Evening star., 1940-12-29
President Is Urged
Not 10 Give AWay'
Nation S Defenses
No War Committees
Telegram Is Signed by
$500 Common People,
B. thl Associated Press,

B, tht Associated Press.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Dec. 2s.-
The No Foreign War Committee sent
to President Roosevelt tonight a
telegram. signed by $500 common
people" urging him mot to lend or
give away the defenses of the Ma
ton"
The telegram described the sign
ers as thousands of the common
people who furnish the cannon fod-
der and the food for war, who fight
and die IN wars forced on them by
their governments, and who, in the
last analysis, must pay for those
wars"
They asked the President in his
radio broadcast Sunday night ito
tell them that the assurances
you gave them in the recent presi-
dental campaign will be kept, to the
letter"
The telegram referred to a round
robin OF ITO persons, who Thursday
urged the President to help sweep
away ignorance and lethargy and
disbelief"
Say Truth Would End Wars.
II the people of the world ever
are given by their governmental
Leaders the truth which they must
have if they are TO understand why
great wars are fought, there will be
no more great wars" said the signers
OF today's telegram. IF you answer
their pleas, Europe's current phase
OF an interminable war will end
within a few weeks. s"~
After you have swept away our
ignorance and lethargy and diSbe-
lief said by the ITO signers Of last
thursdays telegram to be endanger-
ing the United States as they en-
dangered the strangled democracies
OF Europe, these common people
VIII rise en- maSse to help you to
end this war and all wars.
Real Good Neighbor" Policy.
Once the people of the world are
permitted to know what has been
kept from them about the economic,
political and theological realities,
which are the real causes of Europe's
and Asia's everlasting conflicts,
those conflicts will cease for all time.
Then that good neighbor' policy
SO commercially encouraged by you,
as our President, will become a
reality rather than myth; the trade
routes of the world will be opened
to all countries, thus enabling their
peoples actually TO give democracy
an opportunity for birth, develop
ment and permanency."
The signers asked the President
mot TO lend or give away the de-
fenses Of their Nation, as you pro-
pose TO ask Congress that s3,000,-
100000 worth OF those defenses be
loaned or given TO Britain" and
added:
Trusting that you are correctly
informed when you repeatedly tell
them that their own country's de-
fenses are dangerously inadequate
and that all haste must be made in
a furious effort to strengthen those
defenses against some aggressor who
may have designs upon this hemis-
phere, the common people of the
great Middle West and many States
outside that solidly American area
are fearful when they see so much
of their defense equipment and ma
terial shipped overseas.
Editor Broadcasts Appeal.
Verne Marshall, editor of the
Cedar Rapids Gazette and chairman
Of the committee, said persons from
20 States had authorized use of their
signatures.
In a broadcast last night, urging
"the common people of this area"
to permit use Of their names, Mr..
Marshall said the telegram would
answer the one to the White House
in which the ITO Americans urged
the President to do everything that
may be necessary to insure defeat OF
the axis powers"