Evening star., 1940-06-23
6. 0. P. Fell in Trap
Laid by Cabinet Shift,
White Declares
Presidents Move Seen as
One to Force Rivals Onto
Isolutionist PIutform
BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.

ny WILLIAM ALLEN VIII Es
PHILADELPHIA, June % (NA.
N.A0.-The announcement that
Frank Knox, the Republican vice
presidential candidate in 1896, and
Henry Stimson, President Hoover's
Secretary of State, would 60 into
the Roosevelt cabinet was an obvi-
ously planted time bomb designed
by President Roosevelt to throw con-
fusion into the Republican Conven-
tiop. The Republican Committee
leadership here fell into the trap
and played the Presidents game.
John Hamilton, National Committee
chairman, began communicating
Knox and Stimson, while Gov. Lam
don began making it easy for the
two Republicans to 60 into the Roose-
Velt cabinet. Thursday and Friday
the Hamilton forces were in the
ascendancy. But Saturday reaction
began to set in and those who have
seen John Hamilton's Sunday night
speech declare he is pulling his
punches on Knox and Stimson.
The regular party leaders here
have begun to realize that the Pres
1dent Is trying to force a peace-at-
any-price plank into the Republican
platform, so that, if and when Hitler
begins in October to show an interest
IN the West Indies as air and naval
bases, the Republicans will be hog
tied by an isolationist platform.
Then the Democrats can get behind
the Monroe Doctrine and go to the
country on an American defense
issue.
Dewey Due to Lead Easily.
Leaders like Landon are trying to
explain that with London a sham
bles in October, with the British
fleet in danger and the Monroe
Doctrine threatened, the Repub-
licans will be handing over the elec-
: ton to the Democrats if the Re-
publicans try to adopt anything like
a peace-at-any-price isolationist
platform declaration. The result is
probably what Roosevelt planned
when he planted his -Stimson
time bomb. 1t is confusion, dissen-
sion and big Republican row.
SO 1t is evident that more interest
centers around the Republican plat
form this year than around the
Republican candidates. It was more
important news to the country that
ALT Landon had been named chair
man of the resolutions subcommit-
tee on foreign affairs and had taken
Tor himself the drafting of the plank
on foreign relations than was any
maneuver of Republican presiden-
tial candidates for first place.
AS for candidates, it looks as
though Dewey would lead easily
with Taft closely following ready
to pick up the pieces if Dewey be-
gins to crumble after the third
ballot. No one cares much whether
the prize goes to Dewey or Taft,
but the country is watching with
eager interest the contest between
the i1ternationalists led by Landon
and the isolationists led by John
Hamilton and the Joe Pew crowd
In Philadelphia.
Sop for IsOlationists.
Landon, as an internationalist,
has supported most of the Presi-
dents foreign policies. He was the
Presidents representative at the
South American conference. He
has openly favored sending every
possible aid to the Allies that will
not cripple our national defense,
which is as far as any Republican
or Democrat of national Importance
goes-noW.
The game will be to feed the
isolationists all the raw meat they
want in the denunciation of the
President for his failure to arm the
country. The isolationists may also
have from Landon's leadership any
bitter words they choose to write
denouncing Roosevelt for his stab
in-the-back speech about Italy.
Verbiage is the hay that ALT will
toss to the isolationists in return
for being allowed to write foreign
policy plank in the platform that
will not handicap the candidate in
October by what might be popular
promises in June.
In other words, what the inter-
nationalist Republicans desire IS
! negative-no denunciation for help
ing the Allies with planes and ships,
no declaration that will stop us from
defending the Caribbean Sea and
the Canal and possibly South Amer
lea, no restriction on our foreign
policy which would give us the right
to accept the British Navy if it were
offered to us in return for the de-
fense of Canada, no lariat upon our
activities in the Pacific that would
prohibit us from defending the
Philippines even though we had to
send our ships to Singapore-a
British base.
Want 1t Left Unsaid.
The internationalists are not ask
ing for things in the Republican
platform. They are merely trying
to keep down restrictions upon the
free action of their candidate in
October.
For at least 20 years the Repub-
lican party has been under the
control of the isolationist group.
They defeated the League of Ma
tions, they stopped the World Court.
The isolationists had to accept the
Kellogg Pact under Coolidge, but
this year the internationalists, as
the convention opens, seem to be
taking the lead in platform build
ing, though Roosevelt's coalition
move at first gave the isolationists
the ball.
OF all the men in the running
Wendell Willkie probably would be
the typical candidate OF the Re-
publicans who do not wish to be
hampered in dealing with world af-
fairs by restrictive foreign rela-
tions plank in the Republican plat
form. Willkie has publicly declared
that he believes in helping the
Allies. He has supported the Hull
treaties which is Americas contri-
button to international peace. Will
~. l.