The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-04-18

mont, a Republican, reasons that,
although 1t expands the Monroe
Doctrine, it's within its spirit, since
the Doctrine commits the United
States to protection Of the west
ern hemisphere's integrity"
Indeed, the isolationistic irrecon-
cilables themselves remark that
they wouldn't object to the expan-
sion II they believed II to be eXclu-
sively defensive. But they DON'T
believe it. Senator Robert r. Rey-
nolds Of North Carolina puts it that
it's a scheme to convoy American
war supplies half way across the
Atlantic-that is, to Greenland, for
transhipment in British vessels.
And it has, he adds, the advantage,
to the administration, Of avoiding
use Of the word convoy because
that's unpopular"
Nevertheless, generally speaking,
congress likes the idea Of Green
land facilities, Notifications and
other conveniences for our armed
forces, almost within biscuit-toss
Of Germany's proclaimed maritime
war zone.
Just the same, 1t was a queer
bargain.
Not a Treaty
It wasn't entered into as a Dan
ish-kmerican treaty. An interna-
tional treaty, to be validated, re-
quires a two-thirds senatorial in
dorsement. Illustratlvely, a few
years ago, the executive branch Of
our government negotiated
treaty with Canada for st. Law
renee waterway development, sub
mitted it to the senate, and did get
a small majority but not the neces-
sary two-thirds; so the treaty fiz-
zled. Now the same things being
attempted again, but not in the
form Of a treaty. It's in the form
of bargain, to be ratified by the
passage Of two bills. respectively
by our congress and Canada's par
lament Canadas parliament will
pass IT'S bill, it's a cinch. And, in
our congress, a mere bill doesn't
require two-thirds; a bare major
ltys sufficient. Probably the ad-
ministration can get 1t.
Well, as previously remarked,
this Greenland arrangement isn't
treaty either. It's plain bargain.
Only it's different from the st.
Lawrence bargain, in that 1t
doesn't have to be submitted to any
legislative body whatever.
: 1t was fixed up between State
Secretary Cordell Hull and Henrik
de Kaufman, Danish minister in
Washington. Cordell. of course,
signed with presidential approval,
but congress hasn't a word to say
about the decker, except infor-
mally,
/ IsIt official?
Minister de Kaufman is de-
scribed as having acted "in behalf
Of the king Of Denmark" Now, is
anybody going to believe that the
king Of Denmark, virtually Nad
prisoner, subscribed to that COM
pact? He probably felt like it, but
could he have had the nerve to do
1t, and then answer to Herr Hitler?
Phooey! II not, Henrik must have
signed on his own responsibility
which, unauthorized, isn't officially
good for anything.
In short, it was a deal between
Secretary Hull and Minister de
Kaufman, personally.
Still, we get our Greenland bases.
Immediately on the heels of the
Greenland arrangement followed
the presidential proclamation OPEN
ing the Red sea and the Gulf of
Alden, right up to Suez.
This wasn't treaty-work or leg
1slation or anything except proc
lamation.
We have a law barring shipment
OF American cargoes in American
ships to belligerent foreign coun-
tries. All, but these shipments to
suez aren't for delivery in a bellig-
erent country. They're for delivery
in Egypt. Who gets 'em subse-
quently (Britain's forces in Africa
or Greece or Yugoslavia or some
other democracy is none Of our
funeral. Hence that proclamation's