.
Today the administration is will
Ing to agree to a provision which
shall keep Americans from travel
ling in combat zones but is not will
ing to surrender to any foreign gov
ernment the right to say whether
these zones shall be 3 miles out
side of this country en- route to
South America Or whether the zones
shall be 5000 miles away.
OF more immediate Importance
is the fact that America is the sup
ply house of the world. If Ger
many objects to American cargoes,
the objection can be raised against
American wheat and corn and ma
terials needed to supply civilian
populations aboard as much as
against actual war implements. The
House last week by its bill barred
munitions but not airplanes. This
shows the embarrassment which
legislators can make when they do
not permit the President and Sec
retary of State to conduct foreign
relations. For while Congress has
the right to declare embargoes rela-
tive to war time, there is no justi-
fication for writing embargoes into
law now unless it is to notify one
side or the other of the help they
might possibly expect. To say to
Germany and Italy that part of
the British and French supply house
will be shut off is to take sides.
To stand on the established prin-
ciples of international law and to
notify the world that the Congress
will meet at the outbreak of world
war, giving due weight to the cir
cumstances existing at that time, is
to follow historic and traditional
American policy Any other course
means misunderstanding and en-
couragement for one side or the
other.
Answer Read by Action.
What the House has done at this
time is being construed in Germany
and Italy as help for them and a
refusal of help to Britain and
France. This tends to encourage
the war-seeking elements in the
dictatorship states, who are being
asked to believe again as were Ger
man militarists in 1914, that under
no circumstances or provocation
would the United States give any
help to the allies.
A movement to embargo arms
and munitions to the allies from the
United States was started in 1914
and became one of the principal
Issues which divided pro-German
and anti-German sentiment in the
three years preceding the war. The
belief that America was pro-Ger-
man encouraged the Berlin naval
lists to declare unrestricted sub
marine warfare and had the effect
ultimately of drawing America into
the fray In order to protect her
rights on the high seas.
TO keep out of war absolute neu-