Evening star., 1940-12-18
Contends We Are Not
Aiding the British
Assistance Greater Than
'Cosh-ond-C Carry Trade
Strongly Advocated

'Cosh-ond-C Carry Trade
Strongly Advocated
To the Editor of The Star:
During the recent campaign, both
parties favored aid to Britain. Such aid
has been widely advocated in the press
by men prominent In public life. It is
therefore pertinent to ask what con-
stitutes aid for Britain.
A brief dictionary definition of the
verb aid is ito render assistance to-"
Aid for Britain would therefore presum-
ably be constituted BY acts designed for
the purpose of rendering assistance to
Britain.
On occasion we have had serious
floods in our middle States which have
driven many people from their homes.
When this occurs, we render aid to such
people. But when assistance is rendered,
those who render 1t go to the places
involved and provide such assistance out
of funds allotted for the purpose. If the
citizens of an adjacent State untouched
by floods were to offer to sell goods to
the people concerned, provided the latter
would come and get the goods and pay
for them, we should hardly call that aid.
We have discussed aid for Britain
great deal But so far we have sold
Britain munitions for cash. If that diff
fers from the example, the difference is
small. If it is considered to be aid, then
our definition of aid is an extremely
limited one.
We are literate people and we should
respect the dictionary. We have not
yet even discussed aid for Britain. We
are only under the impression that we
have discussed it. What we have dis
cussed is the strategical distribution of
military equipment and supplies pro-
duced by our factories. Will we ourselves
be safer If we sell more to Britain or
will we be safer If we keep more for
ourselves?
1t Is to be presumed that the guam
tity Of such products which we make
available for sale will increase. There
is general desire that the quantity shall
increase. But even when the share
available Is greater, the selling of such
products for cash on delivery at one of
our ports is still commercial transac-
ton. To call this laid" seems very
complacent Interpretation of the word
One act has been performed by the
authority Nf u,,ic
mately be called aid. That act was
the authorization of the transfer of so
overage destroyers. That was valuable
assistance to Britain. Even in that
transaction we got an exchange. But
the decisive manner in which it was
done indicated that at least one man,
Mr.. Roosevelt, was willing to run a risk
in order to render assistance to Britain,
for he did run political risk
Only action which involves risk is
entitled to be described as aid in the
dictionary meaning of the term. With
the exception of that one action, all So
called aid has been merely a variation
in the strategic distribution of equip
ment and supplies. We have sold more
But it would be very optimistic to say
that we were motivated more by desire
to render assistance than by hope that
Britain would hold out long enough to
enable us to repair our own deficiencies.
1t is most certainly within our power
to decide whether to render assistance
to Britain. No one save ourselves can
%hat p,1f fhn oSh
hand we should not harbor the illusion
that that question has as yet been
discussed We have so far discussed
publicly our own safety.
We may or we may not eventually dis
cuss actual aid for Britain No opinion
Is here offered as to whether assistance
should be rendered, since strategical
calculations enter into such discussion.
But until such time as we are ready to
discuss it, it is suggested that we refrain
from the fiction of calling the selling of
munitions for profit aid.
We can be very sure that in 1898 Theo-
dore Roosevelt would not have called
the selling of munitions to Cubans laid
for Cuba" The military situation is, of
course, completely different today. There
Is no similarity between Britain and
Cuba as nations. But the definitions of
words are still the same today as they
were in 1898 When Theodore Roosevelt
undertook to take part in laid to Cuba"
the part he took was that of the Lieu
tenant Colonel of the First Regiment of
United States Cavalry volunteers. When
the Rough Riders "aided" Cuba, they
went to Cuba and rendered assistance
where assistance was needed.
Were Theodore Roosevelt alive today,
it is doubtful that he would consider
our present actions as aid to Britain.
His experience was with a job that was
to be done. There were more volunteers
to do it than could be accepted. 1t seems
strange that no one has thought of Theo-
dore Roosevelt. There has been no men,
ton of any alternative between the SELL
ing of munitions for cash and the trans
portation of an army of 100000 men to
foreign SOIL" The particular situation
is of course immensely more difficult
than the situation in 1898. But also we
have far greater potential strength, and
our own interest is immensely greater.
There are probably few Americans who
recollect that the first standard work on
sea power was that of an American flag
officer Admiral Mahan The book was