Evening star., 1939-02-03
Defense
Continued From First Page. }

encs. The President told reporters
he was going to talk with Pitman
about other matters. He added,
with another smile, that he wanted
Senator Pittman to attend the press
conference so he could tell the Sem
ate what took place.
Mr.. Roosevelt said he always had
believed foreign policy should not
be involved in politics, and he did
not think the 1910 campaign should
enter into the situation as to foreign
policy and American defense in the
year 1899.
All the people had to do, he de-
elared, was to read the headlines to
realize the pure gueSses in connection
with his conferences. He added
these guesses became dressed up the
next day to assume a factual posi-
ton.
Asked to state exactly what hap
pened at his conference with the
Military Committee SO as to clarity
the situation, the President said he
already had given the press that in
his restatement of foreign policy.
(Reporting on the conference
between the President and men,
bers Of the Senate Military Com
mittee the Associated Press
Wednesday said:
cone conflict of opinion over
what was said concerned how far
the President had gone in out
&l,o S1roipvt r>plioxy i,,1yolvod
cone member of the committee
said that as he recalled the dis
cussion, Mr.. Roosevelt had said
he considered that, in the event
of a world war, the frontiers of
the United States would be in
France.
C'The other committee members
denied emphatically, however,
that the President had said any,
thing of this nature.')
Secrecy Attack Declared Bunk.
The President said the question OF
secrecy was 100 per cent bunk. To
illustrate, Mr.. Roosevelt said some
reports reached the Government
which were believed to be reasonably
true, but which probably could not
be proved in a court.
He did not believe 1t advisable to
give out such information at his
press conferences, he continued, be-
cause, first, it may not be absolutely
correct, and, second, making 1t pup
he would terminate getting future
information from the same sources
The only information withheld
was of this character, the President
asserted. He said he had told the
Senators some of this kind OF in
formation, but believed it should
not be made public because future
information may put a different
light on it.
The President said he had IA OF
IS newspapers before him which
gave erroneous reports of what took
place at the conference with the
Senate Committee. He added tina,
the original reports were qualified
by such phrases as "it Is learned
and ut is understood" but thai
future editorials and news stories
treated the original reports as fact
by not repeating the qualifications
as to authenticity and failing tc
mention contradictions.
The public, Mr.. Roosevelt said
knows pretty we'll that when they
read such reports they are not news
but merely rumors.
Asked about the "American-fron-
tier-is-on-the Rhine" statement, the
President, with smile, declared
some boob got that off.
He noted that this report had been
attacked in Germany and Italy and
applauded in France and Great
Britain, but that both the attack
and the applause had been based or
misstatement of fact.
The President added that HI
would nke to trace the person who
gave out that report.
He replied emphatically n TIL