Evening star., 1939-11-05
President Sets Combat Zones
Limiting U. S. Ships in Europe;
Huge Naval Expansion Sought
Extension of Ban
To Neutral Ports
Surprises Some
By GARRETT d. HORNER.

President Roosevelt put the new
Neutrality Act into full effect with
unexpected rigor soon after he
signed it yesterday by invoking
discretionary provisions to ban
American ships from nearly all
European ports on the Atlantic side
and to close American waters to
belligerent submarines.
Under powers which Congress left
to his discretion to use whenever
he found them necessary to protect
American lives and promote national
security, the President issued
proclamationS:
l. Defining as combat area,
from which American surface YES
sells and aircraft are barred,
broad zone extending north from
Spain, around the British Isles
some 800 miles at sea from Ireland
and inward to the Norwegian coast
just south of Bergen.
2. Providing that no belligerent
submarine may enter ports or ter
ritorial waters of the United States
except in cases of emergency dis
tress and then only while running
on the surface.
Extension of the combat zone to
exclude American shipping from the
neutral ports of Sweden, Denmark,
The Netherlands, Belgium and
parts of Norway was surprising to
some. Chairman Pittman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Commit
tee, author of the act, asserted even
after it was signed that he did not
think demarcation of a combat
area was necessary at all now.
Provisions of Mandatory Act.
An initial Presidential proclama-
tion, declaring a state of war to
exist in Europe and naming the
belligerents, revoked the arms en-
barge and brought into effect the
new acts mandatory provisions
practically simultaneously with
signing of the act at 1904 pm.
yesterday.
These mandatory provisions, in
brief, forbid:
Amy American vessel to carry
any passengers or any articles or
materials to any Of the belligerent
nations.
2-Exportation Of any articles or
materials to belligerent state until
all interest and title therein is trans
ferred to q foreign government or
agency.
3ETransactions in bonds or Sc
curities of belligerent nations.
@Solicitation of funds for the
belligerents, except to relieve human
suffering through medical aid, food
or clothing.
5Americans to travel on bellig-
erent vessels.
earning of American merchant
ships.
Use of the American flag by a
belligerent vessel.
White House Ceremony Colorful.
Mr.. Roosevelt signed the procla-
nation restricting American ship
ping three hours after he had put
his signature to the new law itself
and the other two proclamations in
a colorful ceremony at the White
House. Its provisions were not made
public, however, until shortly before
pm, when Secretary of State Hull
added his signature to the procla-
nation.
The President accompanied the
combat zone proclamation with a
statement explaining in plain Eng
lish" what it meant to American
shipping.
First, he pointed out that it "is
laid down in the law" that no Amer
lean ships may 60 to belligerent
ports, British, French or German, in
Europe or Africa as far south as the
Canary Islands.
by proclaiming a combat area, :"
he added, II have set out the area
in which the actual operations of
the war appear to make navigation
Of American ships dangerous.
This combat area takes in the
whole Bay of Biscay, except waters
on the north coast of Spain so close
to the Spanish coast as to make
danger of attack unlikely. It also
takes in all the waters around Great
Britain, Ireland and the adjacent
islands, including the English Chan
mel. It takes in the whole North
Sea. running up the Norwegian
coast to a point south of Bergen.
It takes in all of the Baltic Sea
and its dependent waters.
Belligerent Ports Closed.
I'm substance, therefore, Ameri-
can ships cannot now proceed to
any ports in France, Great Britain
or Germany. This is by statute.
BY proclamation. they cannot pro-
ceed to any ports in Ireland, nor to
any port in Norway south of Ber-
gen, nor to any ports in Sweden,
Denmark, Netherlands or Belgium,
nor to Baltic ports.
"All neutral ports in the Medi-
terranean and Black Seas are open;
likewise all ports, belligerent or neu-
tral, in the Pacific and Indian
Oceans and dependent waters and
all ports in Africa south of the
latitude Of the Canaries 60 de-
grees NJ"
In effect, about the only European
nations to which American ships
may 60 now are Spain, Portugal,
Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey,
Bulgaria, Rumania and that part
OF Norway north of Bergen. Fin
(See NEUTRALITY, Page A-50