Evening star., 1939-07-09
William R. Castle
Sees Serious Danger
In Arms Embargo
Abandonment During
War WoruId Involve
U. S., Institute Told
~ the Associated Press.

CHARLOTTESVILLE. Va, July 8.
William r. Castle, former Under
secretary of State, said here to-
night dictators do not want to run
the risk of war, and democracies
must not run that risk" since war,
successful or unsuccessful, would
mean the destruction of democratic
government"
Fundamental bulwarks against
war, he said, include absolute con-
f1dence in representative democracy
as the best form of government"
military and financial strength, and
the whole machine manipulated
by an alert and wary citizenry."
In addition, the former American
Ambassador to Japan told the Uni
versity of Virginia's Institute of
Public Affairs, there are certain
specific measures which may be
taken.
You cannot by legislation make
people neutral, but you can enforce
such measures of neutrality as in
ternational law has proved to be
useful
Backs Congress Prerogatives.
Congress, he continued, must
never abdicate its last remaining
prerogatives, the power to declare
war and the power to send American
troops abroad Quite aside from the
fact that it means dictatorship, l
do not want to place these powers
in the hands of any one man."
Mr.. Castle said there is a very
serious danger at the present time"
in the embargo on arms and am
munltion.
The only demonstrable effect OF
our embargo in the case of an Euro
pean war would be that it would
prohibit American sales to England
and France. nations which would
presumably be our friends. II would
not change the 81 uation for Ger
many because the blockade would
have largely prevented Germany
from buying in any case.
In other words he added, in
case of such a war, We should see
ourselves penalizing only the democ-
racies. The almost certain result
would be an outburst of popular
feeling, which would force Congress
to drop the embargo and permit
general sales, and you must not for
get that such change of rules
during the course of the war would
almost inevitably mean our own in
vol.ement
Even if I had believed in this
prohibition at the beginning, I
should today, whole-heartedly agree
with the Secretary of State that
now, before it is too late to 90 it
with safety, We ought to return to
the custom prescribed by interna-
tional law, that neutrals may sell
what they want so long as they are
willing to sell to all comers.'
Opposes Concentrated Power.
The speaker expressed opposition
to provisos in the "so-called Bloom
bill" which dangerously concen-
trate all power in the hands of the
President"
The Bloom bill, he continued, pro-
hibits Americans travelling on ships
of the belligerentS. Would it not
be wiser and more statesmanlike,
more consonant with the liberty of
the individual in democratic coun-
try merely to rule that Americans
travelling on ships of the belliger-
ents would do so at their own risk?"
Mr.. Castle said the Government
should refrain from propaganda
which stlrs up the war spirit, and
that it should restrain its officials
from making insulting remarks
about other nations. Whatever Mr..
1ckes or Mr.. Roosevelt may think
OF Mr.. Hitler-and probably what
they think of Hitler pretty we'll
agrees with what we think-neither
of them is able to speak unoffcially
and, therefore. when they go out
of their way to insult, they are en-
dangering the peace of this coun-
try"
The Rev. DR.. Edmund A. Walsh.
founder and regent of the School
of Foreign Service of Georgetown
University. told the institute that
the present policy of the German
government must be resisted with
out compromise by both Christianity
and democracy.
Differences Noted.
The speaker said the differences
between the bolshevik "persecu-
ton of religion and the Nazi form
was that the Communist regime
frankly undertakes to destroy re-
liglon root and branch, whereas the
Nazl program will retain religion
but corrupt it to the uses of the
pagan state
Moscow would destroy the altar
of mans faith said Father Walsh.
Berlin would prostitute the faith
OF men into secular worship of
blood, race, soil and nationality. Of
these two, the corruptive indirection
of Berlin may prove more dangerous
than the frontal attack of Moscow,
because yelled under official assur-
ances and establishments from those
in power"
'Nordic blood is made the saving
instrumentality which will supplant
the sacraments and make unneces-
sary all further belief in the divinity
OF Christ, revelation, the scripture
and immortality he said. This
new religion outlined by Hitler's
official spokesman, imposed on the
more than 100000 Catholics in
GERMANY could eaSi1v lead RI cop