Evening star., 1941-01-06

of the British Labor party. In light
of Mr.. Laski's added statement that
the Labor members of the present
British government had a vital
share both in framing this decla-
ration and inducing its publication,
it is a fairly safe conjecture that
Mr.. Laski himself had a hand in it,
President Roosevelt, no less than
Prime Minister Winston Churchill,
is being plagued with demands for
a statement OF the peace aims to-
ward which Britain is being helped
Senators Wheeler, Vandenberg and
Tydings, than whom there is no
more formidable trio of congress
sional debaters, have drummed per-
siStently on this key. If state
ment of British war aims is in the
ofing what's more natural than that
Mr.. Roosevelt should be asked to sit
in on its enactment.
One process of guessing as to the
purpose of Mr.. Hopkins mission is
to eliminate first the roles which he
does not seem to fit. He is not a
military expert. Few of the Presi-
dents advisers probably know less
as to the intricacies of airplaneS,
guns and ships. And despite his
brief service as Secretary of Com
merce he is almost as inexperienced
in matters of finance and trade. But
Mr.. Hopkins does have two impor-
tant qualifications. One of them is
that he literally has been living with
Mr. Roosevelt for the past six
months. He knows the Presidents
mind more intimately than any
other man.
Secondly, he ira left-winger, who
is likely TO be listened to sympa-
thetically by the British Laborites.
Role Similar to Col. Houses.
Mr.. Hopkins relationship to Presi-
dent Roosevelt is peculiarly like that
of Col, Edward M. House to Presi-
dent Woodrow Wilson. Col Houses
strength lay in his personal intimacy
with Mr.. Wilson. Foreign statesmen
knew that talking with Col. House
was the next best thing to talking
with Mr.. Wilson himself. There Is
a particular analogy between the
journey Mr.. Hopkins is now making
and Col. Houses visit to Europe in
the winter of 1876.
The World War had been in
progress for II months when Col
House sailed for London in Decem-
Der, 1915. The present war is at
exactly the same stage this month.
Then as now the extent of American
aid to Britain was the paramount
issue. In Congress the inter-
ventionists were marshaling in sup
port of the Gore-McLemore resolu-
ton, which proposed to stop ship
ment of American war supplies to
all belligerents alike. Congressional
demands for an American peace
move were rising.
In light of this situation President
Wilson. acting through Col. House.
essayed his most daring diplomatic
stroke. His proposal was stated in
an official memorandum which Sir
Edward Grey, the then British for
eign minister, subsequently declared
in his autobiography twenty-five
Years" was drawn up by himself
and Col. House and approved by
President Wilson with the addition
of one word, as follows:
"Col House told me that Presi-
dent Wilson was ready, on hearing
from France and England that the
moment was opportune, to propose
that conference should be sum-
moned to put an end to the war.
Should the Allies accept this pro-
posal, and should Germany refuse
it, the United States probably (the
one word inserted by WILSON, would
enter the war against Germany"
AS stated in the memorandum,
Mr.. Wilson stipulated as terms of
peace "the restoration of Belgium,
the transfer of Alsace and Lorraine
to France, and the acquisition by
Russia (then still participant in
the war on the Allied side) of an
outlet to the sea, though he thought
that the loss of territory incurred
by Germany in one place would have
to be compensated to her by con-