Evening star., 1941-02-11
Lease-Lend BiIIHoIds
Hope Of Free World,
Says Bark|ey
Senator, in Forum ToIk,
Sees EnsIuyement Unless
Hitler Is Checked

The talk was broadcast over a ma
tional hookup of the Nationa
BroadcaSting Co. and was heart
locally over Station WMAL.
The text of the speech follows:
I have been requested to discus
at this time the so-called lease
lend bill introduced on January L
in the House of Representative b,
Representative John McCormacl
and on the same day introduced il
the Senate by me. The bill is in
tended to provide a method fo
affording material aid to certain
nations which are the victims o
aggression, whose defense may b,
regarded as vital to the defense O.
the United States.
Before discussing the bill itself
concerning which incredible mis-.
information is being peddlec
throughout the country by its op.
ponents. I wish briefly to recall the
background of events and condl'
tionS which have made this legiSla-
ton necessary.
III upuis tIllS Sildll llob
70 coniure up any fantastic picture
of imaginary situations which never
existed. l presume all those who
may listen to me. or who may read
what I shall say, are fairly familiar
with world events during the past
six or eight years.
Peace Foundations Laid.
But in order that our memories
may be refreshed, let us remember
that from the close of the first World
War to the advent of Adolph Hitler
in 1888 there had been no serious
or substantial aggression among
the nations of Europe During that
period many treaties had been en-
tered into by various nations seeking
to insure peace and peaceful adjust
ment Of International controversies
Among these were the Locarno pact
the nine power pact and the pact
of Paris, known as the Kellogg
BRAND treaty. by which some 60
odd nations bound themselves tC
abolish war as an instrument OF
national policy. That meant that
these nations agreed among them
selves and with one another to seek
other means than warfare to settle
their disputes or to advance theil
interests in the world.
The United States entered into
the Kellogg BRAND treaty in the
utmost good faith and had a right
to assume that every other nation
that signed it was actuated by
equally sincere motives.
AS a result of these treaties and
understandings, the people Of the
world we're led to believe that an
era of peace and good will of long
duration had been ushered in among
all races and all nations.
Efforts were accordingly made to
reduce burdensome armaments and
to lift from the people of the world
the heavy load of taxation neces-
sarv to support them. Men and
women everywhere lifted their eyes
toward the heavens and devoutly
prayed that wars and bloodShed
and international and racial hatreds
might be banished forever.
Embargo Act Created.
Here in the United States. in or
der. as we thought, that war every
where might be discouraged and
that our country and our people
might not contribute to war by con-
tributing to the instruments and
implements of war, Congress enacted
the Arms Emgargo Act, prohibiting
the sale or expectation of arms to
any belligerent engaged in war.
The enactment of this law was a
vell-intentioned gesture in behalf
of world peace. But it was as futile
as It was Well-intentioned It's
effect was to penalize every peaceful
nation which respected its obliga-
tions and to encourage every aggres-
Sive nation which did not respect
its obligations. 1t penalized every
nation that pursued the policy oi
devoting its energies to the legiti-
mate enhancement of the welfare
Of its people, while at the same time
1t became a silent partner of every
nation which was devoting its ener-
gies to rearmament with the view of
attacking its unprepared neighbors
and re-establishing war as an in
strlment of its national policy.
In order to eXtricate ourselves
from this untennable and unneutral
position in regard to future wars
then discernible on the horizon, the
President in the summer of 1899
urged Congress to repeal the Arms
Embargo Act, and to enact the
Neutrality Act which Is now in
force
This Neutrality Act was a more
comprehensive and a more restric-
tive act than was ever passed by
the American Congress in fixing the
attitude of our Government and OF
our people toward the participants
IN any war at any time or any,
where in the world
Sacrificed Rights for Peace.
BY the enactment of this law the
American Government and the
American people submitted volun-
tarily to greater sacrifices, and for
the time being, surrendered more
OF their rights under what was once
international law in order to avoid
war and the incidents that might
lead to war than was ever done BY
any great civilized nation in the his
tory Of the world
Under this law no American citi-
zen is permitted to sail his ship
whether laden with commerce OF
with human souls. into the waters
of a warning nation. He cannot
himself travel there. except under
special circumstances and with the
permission of his Government. He
cannot sail the flag of his Nation a
the masthead of any ship destined
for the harbors of warning nation
He cannot sell to any such gov
ernment or to its agent or its ma
tionals, except for cash, any articl.
which it may need for its defens'
nor can he grant financial credi
to such nation, its agent or its ma
tionals, to enable them to purchas
such articles of defense. In othe
words. we have as Nation sus
pended the exercise of the rights TO
which oIlr DeODle went to war II