Evening star., 1940-08-08
The Political Mill
Sole Of Destroyers to Britain Held Justified
By Giving U. S. Longer Time to Prepare Defenses

Cou0ltloIcQ QeStTOyeTS winch IL Is
now proposed that the United States
sell to Great Britain. There have
been replacements of British de-
stroyers from British shipyards but
they have been far from sufficient
The sale Of war vessels to the
British will be termed an unfriendly
act-to Germany-by Germans and
some Americans. However, this coun-
try is permitting the British to pur-
chase airplanes and munitions of
war Of all kinds, and it Is difficult
to see that there is any real diff
ference, when 1t comes to trans
ferring to them these destroyers.
The destroyers have been and are
the property Of the United States
Government, it is true. The Gov
ernment itself is not selling air.
planes or munitions to the British.
Either the destroyers could be sold
to American agents of the British
and by them sold to the British or
the Government might effect an
exchange with the British whereby
we obtained from the British some
capital ships and a naval base In
the West indies.
The main thing, however, is to
get these destroyers into the hands
Of the British. 1t may take an act
of Congress to do 1t. There is an
act, written into the law in 1917,
prohibiting the sale of war vessels
to billigerent nation, and ap-
parently 1t must be amended or re-
pealed If the transfer of the de-
stroyers Is now to be made.
Appeasement Impossible.
The Nazis may or may not regard
the sale of these destroyers to the
British as q sufficient cause to bring
this country into the enemy class.
Judging from the past performances
Of Mr.. Hitler and his government,
there is nothing that the United
States or any other nation may do
which will alter their course-unless
1t be the development by the United
States Of very strong military and
naval forces. All efforts to appease
Mr.. Hitler and Nazi government
have been Of no avail. When Mr..
Hitler has decided to move against
another country, he has gone right
ahead-as for example in the case
Of his invasion of Holland and
Belgium, of Norway and Denmark.
1t seems particularly childish for
Americans, in the light of these
past performances, to attempt to
"appease" Mr.. Hitler.
The longer this country has to
develop its national defenses, on
land and sea, the better. It seems
obvious that the longer the British
fleet controls the sea-in relation to
Germany and other possible enemies
Of the United States-the more time
this country will have to prepare.
For a year, now, sentiment has
been running strongly in this coun-
try against involvement in the Eu-
ropean conflict. 1t has become in
creasingly clear, however, that the
United States is more likely to be-
come involved in these world trou-
bles If 1t allows itself to remain an
easy prey of attack. Public opinion
has veered strongly to the support
of rearmament until the United
States shall have been made prac-
tically impregnable to attack.
Draft Bill Shows Sentiment.
No more striking example of this
growth of public opinion could be
found than the present position of
the proposed universal military
training and service bill-the draft
bill, so called. That measure has
now been reported favorably to the
Senate by the Military Affairs Com
mittee by a vote of 13 to 8. It's
passage by the Senate seems assured,
Notwithstanding the attacks of Sem
ators Holt of West Virginia, Vanden-
berg of Michigan, Wheeler of Mon
tana and others.
The draft is not pleasant thing,
but 1t is far more pleasant to con-
template than the possible-very