Evening star., 1941-11-03

-~~-~N-~---~~~
the United
States Senate? David Lawrence.
They have been contending for sew
eral days in debate that the revision
or repeal of the neutrality laws
would lead the United States into
war, they have been issuing gloomy
warnings about the consequences of
that act and yet the war is offici-
ally here already, according to Mr.,
Hitler.
The Nazi chieftain cannot have
been well advised as to the state of
American affairs or he would have
held of at least until the Senate
had voted on the proposal to lift the
ban on American merchant ships,
which cannot under present laws
enter foreign ports. Indeed. Mr..
Hitler does not know what havoc
he has wrought in the United States
Senate. For II the "ofiicial declara-
ton" of war means anything, it
means that the Senate is now asked
to vote whether, being engaged In
war, the United States will defend
itself, whether it will fight back
when shot at and whether 1t will
take the necessary steps to ward off
any and all attacks that may be
made against America and her
ships.
Should Have Waited.
If Mr.. Hitler had only waited
until the Senate had voted, then it
would have been of great political
help to the isolationists They could
have pointed to the Official declara-
ton" as having been the direct con-
sequence not of few shots fired in
the Atlantic but of the act of the
American Congress in refusing to
allow Hitler and his submarines free
dom to strike at will on the seas.
No longer can it be said that the
1solationists are in league with Hit
Ter or playing Hitler's game. For
the Berlin strategy board has failed
the isolationists in their hour Of
need. Nobody who knows the inde-
pendence of mind of the isolation
lists in Congress and who is fair
sbout it ever thought the isola-
tionists were in any way inspired
by Berlin or its agents, but it has
been said in many quarters that
whatever the isolationists did syn
chronlzed somehow with the wishes
of the Nazi government. This can
no longer be stated persuasively.
Lifts a Burden.
So far as President Roosevelt is
concerned, Herr Hitler has oblig-
insly lifted quite a burden. Back
in the 1910 campaign, the President
said he would not send American
soldiers to Europe unless America
was attacked. Herr Hitler's an
nouncement by means Of an of
fetal declaration" to the effect that
shooting war" has begun between
the United States and Germany
gives the President plenty of basis
for the preamble of any war mes
sage he may now care to write.
But if Herr Hitler didn't mean to
be taken seriously and if it was
tust bit of radio debate and propa-
ganda satire, then the question
arises as to what happens in a
shooting war" after an Official
declaration" has been issued by one
Of the parties. Do all the statutes
which use the word war" suddenly
become operative? Can Congress
continue TO let matters drift until
some overt act of sensational ma
ture is perpetrated by Germany
against American interests?
There are some in Washington
Who believe that Herr Hitler had
the Far Eastern situation in mind
when he issued his Official declara-
ton" and that he scrapped his pre-
vious policy OF forebearance with
respect to the United States and
ignored the position Of the Amer
lean isolationists in Congress only
because he thought the time was
at hand to force Japan into the
war. 1t will be recalled that the
words and spirit of the tri-partite
treaty between Germany, Japan
and Italy say that Japan must come
to the aid of Italy and Germany
whenever either Of the latter powers
Is attacked. Herr Hitler cries out
now that America has attacked
Germany.
Unfortunately for Herr Hitler,
the Japanese are not sticklers
about keeping treaties as has been
L. 49,