Evening star., 1940-10-02
Credits for Britain

NredltS f0r brlt0in
IN offering legislation designed
primarily to remove statutory OBJ
stacles to the extension OF credits to
the British, and to authorize the
President to negotiate for the use by
this country of British bases in the
Pacific, Senator King of Utah has
taken long and realistic look into
an uncertain future.
At this time, the Johnson Act and
the Neutrality Act stand in the way
of extending credits to Britain, the
former prohibiting any govern
mental loans to nations default
ing on their old war debts and the
latter barring the granting of any
credits to belligerents. At the time
these laws were adopted they ap-
peared to be amply justified by then
existing conditions. But times have
changed, and the real measure OF
our security lies in our capacity to
adapt our policies and our thinking
accordingly.
Britain is engaged in a struggle for
survival, and we have come at long
last to the realization that in very
literal sense 1t is our war as well as
hers We know now that the defeat
Of the British would be calamity
Of the first magnitude for us, and,
with that clear understanding, our
foreign policy has been deliberately
directed toward the prevention Of
any such result. That being the case.
1t would be incredibly rt-sighted
to permit resentment over the de-
fault in the first World War debt
payments to interfere with the adop-
tion of policy at this time which so
plainly promotes our own best inter-
ests. To refuse credits or even out
right gifts of munitions to the Brit
ish when need arises would be closely
analogous to a refusal to arm our
own forces in the face of an attack,
and any nation which pursues such
a fantastic policy has little reason
to expect to survive for long in the
predatory world of today.
Nor is there any justification,
under existing circumstances. for re-
tanning the credit prohibitions OF the
Neutrality Act. They were approved
in the belief we could stay out of the
conflict II we had no financial inter-
est in it. But the fortunes of war
have made mockery of that belief.
We know now that our interest in
the struggle is infinitely greater than
any monetary consideration could
possibly be- We know that in all but
a military sense we are in the war
and that we must see it through with
every means at our disposal.
The exigencies of the situation are
such that Congress should begin i'm
mediately to consider Senator Kings
bill. No thought Of adjournment,
no shallow political consideration,
should be permitted to stand in the
way.
Senator Barkley. the majority
leader, has expressed the belief that
the bill has no chance of passage at
this session of Congress because it
would provoke lot of debate" On
the latter score he is probably cor
rect, but 1t is not the function, nor
has 1t been the habit, of the Senate
TO dodge debate. This Is vital and
an urgent matter, and it should be
viewed as such by every member of
Congress.
Time and the aggresSor nations are
not going to wait upon the conven-
ience of the Senate. If this matter
OF relaxing credit restrictions is one
which calls for extended debate, the
sooner the administration leaders
bring it to the floor the sooner the
debate will be over. The United
States is no longer so situated that
we can afford to wait until each fresh
emergency is upon us before we pre-
pare to deal with it. The great
weakness of the states which have
fallen under the impact of totali-
tarianism has been that they refused
to prepare in time for what was in
evitably coming. If we have not yet
learned that lesson, there is real
cause to despair of the future.