Evening star., 1941-09-12
Navy Acts 10 Clear
Seas Of Axis Raiders
On Presidents Order
RooseveIt's Address
Called 'Hurshest' Since
Beginning Of War

pS9iIiilin9 VI Wur
Continued From First Page)
while proponents accorded full in
dorsement.
To Britain, the Associated Press
reported, the Presidents words were
welcomed and the London press
nailed them in headlines which
clarioned: u. S. to Guard Our
Ships" F D. R. Orders Sink Nazis
In U. S. Seas" The British radio
announced "Hitler's expulsion from
the Atlantic is starting immedi-
ately." The official response, how
ever, was left for person of equal
standing presumably Prime Min
lister Winston Churchill.
Rome and Berlin displayed no
hurry to comment. but actually Ger
man commentators had anticipated
the speech by several hours, de-
nouncing Mr.. Roosevelt roundly as
"warmonger" who intended his ad-
dress ito excite public opinion in the
United States"
In Canada the Presidents words
were considered stronger than any
previous assertions. and the general
opinion seemed to be that the United
States had moved a step closer to
actual participation in a shooting
war.
Directly Blames Axis.
Mr. Roosevelt, however, placed
responsibility for this possibility on
the Axis leadership, warning again
and again that:
mo act of violence or intimida-
ton will keep us from maintaining
intact two bulwarks of defense: first,
our line of supply of material to the
enemies of Hitler, and second the
freedom of our shipping on the high
seas.
I'VE have sought no shooting war
with Hitler. We do not seek it now.
There will be no shooting un-
less Germany continues to seek it."
Although the White House had
promised in advance that last nights
address would leave no questions
unanswered, there was pointed lack
of definition of the waters which
are to be considered vital to Ameri-
can defense. That they will cover
most of the worlds seas, however,
seems indicated by past pronounce
ments and by scattered references in
last nights speech.
South Atlantic Included.
Almost from the beginning of
the war, for instance, this Govern
ment and others of the American
republics have maintained a "neu-
trality zone" on all coastlineS of
the hemisphere. In several utter
ances, the President has declared
that the strategic Middle Atlantic
area between Africa and South
America is of vital importance to
hemisphere protection and his cit
ing last night of the Robin Moor
sinking in that sector bears out the
belief that navy protection will be
extended into those waters.
AS for the North Atlantic, our
maintenance of a base in Iceland
and previously expressed determina-
ton to keep the supply lines open
to that outpost make it certain that
there will be no qualifications about
the seriousness of the American
patrol system there.
Pointedly, too, Mr.. Roosevelt said
last night that this Governments
policy applies mot merely to the
Atlantic but to the Pacific and to
all other oceans as well"
As in his Labor Day address, this
reference to the Pacific was his
closest approach to mention of the
japanese participation in potential
Axis guilt-but it was as unmistake-
able in meaning as more and sharper
words might have been.
Red Sea Question.
AS for "all other oceans" spec
ulation centered mostly about the
status of the Red Ses-scene of the
sinking of the Steel Seafarer, one
of the provocative incidents cited
last night. Although classification
of these waters as essential to Amer
ican defense might seem far-fetched,
it might be reasoned that their
opening to American shipping for
purposes of getting aid to Britain
and other Axis foes-a policy which
has been termed defensive-brings
them into this same category.
1t was significant, too, that IN
disclosing his fleet instructions last
night, the President said:
Our patrolling vessels and planes
will protect all merchant ships-not
only American ships but ships of
any f1ag-engaged in commerce in
our defensive waters"
Since American vessels of war are
not bound by the Neutrality Act re-
strictions which bar commercial
ships from entry into certain North
Atlantic and Mediterranean zones,
there was room for speculation that
protective escorts might range clear
to British coastal waters.
In any event, Mr.. Roosevelt let