Evening star., 1941-01-05
Roosevelt Speech on Emergency
Seen Raising Many Questions
Broadcast to Nation Sharpens Issue of United States
Willingness to Fight Axis, Observer Says;
Clashing Viewpoints Noted
By Feir Morley.

The call to this country to transform
itself into "the great arsenal of democ-
racy," as voiced by President Roosevelt
In his radio address last Sunday night,
has met with relatively little criticism.
The overwhelming majority of editors
and commentators have Endorsed 1t with
few, if any, reservations. The reaction
of the less articulate is probably scarcely
less favorable. This speech has demon
strated, if it needed demonstration, that
the American people want to see the
axis powers defeated, and that to this
end they favor additional material aid
to Britain.
But if this notable speech has empha-
sized the obvious, it has simultaneously
sharpened the connected issue on which
there is anything but national unanimity.
That is the issue of whether the United
States is willing to fight, and fight to the
end, to secure the defeat of Germany and
Italy and Japan, all of these being named
by the President as our potential if not
our actual enemies.
On that fundamental issue the attitude
of Mr.. Roosevelt remains negative. Our
national policy" he says, "is not directed
toward wan" There is no intention or de-
mand, he says, 'for sending an Amer
lean expeditionary force outside our own
borders" Indeed, every member of his
vast radio audience was informed that
you can nail any talk about sending
armies to Europe as deliberate untruth."
1t may be assumed from the context
that this denial also applies to the pos
sibility that strategy might make it de-
sirable to send an American expedition
ary force elsewhere than Europe-North-
ern Africa, or the Malay Peninsula, for
instance.
Effect Of Warning Pondered.
The question is whether the Presidents
speech would have received the same en-
thusiastic reception if he had coupled his
fortnight denunciation of the aggressors
with a plain warning that it may cost
many American lives to make it good
This is not an idle question. Nor is it
one which can be satisfactorily disposed
of by Crawling into bed and pulling the
covers over Our heads"
The plain fact is that the soothing
doctrine OF measures short of war ~
exercised within the confines of the Neu-
trality Act and the various executive
proclamations hereunder, is now about
played out. 1t becomes increasingly clear
that there is point at which the ac-
cepted policy Of national defense may
slide over into the unaccepted policy
Of making war. Mr.. Roosevelt denies
that this point has as yet been reached
But at the same time he intimates that
we are almost there. I'VE now know
he says, that q nation can have peace
with the Nazis only at the price of total
surrender"
Here are two seemingly irreconcilable
viewpoints advanced within the limits
OF single speech. The American peo-
pie are told simultaneously that peace
with Nazi Germany is impossible and
that our policy is nevertheless mot di-
rected toward war" The inconsistency
is too great for intelligent acceptance
And the President himself admits as
much when he says that "If we are tc
be completely honest with ourselves, we
must admit that there is risk in any
course we may take"
There is one way In which the funda.
mental inconsistency in the President's
speech can be smoothed away, and he
makes the most of it. But the argu-
ment is neither conclusive, nor stimulat-
ing to national pride.
Mr.. Roosevelts Opinion.
Mr.. Roosevelt says, in effect, that II
the United States will adequately feed
finance and implement the British wal
effort, then Britain should in the long
run be able to triumph without our
military assistance Possessing "the
latest and best of information" he be-
lieves that ''the axis powers are not
going to win this war"
1t is very probable, considering the
almost superhuman gallantry of the Brit
ish defense. that with adequate supplies
from this country the little island will
not be conquered, even though its shrines
and cities are reduced to rubbish heaps
by the merciless German bombings. But