Evening star., 1941-01-11
Roosevelt Watches
'Lease-Lend' Reaction
From Hyde Park
Legislation for Brood
Powers Is Left Up to
Capitol Leadership
BY JOHN c. HENRY,
Star Staff Correspondent.

HYDE PARK, N. Y, Jan. IL
President Roosevelt was ION the
sidelines" today, awaiting both pub
lie and Congressional reaction to a
suggestion for one of the broadest
grants of power ever proposed for
a chief executive of this Nation in
time of peace.
Scarcely a week away from his
Inauguration as the first third-term
chief executive in the country's his
tory, Mr.. Roosevelt was in the po-
sition today of asking the legislative
branch of the Government to con-
fer upon him almost limitleSS dis
cretionary powers to devote Amer
ica's resources to the cause of the
fighting democracies-cons at
the moment to be Britain, China
and Greece.
All Facilities at Disposal.
The extent of the request, spon-
sored for him by administration
leaders in the House and Senate,
was disclosed in the legislation in
troduced simultaneously yeSter-
day in both branches of the Con-
gress. In short, it would indeed
make the United States the arsenal
of world democracy-giving to the
President the power to transfer,
whenever deemed in the interests of
American defense, any article of
wartime value to any nation which
might be expected to use it in that
common interest. Material already
at hand, equipment yet to be manu-
factured, and the facilities of Amer
ican ports or industrial establish
ments would be fully at the dis
position of the Nations chief eXecu-
tive.
Behind such request, of course,
stands the stated conviction of Mr..
Roosevelt and an evident great ma
jority of American citizens that the
interests of this Nation dictate that
all that can be done should be
done to prevent the fall of the
British Empire To a less empha-
sized degree, China has been con-
sidered the first line of democratic
defenses in the Far East with
Greece a valiant defender in the
Balkan sector.
Months of campaign pledges and
of repeated assurances that this
Nation would aid the opponents of
totalitarianism by every means
"short of war" were translated into
legislation in this measure-and
summed up effectively by the Presi-
dent at press conference, less than
an hour before introduction of the
bills yesterday morning when he
said in effect that if it is to be the
policy of this Government to aid
these democracies then full author
ity to do it promptly and without red
tape must be conferred upon a single
person.
The proposed measure would con-
fer this authority and it is prob
ably no exaggeration to say that the
reaction of the Congress is being
awaited throughout the world.
Leaves Answer to Capitol.
Meanwhile, after several times
emphasizing in recent weeks the
right of Congress to formulate its
own decisions, the President was
leaving to his leadership on Capitol
Hill the job of plotting the legislation
to enactment.
At his home here, he planned to
devote his week end first to his
family and second to his library.
Accompanied here from Wash
ington by Mrs. Roosevelt, the Presl-
dent was welcomed by his son-in-
law and daughter, Mr.. and Mrs.
John Boettlger of Seattle. Mr.. Boet-
tiger, a former Washington news
paperman, is publisher of the Seattle
Post t-Intelligencer. Mrs. Boettiger
is the former Anna Roosevelt.
Today, Mr.. Roosevelt planned to
spend part of his time at the new
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library where
books, State papers and many other
mementos of his public life are
housed.