Evening star., 1940-07-12
Urges Defense Treaty
With Great Britain
Plan Designed to Prevent
Royol Navy Seizure
By Germans
To the Editor Of The Star:

now as to the extreme danger which
would arise for this country If the axis
powers should gain control OF the At
lantic through the acquisition of the
British fleet by some such means as
those employed in their attempt to
acquire the French fleet. Yet curiously
| little discussion has taken place regard
ing possible action on the part of this
country to prevent this menace to our
security from becoming an actuality.
The problem is one of the greatest urg-
ency, and indeed far more important
than any other single question now
confronting us. Hence the following Is
submitted as possible course of pro-
cedure.
| 1t is proposed that treaty be made
with the least possible delay between the
United States on the one side and Great
Britain and Canada on the other. The
| first provision of such a treaty would
be that in case the British government
should be forced to conclude an arm
istlce with the axis powers, the British
| fleet would not be surrendered to those
powers, but that a specified portion of
| it, prior to the armistice, would be
transferred to the control of the gov
| ernment of Canada and employed for
the defense of British possessions In
this continent
| In the second place, an arrangement
would be made between Canada and the
| United States for joint action in case of
an attack by the axis powers upon any
| part Of this continent or the adjacent
islands. Needless to say. provision would
also have to be made for the Joint use
| by the forces of the two powers of all
| their bases, repair facilities, etc, and
for the adoption of such other measures
as might be desirable for facilitating the
common efforts OF the two countries.
This section of the proposed treaty
would entail our entrance into war. in
the event OF an attack upon this CONT
nent, but the war would be one of
which all but our most extreme isola-
tlonlsts would presumably approve. TO
prevent possible objection from anti
lnterventionists, it might be provided
that the guarantees suggested would not
and Great Britain should have with
drawn from the war in Europe.
In working out these first two pro-
visions, 1t would be probably unwise to
include guarantees on the part Of this
| government for the protection of any
| portions of the British Empire other
than those mentioned, since this would
| rpnIIira Hpna
foreign policies. However, the United
States Government should make no de-
mands which might interfere with the
| probable desire of the British govern
ment to protect the non-American por-
tions of the empire in so far as this
might be practicable.
The third division of the proposed
treaty would consist of such concessions
on the part OF this country to Great
Britain and Canada as would be neces-
sary IN order to induce them to accept
the provisions already mentioned The
difficulty that must be frankly recop.
nized here is the apparent determine.
ton OF the people Of this country to
avoid actual involvement In the present
war, except in the contingency Just men-
toned, that of an attack upon this consi-
nent. 1t might we'll be argued that this
| popular attitude Is ort-sighted. Yet It
exists and shows no sign of changing.
| Indeed, the most recent Gallup polls
indicate that 1t is increasing. 1t has
to be accepted as fact which must
govern all proposals for changes in the
foreign policy of this country. Now, are
there any steps, other than those we
are already taking, which would not
commit us further to war and yet which
| would be of real service to the British
| at this juncture? What would at once
suggest itself and would appeal espe-
| cially to the social conscience of our peo-
pie, is a promise of assistance by this
Government in facilitating the trans
| portatlon of British children to this
country, by the use of all shipping agen-
cies at our disposal and the immediate
| repeal OF provisions in our immigration
and neutrality laws which might hamper
this enterprise. The opportunities for
the assistance of the United States Gov
ernment in this field, however, are lin
| tied, and other concessions might have
| to be offered, such as the relaxation of
existing restrictions regarding the use of
American shipping and the direct facil-
itation of the export of foodstuffs to
Great Britain. 1t is probable, however,
that such measures, if politically possi-
BILE, would have to be carried out without
any written agreement, merely as part
OF the administration policy of helping
the British Empire by all means short
of war. Indeed, the chief inducement
for British approval of the proposed
treaty would be that such action would
have the effect of fostering the senti-
ment in this country in favor of the
continuance and expansion of the pres
ent administrations policy.
Regarding the possible objections to
the plan proposed, the first and most
obvious is that it might be regarded as
endangering our neutral position and
hence as unacceptable to that great ma
jority of Americans who oppose our
intervention in the war. The answer to
this is that no provision suggested above
would be in contravention of our duties
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