Evening star., 1941-09-26
u. 5. Failure 10 End
Embargo Sped War,
Roosevelt Writes
Axis Acted on Assurance
Britain Could Not Buy
American Arms, He Says

American Arms, ne SoyS
| BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Sept. 26.-Failure
of Congress to repeal the American
arms embargo in July, 1899, had
much to do with the outbreak of
the European War a month and
a half later, President Roosevelt
said in the fourth article of a
series appearing in Golfers Maya
zine, released yesterday.
Il cannot say that the repeal
of these arms embargo provisions
would by itself have stopped the
war" he wrote. "I do believe, how
ever, that at least it would have
| been a strong factor in preventing
| the outbreak from occurring as
quickly as it did"
The President said he was con-
vinced that Germany and Italy,
both of which had spent so many
years, dllu Ildu SdCI 81
food and leisure and decent living
and so many individual liberties
to the task of building up vast
stores of tanks and guns and planes,
counted very heavily upon the fact
that under our arms embargo law
we could not sell single plane or
tank or gun to Great Britain or
France once war was declared"
Because of that conviction, Mr..
Roosevelt continued, he called a
conference in July, 1899, of the Re-
| publican and Democratic leaders of
Congress to urge upon them further
the necessity of repeating the
embargo.
Opposition Too Strong.
1T appeared clear at this con-
ference, however, and was so stated
by the congressional leaders, that
practically all of the Republican
members of the Congress would vote
against repeal and that about Is
per cent of the Democratic members
would" the President wrote.
He said he found that this oppo-
sition was based upon the belief
that there would be no war in Eu-
rope before the following January,
when the Congress would again as
Semble in regular session and that.
therefore, there was no need for
immediate legislation. 1t was at this
conference that Senator Borah of
Idaho made the now-famous state
ment that his own private infor-
nation" was more reliable than that
collected by the State Department of
the United States, and that his own
private information" was to the
effect that there would not be any
war in 1899.
Under the circumstances, the
President said, he felt that it would
be useless to insist upon the repeal
legislation, but declared that II
made 1t clear to them at the con-
ference that the opponents would
have to take the sole responsibility
for the results of their opposition. :"
| fOfeSaW war In 1887.
The approach of war was visible
to him as early as 1897. the Presi-
dent reiterated, when he made a
speech in Chicago calling for a
quarantine of international aggres-
sors lin order to protect the health
of the community against the spread
OF the disease"
His reiterated warnings to the
Nation and Congress were largely
ignored, Mr.. Roosevelt said, because
there were, unfortunately, many
Americans as there we're many citi-
zens in other democratic nations
throughout the world who refused
to believe that war was probable, or
even that it was possible
In the last two years. however,
| the President said he detected a
| rising belief among the American
people that although they did not
want to become a part of the war.
| the war was. nevertheless. very
strictly and emphatically becoming
more and more part of their busi-
ness and concern"
AlOOfness Disappears.
Growing realiza ton of "the true
nature of the Nazi design upon the
world" had led to the complete dis
appearance of the feeling of strict
neutrality and aloofness which in
f1uenced the American people in
September of 1899 and during the
beginning of 1940," the President
continued.
The modern type of lightning at
tack on land and in the air has
brought the area of conflict physi-
cally so close to us that we now
realize that we are the subject of
potential armed attack as soon as
the Axis powers come within strik-
| ing distance" the Chief Executive
| wrote.
With full appreciation, however,
OF the grave danger to the United
States, to the Western Hemisphere
and to civilization itself, our people
have resolutely determined to arm
themselves to the teeth, and at the
same time, to help to the limit those
nations which are still resisting the
aggressors and which still stand be-
tween us and a Nazi attack. To
that end, the people of the United
States, clearly thinking their way
through, have dedicated themselves
vii I,