Evening star., 1940-12-11
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Following is the tert OF the
statement issued last night by
the British Ambassador. Lord
Lothian, on behalf OF his 0op-
ernment, concerning proposals to
permit food through the British
blockade:
When he was recently in England,
the British Ambassador reported
fully to his majesty's government the
proposals of Mr.. Hoover and others
for sending food to civil populations
in certain of the German subJu-
gated nations in Europe. These
proposals received most sympathetic
attention, all the more so because
his majesty's government have had
in mind the noble services rendered
by Mr.. Hoover to the people OF Bel
gium and other countries during and
after the last war.
After the most careful considera-
ton, however, his majesty'S govern
ment have been reluctantly forced
to the conclusion that under present
conditions any such scheme must be
of material assistance to Germany
war effort and would thereby post
pone the day of liberation Of these
peoples from German subJugatlon
They are therefore not able to give
permission for the passage OF food
through the blockade.
Release Of Subjugated First.
The British government and pub
lie feel the deepest sympathy with
the Allied peoples. and their owl
people in the Channel islands, who
are now likely to endure privatlor
in addition to the sufferings caused
by German Nazi domination. But
the British government feels thai
the primary objective must be II
bring about the release Of the sub.
jugated peoples from this alien op.
preston at the earliest possible mo-
ment.
From the information at its dis
posal the risk of starvation has beer
greatly exaggerated. 1t would be Of
no service to these peoples to senc
in food if it means the prolongatior
of their slavery. Moreover, any
shortage of food from which they
may suffer is solely due to German
action. Until they were conquered
by Germany, they had ample fooo
for their own needs. In conquerine
them and installing German con-
troll, Germany has assumed respon-
sibility for their welfare.
The Nazi authorities, who state
that their reserves are untouched by
the blockade, persistently claim that
they have plenty of food for Europe
so that if there is hardship in these
countries it is because the German
government has been depriving them
of their own supplies and refusing to
give them that share of European
production to which they are en-
titled. Now that Germany is IN
control of the food supplies Of al
most all the continent west Of Rus
sia. the introduction Of food from
outside would add to the total
amount of food available to Ger
many for whatever purposes she de-
cides to allot it. Nor can 1t be for
gotten that the German government
convert foodstuffs on a large scale
into valuable war material.
Moreover, it must be remembered
that the war against Great Britain
is being actively and ruthlessly
prosecuted from the countries under
German occupation which border on
the North Sea and the Atlantic. In
these countries are air fields and
ground organizations which enable
German aircraft to take of day and
night to bomb British women and
children and to conduct indiscrimi-
nate attacks on English towns and
villages. All the resources OF these
territories are being relentleSsly
harnessed to the German war ma
chine and it is certain that the Ger
mans will not allow starvation to
disorganize the social and economic
structure upon which an important
portion of their war effort depends
Equally it is clear that any food
which was allowed to pass the
hlockade would merely permit the