Evening star., 1941-07-18
Sinking Of Ships
May Not Mean War
Writer Says Decision
For or Against HostiIities
Rests With Hitler
BIZ Bertram Benedict.


Conveys are fairly sure to mean
shooting and shooting comes awfully
close to war" said the President last
January 21. And shooting is as likely to
occur from orders to the Navy to keep
the waters between North America and
Iceland free from German warships as
from conveying.
Yet shooting may not provoke war,
the President to the contrary notwith-
standing, even shooting between naval
vessels. In 1798-l800 United States and
French men-of war fired on one an
other, captured one another, even sank
one another. yet war between the United
States and France was avoided. When
the occasion for these naval engage
ments ended. the naval engagements
themselves ended, and that was that
1t is true that in 1898 the sinking OF
the U. S. battleship Maine in Havana
harbor precipitated the Spanish -Ameri-
can war. yet the Maine was the only last
link in long chain of events which led
to war If that chain of events had not
been forged, the Maine incident by it
self might we'll not have caused HOSTILE
ties.
Conversely, war with Spain over Cuba
had become so likely in 1898 that it
probably would have been declared even
if the Maine had not been sunk. At all
events, not until more than two months
after the Maine was blown up did Con-
gress proclaim Cuba free and thus in
affect declare war on Spain
Even in the present aggression by the
totalitaran states United States war
ship has been sunk, with the loss of
American lives. without causing war
In December, 1887, United States gun
boat. the Panay, was sunk in the
Yangtze river of China by fire from
japanese military aircraft. The Panay,
it is true. was only an old and Wheezy
river steamer, yet it mounted guns for
patrol duty and was classed as an auxil-
iary vessel of the United States Navy.
Sunk at the same time were three
American oil tsnkers.
When Washington protested at once,
and strongly, to Tokyo, the japanese
rendered unqualified apologies They
offered indemnities for the loss of
American lives and property, cashiered
the attack. promised that nothing
similar would occur again
The Japanese explanation was that
a mistake had been made on the iden-
tity of the Panay and the three tankers.
An American naval court of inquiry
found, on the contrary, that the Japa-
neSe military authorities had been fully
informed of the whereabouts and the
movements of the Panay The court
found also that the Panay and the tank
ers had been clearly marked with the
American flag
Yet the United States Government
accepted Japans apologies. Japans
offer of indemnity, and Japans promises
for the future. The point was that
neither country wanted war with the
other; hence the incident was CLOSED
over
Or take the case of the Robin Moor
only few weeks ago. 1t was an Ameri-
can merchant vessel sunk in the South
Atlantic on its way to Africa. 1t is true
that warning was given, so that the
crew and passengers had time to take to
the lifeboats. But that provision was
grossly inadequate for their safety, and
it was by mere chance that no American
lives were lost.
In 1917 the United States declared
war on Germany because of similar
incidents. In fact. Washington had
previously warned Berlin fatty that
war would be declared if American lives
were lost from German attacks on
British or French ships on which
Americans happened to be sailing, either
as passengers or as crew.
The point is that in 1917 the United
States was all set for war with Ger
many, whereas in 1941 the United
States as whole is not all set for war.
In fact, two years ago, at the very
outbreak of war between England and
Germany, American lives were lost
when the British ship Athena was sunk
on her way to America. The nation
which had become aroused in 1917 when
the Lusitania went down took the
Athena in its stride and went about its
business.
And on his side Adolf Hitler, Reichs-
fuehrer, is certainly no man to get un-
duly excited about what is and what
isn't cause for war When he wants
war, he declares and wages war, even
if no preteXt exists
He had no cause for war against
Czecho-Slovakia in 1899, for only six
months before the Czecho-SlovakS under
pressure from Great Britain and France.
had ceded to Germany the Sudeten ter
rltory. Hitler then Solemnly declared
that that would satisfy him. Later he
invaded and took over the remainder of
Czecho- -Slovakia, simply because he
wanted it.
Hitler pretended to have some cause
for war against Poland in September,
1889. But he certainly had no valid cause
for war against Norway, Belgium, Den
mark, or Holland Nor against Yugo-
slavia, except that the Yugoslavs insisted
on their sovereign right as a nation not
to surrender to his demands. Nor against
Russia, with which less than two years
before he had concluded solemn al
lance and pledge of non-aggression.
On the other hand Hitler had and
has every legal cause for war against
the United States. The Lend-Lease Act
the transfer of So destroyers, the sale
or loan of Government munitions to
England the seizure of German ships
in American ports. all are flagrantly