The Wilmington morning star., 1941-02-12
WILLKIE PREDICTS
WAR FOR AMERICA
If BRITAIN FAILS
CONTINUED From Page One)

punches, the American people de-
cided against him, and:
'He president ROOSEVELT is my
president now"
Willlde took the stand after May
or LaGuardia of New York had
urged passage of the bill to give
America time to prepare, and
James B. Conant. president OF
Harvard University, had not only
backed the measure, but said that
as a last resort" he favored send
ing troops to Europe to defend the
democratic way of life.
AS notifications of the bill. Will
kie proposed that it stipulate that
American assistance should go. only
to Great Britain, the British En-
pire, Greece and China, with con-
gress reserving the right to in
c,ude other nations. He asked, too,
that certain phrases be eliminated
and others more closely defined to
reassure those who feared the
measure would give the President
excessive power.
Toward the close of his testi-
mony he appealed to the majority
to be tolerant when amendments
were proposed, accept them il
possible to do so without hamper
ing United States aid to England,
and thus build up as big a vote
for the measure as possible.
Wants Speed
In addition, he wanted the bill
passed with all speed commensu-
rate with free parliamentary dis
cussion. Senator j ohnson (R. .-Calif)
assured him that there would be
no obstruction.
The lease-lend bill, Willkie testi-
fled, offered the American people
their Only chance to defend liber-
ty without themselves going to
war" He added:
'If Britain were to collapse, we
would be in war a month after
ward. That's my guess.
"One month";" calculated Sen
ator Reynolds (D.-N. c., member
of the senate Foreign Relations
committee.
We'll, a month or go days"
One of the greatest aids that the
United States could give, he de-
clared, would be to send Britain
five or ten destroyers a month tt
protect merchant shipping carry
ing supplies to the beleaguered is
land. Flatly advocating S u C h {
step, he said Britain needs de
stroyers desperately"
mo man can guarantee to yol
that the policy of aid to Britain
will not involve the United States
in war" he said, but he solemnly
added that Hitler is far less ap
to be aggressive toward the West
ern hemisphere while E a n {
stands.
Proposes Amendment
One amendment he proposed
would specify that Americas helI
would 60 only to Great Britain
the British commonwealth of ma
tons, China and Greece. Some 9th
er changes might be made, he sug
gested to eliminate fears" tina
excessive and needless wer'
we're being granted to the chic
executive.
Such a crowd as has seldom
gathered for a senate hearing wa
there today, for the dramatic spec
tacle Of a defeated presidentia
Notwithstanding the attitud
Of his principal party leaders il
Congress-coming to the assistance
of his victorious opponent OF
few months before.
Willkie, grinning, his hair fresh
ly trimmed but till struggling
down over his right eyebrow
pushed his way into the roo n
through rear door. With the as
sistance of policemen he shouldere'
his way around the table, shakinj
hands with senators. laughing ant
stopping to kiss Mrs. Robert L
Bacon, the widow of the late hous'
member from New York. FINAL.
he reached the witness chair, ant
the photographers who had beer
busy all the while, really went tt
work, their flash-ight bulbs glar
inc o11t almost continuously.
Big Crowd
A josting, pushing and expec
tant crowd swarmed every avail
able inch of the big heari'g room
Many at the rear stood on teeter'
ing cane-bottomed chairs. With {
shrin b,,t good-natured little
scream one well dressed young
lady toppled over among her neigh
bors. They were so tightly crowd
ed together that they caught hel
and restored her bodily to n e
perch.
After Wilkes testimony, it wa:
disclosed that he and Preslden'
Roosevelt had arranged a confer
ence for tonight in the Wnltt
House. The schedule called
Willkie to visit Mr.. Rooseve . apou
10 p.m., after Mr.. Roosevelt I'm
ished receiving guests at the an
nual reception for Army and navy
officers.
Willkie was the third Witness o
a dav which brought the seLate
hearings to close and found tn'
proponents cf the bill bringing ul
their big guns for one concluolnt
salvo. He was preceded on 1n'