Evening star., 1940-12-31
Mrs. Roosevelt Sees
Nazi Objections 10
Wheeler Peace Plan
Admits Good Bosis for
Negotiation, but Doubts
Acceptance by Hitler

Mrs. Roosevelt at her press con-
ference today questioned the basis
OF Senator Wheeler's assumption in
his latest peace plan that Germany
would be willing to negotiate for
peace on the terms he outlined
In radio speech last night Sen
ator Wheeler listed eight points as
a possible basis for negotiating
peace. Mrs. Roosevelt said she had
read the points. with great interest
and thought they would make a
good basis for negotiation, but l."
she added. wonder If Mi Hitler
would be willing to agree and SO far
there is no assurance that peace
will not have to be made with Mr..
Hitler" She made it clear that al
though Senator Wheeler had spoken
of the German peoples willingness
to negotiate. actually Hitler would
be the negotiator
C0lumnist Quoted.
"Mr. Wheeler she said, may
have information that haven't got
and I'm not presuming to base my
opinion on any private knowledge
he may have But, speaking as a
private citizen. have seen no offer
which would give a basis for Mr..
Wheeler's assumption that Germany
would be willing to negotiate accept
ing Mr.. Wheeler's points"
She quoted from Columnist Wal
ter Lippman to point out that no
lasting peace was ever made with
any one who did not truly represent
people able to express themselves.
National defense plans and relief
for Britain also came in for their
share of discussion at the press con-
ference.
Mrs. Roosevelt proposed that an
individual be appointed to co-ordi-
nate all relief effort for Britain in
the United States. His major task,
she said would be to decide which
shipments should be given priority
in the space allotted to relief ma
terial. She explained that some re-
lief shipments that had been made
took up space that might have been
better used for other things. The
officer she has in mind would match
the 0fflcer in England handling re-
lief needs, the latter official is Sir
Ronald Lindsay, former British Am
bassador to the United States.
WOmen'S Defense Role.
Asked again the part women
should play in national defense work
In this country. Mrs. Roosevelt re-
sponded that women have the
funny idea" that they must wait
until a grand plan comes to them,
either national or dressed up in
uniform" Waiting for such a plan,
she said, was "unrealistic" because
in the end the women would find
that the work had to be done In
their own community.
To make her point clear, she
quoted from Alice Duer Millers
White Cliffs" volume sent to her
for Christmas by Actress Lynn Fon-
tame, who first introduced it to
radio audiences. Mrs. Roosevelt
read from the poem:
Englishmen will serve day after
day, obey the law and do dull tasks
that keep a nation strong"
II was the dull tasks that Mrs.
Roosevelt urged women to do in
their own communities.
Mrs. Roosevelt also denied she had
urged compulsory work camps for
girls as a national defense measure
She charged there was a concerted
drive among the Communists to
have it believed the administration
stands for compulsory work camps.
While she spoke the President
was consulting with Mrs. Florence
Kerr, assistant commissioner of the
w. P. A., on the role women should
play in national defense.
Attitude on Camps Explained.
Mrs. Roosevelt asserted that in
proposing compulsory service for
girls she had spoken not as an ad-
ministration representative but as a
private citizen and that she had not
urged work camps but service in
local communities. She explained
that she thought the service should
be compulsory because otherwise the
value would be lost to a great many
young women who need the train
ing more than those who would do
it voluntarily.
Il know that this is not the idea
of any Government official l have
ever spoken to-" she declared. She
said she was sure that any Nation
wide plan for service for those out
side the draft would be voluntary if
it was sponsored by the Government.
Mrs. Roosevelt disclosed that her
public utterances were drawing fire
from the Ku Klux Klan, which, she
said. claims she is supporting the
k~>~~ 49,