Evening star., 1941-10-09

his press conference to quote these
adjectival references of his, which he
made while the State Department
was getting ready to release Presi-
dent Roosevelt's special message.
Administration leaders in Congress
moved rapidly to implement the
Presidents message, the resolutions
to repeal the Neutrality Act provi-
sion against the arming of American
merchant vessels being offered in the
Senate by Chairman Connally of the
Foreign Relations Committee and in
the House by Chairman Bloom of
the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Khey would specifically authorize
the President during the period of
national emergency to arm or permit
the arming OF American merchant
men.
Even before the message appeared
demands arose in the Senate that
modification of the law go beyond a
resembling of the ban against arming
merchantmen.
Although the ship-arming amend
ment was the only one agreed on
after two White House legislative
| conferences, a number of Senators
favored broadening the legislation
to end existing prohibitions which
keep American-flag vessels from
belligerent ports and out of combat
zones designated by presidential
proclamation.
Criticize Plan for Fight.
In the opposing camp, meanwhile,
critics of the administrations for
eign policy toward their determina-
ton to fight every attempt to amend
the law 'as being, in fact. an au-
thorization to carry on war" Sena-
tor Taft, Republican, of Ohio, dis
closed that the opposition strategy
had been mapped last night at a
bipartisan meeting attended by ap-
proximately 60 members of Con-
gress.
1t was reported reliably that
Speaker Rayburn and other leaders
advised Mr.. Roosevelt that a simple
measure knocking out the prohibi-
ton against arming ships could be
whipped through the House next
week by substantial vote but that
any broader legislation would re-
quire more time and might be ap-
proved by only narrow margin
Senator Taft, however, served no
tice after last nights strategy ses-
sion that the opposition was "very
determined" that the House Foreign
Affairs Committee hold at least a
week of hearings on the ship-arm-
ing question before the issue came
to the floor for debate.
He also remarked that the de-
cision to confine amendments to
ship arming indicated that the
President hasn't got enough votes
in the House to repeal the Neu-
trality Act"
Ship Aiming Urgent
Those who attended the White
House conferences said it was agreed
that the urgent" step was to arm
the ships, because they should have
protection on voyages through des-
ignated defensive waters" and be-
cause of the time that would be
consumed getting them back to port
and mounting guns.
II Congress should decide later
to permit them to travel anywhere
the leaders pointed OUT it woulo
merely be a matter of advising ship
masters by radio. Thus, one
spokesman said, a vessel en- route u
Iceland could be instructed to de.
liver its cargo to Liverpool instead
Authoritative reports of yester-
days meeting, the second in two
days, were that the President
Secretary Hull and Harry L
Hopkins, the lease-lend chieftain
bowed to the wishes of majority
Of the congressional group in de-
Gliding to seek only the armed xhir
amendment at present.
It. was said, however, that II the
House should give prompt and over
whelming approval to that change
the Senate might consider broader
legislation, which also would elm.
mate the present restrictions or
ship movements.