Evening star., 1940-02-18
Contrubond Control PeriIs

A4OAASCs
-
Contrubond Control PeriIs
Few persons were willing to believe
that Germany had any serious inten-
ton of sinking American ships which
run afoul Of the contraband system
set up by the British government,
and Berlin has been quick to dispel
any such ''ill-founded" fears. The
Germans know that such ships are,
in effect, temporary prisoners Of.
war; that they are, therefore, invol-
untary visitors in British waters and
involuntary violators OF President
Roosevelt's stay-out-of -the-war zone
neutrality proclamation, and that, as
unarmed merchantmen, they are en-
titled to the protection of interna-
tional law and the laws of humanity.
Herr Hitler is not likely to forget
that 1t was the illegality and inhu-
manity of Germany's ruthless war
fare on neutral shipping that had
much to do with Americas entry
into the other World War on the side
of the allies. He is not apt to risk
having history repeat itself in the
current conflict. He is quite willing,
however, to increase the tension
which already exists between Britain
and neutral powers over contraband
searches. It will be to his advantage,
theoretically, If England is forced to
relax in any degree her vigilance
against shipments of supplies to the
hard-pressed Reich.
American vessels, of course, are not
permitted to engage in trade with
any of the belligerents; hence the
anxiety of our State Department over
the action of the British in compel
ling American ships to put in at
Gibraltar or other war zone ports for
cargo examinations. Senator Key
Pittman, chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, Is of
the opinion-and many authorities
support him in the view-that inter-
national law contemplated that such
inspections should be made not In
belligerents' ports but on the high
seas. The United States voiced this
contention in complaints to Great
Britain during the first World War,
holding then that the right Of search
could be exercised only on the high
seas at the time and place of stop
page and that ships could not be
taken into port for further examina-
ton ION suspicion not amounting to
evidence" The British rejected this
concept, however, on the ground that
the shapers of international law did
not foresee the difficulties involved
in conducting inspections at sea Of
numbers of huge ships, with their
large, tightly-packed cargoes. Amer
ican officials apparently saw the logic
OF this explanation, for the COM
plants were not pressed vigorously.
The State Department now bases its
protests to Britain over contraband
control activities not on international
law-although all rights Hereunder
have been reserved-but on the fact
that our ships, in the face of the pro-
hibitions imposed by our own neu-
trality law, are being held for unrea-
sonably long periods in zones deemed
by our Government to be fraught
with dangers Of war involvement.
The quasi-official offer of the Brit
ish to provide conveys for the
diverted ships would in no wise solve
the problem. The State Department
months ago rejected the idea even
of United States conveys for our
merchant ships on the plausible
ground that conveys serve only to
invite trouble, by arousing suspi-
cion Of covert operations. Surely the
presence of a British convoy would
but multiply the hazards confronting
victims of the contraband control
service. The British have advanced
a fourth proposal for a contraband
station on this side of the Atlantic
perhaps at New Brunswick. A dis
advantage Of this plan, however,
would be that it might stimulate sub
marine activity in the North Atlantic
and create the uneasy feeling that
the war was being brought much too
close to our shores.
The effect OF the implied Nazi
threat of violence to neutral victims
of British contraband inspectors will
be salutary If it serves to bring to a
head the long-drawn-out negotia-
tions between the United States and
Great Britain over contraband poll
cies and to hasten a satisfactory set
tlement OF an increasingly acrimo-
nious dispute.
The old philosopher said, "Fortu-
nate is the country that has no
history" He might have put it,
fortunate is the country whose chief