The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-06-07


ators announced opposition to the
program and said they intended to
fight 1t as back door method Of
intervention" In the war.
The government, yielding to Allied
appeals, put double play" In mo-
ton governmental American |
Manufacturers-to the Allies. Under
1t, the administration can avoid |
technically direct aid to the British
and French governments.
Is0lationists Protest
While isolationists in congress said
that we were taking "a step toward
war;" the government announced
that means we're being sought for
immediate assistance to the Allies in
the form of indirect sales Of planes
and munitions.
Ninety Navy planes were the first
to be ticketed for the Allies, Fifty OF
them = swift and fairly new Curtiss
dive boanbers recalled from naval
reserve units - already were being
brought together at Buffalo, N. Y,
for immediate delivery to British
purchasing missions. The navy
announced that 40 more would fol-
low.
An authoritative source said that
additional blocks" Of planes would
be involved in future transactions.
Some reports said that almost $500
Army and Navy planes might be
taken over by the Allies, but this
was not confirmed
IT. vUne aef tnlicLo al that ,,n et n,,nx
titles Of gunpowder, rifles, machine
guns and other equipment-mostly
left over from the World War, have
been made available to the allies by
the same means as the planes. The
system, which Chairman Key Pitt
man of the senate foreign relations
committee described as perfectly
legal" works like the old automobile
"trade-in" plan.
Government Can't Use Them.
The administration, deciding that
1t no longer has use for certain
planes and other war stocks, will
turn so-called surplus materials
back to the manufacturers In part
payment for new equipment. TIE
manufacturers will be free TO sell
the discarded supplies to the allies.
Officially, the administration took
tho view that 1--WE don't know what
tho manufacturers will do with the
stuff we trade in, and it's none Of
our business"
But back of the arrangements
were weeks of negotiations, appeals
from the allies that became more
urgent after The British expedition
airy force lost most Of It's equipment
in Flanders, and calls from such
figures as Col. Frank Knox, Chica-
60 publisher and 1886 republican
vice. presidential candidate, and New
York Gov. Herbert H. Lehman, for
short of war" aid to the allies.
IF England and France are beat
en-, we will be obliged Instantly to
take possession of every island pos
session of the British empire in this
hemisphere" Knox told Milwau-
kee audience.
Lehman Urges Sale.
Lehman, after a long luncheon
conference with Mr.. Roosevelt yes
terday,, said he had urged the pres
ident to hasten sales to the allies
of AL the planes, equipment and
supplies which he felt could be
spared without jeopardizing our ma
tional defense"
simultaneously, the White House
disclosed that our ambassadors to
Britain and France had been bonn
harding official quarters here with
telephone appeals for allied aid.
Commenting on the program,
Pittman said that once the govern
ment gives up a weapon, 1t neces-
sarily loses control Of 1t. A manu-
facturer, he said, has the privilege
o. disposing Of the weapon as he
sees At. There is nothing In exist
ing law, Pittman said, to prevent
such transactions.
However, isolationists quickly
jumped on the proposal, and even
Chairman David I. Walsh Of the
senate naval affairs committee, who
usually is 100 per cent behind any
defense move, said he could not un-
derstand "that such action would
be taken without consultation with
the senate and with the congress"
Get Us Into War.
''This kind Of move Is going to
get us into the war through the back
door," said Sen. Ernest Iundeen,
FL, Mimi, whose views were shared
by Sens. Bennett Champ Clark, D..
MO. Arthur H. Vandenberg, r.
Mich, Burton K. Wheeler, D., Mont,
Robert r. Reynolds, D., N. c., and
other members of "keep-out-of-
war" group recently formed by
Clark.
Under the "trade-in" plan, the
army and navy would embark upon
new version Of the allied sales
policy. with the navy presumably
furnishing most of the airplanes
and the army supplying the heavy
ground equipment. At present, the
armed forces have been waving de-
livery on planes II the manufactures
agreed to furnish newer and bet
ter type later.
It was estimated that from 800
TO 1000 new planes have been made
available to the allies under exist
ing arrangements. Allied purchas-
ing missions have ordered approx
mAtely $1,000. 100000 CD worth OF
planes and engines since January,
1889, involving probably 1000 planes.
Delivery, naturally, has been slow.
Navy Announcement.
The navy made the following an
nouncement regarding Its "trade-in"
program:
I'm accordance with an agreement
with the Curtiss Aeroplane Co., Of
Buffalo, 50 airplanes from various
naval reserve squadrons are being
returned 70 that company for re-
placement with planes Of . superior