Evening star., 1941-05-13

short of war. Patrolling Is definitely
measure short Of war.
Separate Activities.
Now patrolling and conveying are
separate activities, although, in my
opinion, they must supplement each
other If they are to be effective.
In other words. If patrolling does
not prove sufficient check upon
Nazi marauders the next logical
step Is conveying.
This does not mean war, unless
Hitler wants war, and If he wants
war he can always find an excuse,
even If it is a trumped up one. And
If Hitler wants to call conveying
war, he will call conveying war
If he Is ready to fight us, he will
fight us, regardless; If he is not
ready, he will not fight us, regard
less.
1t is about time that we stopped
being fooled by threats or frightened
by words. We should act according
to American interests.
That is the way President Wash
ington and President Adams and
President Jefferson acted under
more or less similar trying circum-
stances.
Some of those who are most vocal
against conveys either have forgot
ten or have never known their naval
history. They have forgotten that
our Navy was founded for the pre-
else purpose of protecting our COM
merce. This could mean either pa
trolling or conveying.
During Washington's second ad-
ministration the United States found
itself without a Navy. although it
centered around the name and fame
of John Paul Jones. The United
States might have been able to get
along for some time longer without a
Navy If it had not been that Napo-
leon Bonaparte felt the urge to con-
quer the world, thereby setting
bloody example for a later Austrian
house painter. So Congress author
lied the Secretary Of War 1--WE did
not have Navy Department under
Washington to build three war
ships In the act of Congress au-
thorizing this construction it was
stated that the ships were to protect
American commerce.
Mandate Carried Out.
The newly born American Navy
gallantly carried out the mandate of
Congress. Down in the Caribbean,
among the West Indies. where ear
lier pirates had once lain in wait for
the richly laden galleons of Spain.
French privateers were operating at
the expense of American sea-borne
commerce. For some time the
youthful American warships engaged
in an undeclared war against Ma
poleon's privateers, and they did
their part in making those waters
safe for American commerce.
Then the Corsairs of Northern
Africa undertook to hunt peaceful
American merchantmen engaged in
commerce with lands bordering on
the Mediterranean and again our
Navy was ready to carry out the
function for which it had been
created-to protect American COM
merce. President Jefferson, one Of
the gentlest and most peace-loving
men in history, ordered American
warships into the Mediterranean
and there they fought another un-
declared war with the pirates Of
Morocco. Our fleet, incidentally,
licked the pirates to a frazzle and
taught them henceforth to respect
the American flag and American
interests.
BY law, by tradition, by history,
the primary mission of our Navy is
to protect American commerce.
This does not mean commerce re-
stricted to the Pacific Ocean, or
the South Atlantic, or the North
Atlantic, or the Mediterranean. 1t
means American commerce, Amer
ican goods and American interests
anywhere in the wide world.
repeat and I emphasize: Patrol
ling the North Atlantic sea lanes is
one way of protecting our goods and
our interests, and II that Is not
enough, We must take the next log
ical step-short Of war-and use our
great and powerful fleet to convoy.
In having our Navy patrol the sea
lanes, and. If necessary convoy, the
ships carrying our commerce, the
President Is doing not merely his
duty, he is also carrying out historic
American policy, established by
Washington, Adams and Jefferson.
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