Evening star., 1939-04-22
By the Associated Press.

under 1Udy in both House and
Senate.
By the Associated Press.
Administration leaders moved to-
day toward showdown on proposed
changes in the Neutrality Act.
They decided to end hearings by
the Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee next week and to start COM
mittee consideration of half a dozen
proposals to amend or repeal the
present statute.
Chairman Pittman announced
that Gen. Hugh S. Johnson, former
N. R. A. administrator and now
newspaper columnist, would testify
Monday. Senator Pittman said he
expected the committee to begin
consideration of pending bills later
in the week.
One committee member, who
asked to remain anonymous, pre-
dicted the group would not be
asked to vote its preference among
pending bills until after April %,
when Chancellor Hitler is expected
to answer the peace appeal made
last week by President Roosevelt.
Senator Borah, Republican, of
Idaho expressed the opinion at a
committee hearing yesterday that
I'VE have practically made up our
minds whose side we are on" in
the European quarrel and that it
would be impractical to attempt
to draft impartial legislation at this
time.
Pittman Disagrees.
Disagreeing with this viewpoint,
Senator Pittman said today he be-
lieved the whole question must
be approached on a domestic basis
that any legislation that is passed
must be calculated primarily to keep
this country out of war.
Senator Pittman has proposed
amendment of the expiring cash
and carry" provision of the present
act so arms, ammunition and imple-
ments of war could be sold to ma
tions which paid cash and trans
ported their purchases in non-Amer-
lean ships.
The act now directs the President
to prohibit the sale of arms to ma
tions at war. 1t permits him to list
other materials which may be sold
to belligerents only on cash and
carry" basis.
Denying that he had been ap-
preached formally with any offers
of compromise, Senator Pittman said
he felt his proposal had gained
strength within the committee in
the last two weeks. He added that
he had no intention of compromis-
ing, predicting committee major
:ty for his proposal.
Republican committee members,
led by Senator Borah, were under
stood to be agreeable to a compro-
mise calling for re-enactment of the
expiring sections of the law without
change.
Assurances From Japan.
The State Department yesterday
received assurances from Japan that
up until January, 1888, no fortiflca-
tions had been erected in her man
dated islands in the Pacific sur
rounding the Americana owned is
land of Guam. In recent congress
sional debate on proposal for mill
tary harbor Improvements at Guam
charges were made several times
that the islands had been fortified
in violation of the League of Nations
mandate under which Japan holds
them.
In radio address, Representative
Fish, Republican, of New York called
upon all would-be Republican and
Democratic candidates for President
in 1910 to make their positions
known, without evasion or reserva-
ton, on this issue Of keeping out OF
foreign wars"
The people, he said, "have a right
to know how every candidate stands
on collective security. entangling
alliances, military and naval pacts.
armed intervention, secret diplo-
macy, war commitments and dele
eating to the President discretionary
warmaking powers" He added:
There should be no compromise
or quibbling on this greatest of is
sues, and the people should have an
opportunity of a clear-cut referen.
dunn on this question in the general
election IN 1910 as they did on the
League of Nations in 1920.
I'VE know where the New Deal
administration stands. It stands for
internationalism, Intervention, Sc.
cret diplomacy. military alliances.
and against our traditional Ameri-
can foreign policy of neutrality
non-intervention, peace and no en-
tangling alliances"