Evening star., 1941-10-11
Ship-ArmingBi||
To Be Sped Over
6. 0. P. Protests
House Committee
Curbs on Hearings
Rolls Minority

The House Foreign Affairs Com
mittee, overriding angry Republican
protests, went ahead today with
plans to speed the bill for arming of
merchant ships through two days
Of hearings, beginning Monday.
Decision to consider only repeal of
the section of the Neutrality Act
which prohibits ship arming lir1it
the hearings to two days and hold
them behind closed doors, was voted
by the committee last night after
Republican members refused to COM
promise their demand for longer,
broader hearings.
Amid this and other administra-
ton moves aimed at rushing more
and more aid to Britain and Russia,
Senators Adams, Democrat, of Col
orado and Nye, Republican, of North
Dakota, suggested today that Presi-
dent Roosevelt tender his good Of
fees to bring about peace in Europe.
Their suggestion was in direct con-
| f1ict with Anglo-American policy as
enunciated in the declaration of war
and peace aims by the President and
| Prime Minister Churchill in their
| famous meeting at sea two months
ago.
Roosevelt Churchill Aims.
The Roosevelt Churchill declara-
ton set final destruction of the
Nazi tyranny" and enforced disarm-
ament of aggressor nations as the
first requisite for establishment of
a peace that will assure all nations
of safety within their own and all
men Of freedom from fear and want.
Congressional leaders directed
their attention principally toward
/ rushing through the Senate the
House-approved $685., 900, 900 lease
lend appropriation and to obtaining
prompt enactment of the neutrality
revision bill to permit the arnling of
merchant ships.
Secretary of State Hull is sched-
uled as the first witness Monday in
hearings before the House Foreign
Affairs Committee on the neutrality
revision measure Other admins
/ tration witnesses will be Chairman
Emory S Land of the Maritime
Commission, Secretary of the Navy
Knox and Admiral Harold R, Stark,
/ chief of Naval Operations.
Minority Won't Call Witnesses.
/ In protest against the commit
tee majority'S decision to restrict the
/ hearings, Representative Fish, Re-
publican, of New York said the
minority would not even call any
| opposition witnesses.
"An outrageous proceeding"
stormed Representative Tinkhan1,
Republican, of Massachusetts, after
the committees action. "A COM
plete notification of democratic
processes"
Some committee members said the
maiority's determination to limit
the hearings was aimed at heading
off any attempt to inject the Ques-
ton of whether American ships
should be permitted to enter combat
zones, now barred to them by the
Neutrality Act.
Although a substantial number OF
House members favor broadening OF
the armed-ship measure to ellml-
nate the combat zone restrictions,
leaders were said today to believe
that such procedure would only tend
to delay the arming of ships-a step
which Mr.. Roosevelt has called i'm
perative.
No Senate Filibuster Seen.
One administration leader said he
had received assurances that Senate
opponents of administration foreign
policy would not attempt a flllbuster
against the ship-arming bill, but
that extended speechmaking might
develop If broader neutrality revls-
ion were undertaken.
An effort to wipe out the restric-
tions on ship movements probably
will be made in separate legislation
later on. authorities declared.
In urging the President to try
to bring about peace in Europe now,
Senator Adams said.
while Germany might say that
we would be pretty poor peace
makers because of our aid to Brit
ain, we could advise all the nations
involved that we did not wish to
dictate the treaty terms, but merely
would help in any way we could"
Unless peace does come in Europe,
Senator Adams said, it was possible
that the United States may find
itself in a position where We will
be fighting the whole world by
ourselves" He added the opinion
that Great Britain would be under
no obligation to the United States
to continue the war If she found 1t
to be to her own interest to make
peace.
Senator Nye asserted that Mr..
Roosevelt undoubtedly could make
substantial contribution toward
peace" and added that "if our
present foreign policy is followed
to it's ultimate end, we probably
won't have a nation left in the
world which is friendly to u.s.