Evening star., 1939-09-14
Extra Session


President Roosevelt's proclamation
they will be confronted with prob
lem in foreign relations more mo-
mentous than any that has come
before an American Congress since
the extraordinary session of April,
1917, when, at the call of President
Woodrow Wilson, grave matters OF
national policy" were taken "imme-
diately under consideration" Then
the special session was summoned
to hear a presidential message ad-
vising Congress to declare war on
the imperial German government.
The forthcoming session, by contrast,
will be asked by the President to
take certain steps he believes are
necessary to keep this country out
of war precipitated by another
German government.
Foremost of the steps which
President Roosevelt will ask of Con-
gress will be repeal of the mandatory
embargo on arms, ammunition and
in the conflict between Nazi Ger
many and the European democracies.
The next step on the administrations
program presumably would be the
re-enactment of a cash and
carry" plan for restoring to this
country the commerce rights of a
neutral Nation, subject to certain
restrictions on shipping and travel
designed to preclude American en-
tanglement in the present war.
Secretary Hull has proposed, for
example, that our trade-in manu-
factured arms as we'll as raw mate
rials-be opened to all belligerents on
a come me-and-get-it and pay-before-
you-take- it-aWay basis.
Battle lines already are forming
for what probably will be bitter
fight at the Capitol between the
followers of the isolationist theory
in foreign relations and supporters
of the Administrations realistic and
practical view of the neutrality
question. The isolationists want the
embargo on munitions retained
because, with all sincerity, they have
come to believe that this curious
remnant of the 1887 Neutrality Act
somehow-they do not make it clear
Just hoW-Will keep the United
States from becoming involved in the
European catastrophe. This en-
barge provision of the o-year-old,
truncated law (the cash and carry
section died automatically last May
is curious because it shuts the door
on traffic in guns, bombs, warplanes
and gas, but leaves wide open the
gates of trade for the steel with
which guns and bombs are made; the
cotton with which projectiles are
shot into space and the oil and
gasoline which enable planes and
tanks to carry out their missions of
death. American ships, under the
present law, are free to carry these
ingredients of the implements of
war" to any belligerent in any danger
zone.
The cry is being raised by the iso-
lationists, even in advance of the
meeting of Congress, that to repeal
the embargo section while nations
are at war would be an unneutral
act, in that the democratic allies
would be favored and the Nazi ag-
gresSors accordingly disadvantaged
It i'll becomes the embargo forces to
raise this point now. Only few
weeks ago, when President Roosevelt
and Secretary Hull were striving to
obtain action before adjournment of
the regular session, these champions
of the embargo were ignoring the
very same uggestion-advanc
then by some of the administration
leaders. The isolationists almost in
variably countered by pooh-poohing
the idea that war might be immi-
nent.
AS a matter of fact, it can be
argued with just as much logic that
imposition of the embargo after the
recent outbreak of hostilities was
an unneutral act, for it's effect in
disputably was to handicap Britain
and France and Poland, who will
have desperate need of our war sup
plies, and to strengthen the cause of
the Reich, which already is armed
to the teeth. 1t cannot be gainsaid
that America right now is playing
the "so-called neutrality game ex-
actly the way Fuehrer Hitler wants
her to play it. The embargo does
not place this country in a truly
neutral position and does not offer
any protection against our involve
ment in war. These two objectives-
neutral status so far as that may
be achieved by legislation and safety
will not be attained until the
United States does away with en-