The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-01-21
Kennedy

Oh giving the oIltlSn M az
short of war but made 1t cleal
he was not wholyly in accort
with the methods put forwart
by President Roosevelt.
Questioned as to whether HI
believed "crisis" would devel
op in the next so or 90 days, a.
administrative spokesman tolc
the committee last week, Ken
nedy said he did not know
exactly what was meant and thai
there were many things in the
military situation which he die
not understand.
II have never understood, fol-
instance, why the German army
permitted q British army of $780,.
900 to escape from Dunkerque,'
he said.
II the German air force wa:
as strong as they claimed, he con.
tinued, he thought they had q
perfect chance to annihilate that
British force.
The diplomat said also he
could not understand why the
Germans had not wrought great
err destruction in Britain's indus
trial centers.
IF they have the strength to
capture the air." he said, 1.-THE
crisis might come any day. So
Tar, they haven't indicated they
have that strength"
Representative Fish (R.NY)
asked Kennedy whether he knew
the war aim of the British.
II certainly don't, sir" the
ambassador replied. s
When Fish asked whether
Kennedy I h o u & hit something
ought to be done to let this coun-
try know the nature of those war
aims before proceeding with fur
Their aid to Britain, Kennedy said
he did not understand the ques-
ton and suggested it was one for
the State Department.
Britain's situation would be-
come serious and VITAL" Ken
nedy said, II British shipping
losses continued at anything like
the rate Of losses prevalent pre-
vious to last month.
Rep. Fish (R-NY.), ranking
minority member of the House
foreign affairs committee who
is marshalling the opposition,
said that the arguments present
ed in behalf of the measure last
week by high administration
officials were both "silly and alb
surd."
He predicted that Kennedy,
who has resigned as Ambassa-
dor to Great Britain, Col.
Charles A. Lindbergh, General
Hugh S. johnson and the other
witnesses he has asked to appear
before the committee would
definitely answer the absurd
charges by the administration
that we are in immediate danger
of attack and that this has some
thing to do with q crisis in Eng
land in 80 to 90 days."
Kennedy and johnson have
registered their objections to the
bill on several counts and Lind
bergh not long ago kicked up a
heated controversy with two ra-
dio addresses taking the admin
istration sharply to task for its
general handling Of foreign af-
fairs.
Fish, who has also invited
Norman Thomas, the Socialist
leader, and Hanford MacNider,
former assistant secretary of
war, to testify, told reporters
that his purpose in summoning
such witnesses was to counter
act" statements made at commit
tee hearings by several cabinet
officers last week. All testi-
mony last week was urgently in
favor of the lease-lend measure.
AS the counter-offensive got
under way, Fish expressed con-
tidence that the final draft of
the bill would "at least" impose
a two-year limit on the broad"
lease-lend authority sought for
President Roosevelt.
He announced that he would
make a fight for q provision put
ting q $4,000, 100000 ceiling"
on the amount that could be
spent on aid for Britain.
Furthermore. he said. he
would seek to include q ban
against giving away the navy"
or using u. s. conveys for war
zone shipping.
The high government officials
who testified at committee hear
ings last week were Secretaries
Hull, Morgenthau, Stimson and
Knox, and william s. Knudsen,
director-general Of defense pro-
duction.
All save Morgenthau told the
committee that the United States
could expect 10 b attacked 4