Evening star., 1939-06-13
Neutrality Bill
Is Approved
By House Unit
Measure Would
Allow War Aid
To Britain, France
BACKGROUND

TlDo months after congressional
committees began hearings on re-
pising the neutrality laW the dd-
miniStration presented its pieus
in letters from Secretary of State
Hull to Representative Bloom and
Senator Pittmdn. That 1UdS II
days ago. Representative Bloom,
acting chairman OF the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, had a
bill embodying the Hull ideas, on
tDhich he at once began hearings.
This is the bill reported today.
Dy the Associated Press
The administration neutrality
bill-providing repeal of the embargo
on arms and ammunitions for ma
tions at War-waS approved in full
today by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee.
In general, the measure would
give the President broader powers
In dealing with international situ-
ations and, it is generally conceded,
would make it possible for this coun-
try to aid Britain and France in a
way not possible under an arms
embargo.
State Department representatives
were said by committee member
to have informed the committee
during consideration of the legisla-
ton that stocks of arms acquired by
Germany through Austrian and
Czechoslovakian anchsluss had given
the Hitler government so marked
superiority over Britain and France
that for the United States to refrain
from selling to all belligerents would
really mean, in event of war in Eu-
rope. that the United States was
favoring Germany
Split Is on Party Lines.
Representative Bloom Democrat.
OF New York, acting chairman, said
the committee split along party lines
IS voting on the legislation. which
some Republicans have called "un-
neutral"
Twelve Democrats voted for it and
eight Republicans against.
Representative Bloom said he
would ask the House Rules Com
mittee this week to permit eight
hours Of debate on the measure and
throw it open for amendment.
I'VE wouldn't t get a bill any other
way he explained.
The House probably will begin
consideration of the legislation with
In two weeks. he added
The embargo repeal proposal has
caused the biggest furor of all the
administration neutrality recon-
mendations recently set out in a
letter sent by Secretary of State
Hull to the chairmen of the Senate
and House Foreign Affairs Com
mittees.
Senate Fight Awaits
A Senate bloc is reported ready to
fight to the last ditch against drop
ping the embargo clause. Under it,
all supplies of American arms. am
munitions and implements of war"
to other nations would be cut off as
soon as the Neutrality Act was ap-
piled to them after they had gone
to war.
AS for "cash-and-c carry provisions
the administration bill would re-
quire that title to all goods bought
in this country for a nation at war
would have to be transferred to the
purchaser before the goods left
American shores.
Also, once the act was applied,
the President could proclaim areas
of combat operations from which
United States ships and citizens
could be barred or in which their
movements could be restricted.
An amendment added to the bill
today would prohibit the arming of
American vessels engaged in COM
merce with nations at war-such as
was done in 1867 before this
country's declaration of war against
Germany.
Other Clauses in the Bill.
Other provisions of the measure
would:
Prohibit travel of American citi-
war.
Bar loans and credits to bellig-
erents.
Prohibit solicitation of funds for
nations at war.
Restrict the use of American ports
by vessels of states at war.
American republics would not be
affected by any of these provisions.
Bloom and Fish Exchange.
Yesterday afternoons session of
the committee ended with a barbed
exchange between Acting Chairman
Bloom and Representative Fish of
New York, the ranking minority
member.
Seated at the opposite end of the
long committee table from the acting
chairman, Representative Fish die
tated to newsmen, while Mr.. Bloom
listened, a statement denouncing the
measure as a fake neutrality bill"
.1See NEUTRALITY, Page A-4D
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