Evening star., 1941-10-22

the prelude to declared war. Few
wars IN American history have been
begun on the initiative of the United
States. Some hostile act, some
attack on American lives or property
has usually preceded what amounts
to ratification of a state of war by
Congress.
If attacks such as the destroyer
KearnY met become numerous the
Executive may ask Congress to rec
ognize that state of war" exists.
That's what President Wilson said
in April, 1917. The various attacks
by German submarines on the ships
flying the American flag constituted,
then, in the opinion of the EXecu-
tive. state of war"
Naturally there will be consider
able pressure to persuade President
Roosevelt to defer any such request
from Congress, and rightly So be-
cause if America is to declare that
state of war exists it must be only
after a virtually unanimous opinion
comedies that such is the case.
Fears Not Borne Out.
The problem is a relatively simple
one on that basis 1t isn't going to
be question of urging Mr.. Roose-
welt not to ask Congress to declare
war but merely "a question of
whether a series of attacks by the
Nazi submarines and airplanes
should be accepted as a state of
war This puts the isolationists in
the most difficult position they have
been in since the outbreak of the
European war in September, 1899
They have contended that each |
successive step such as the repeal /.
of the embargo and the passage of I.
the lease-lend bill would involve the
United States in war. Yet the steps .
which may be said to lead closest TO |
war are those which the Congress !
was not asked to vote upon. namely !
the transfer of over-age deStroyers
to Britain in exchange for outlying
bases in the Atlantic and the dis
patch of an American naval and
military force to share in the occu-
patton of Iceland with the British.
The attack on the destroyer
Kearny came about as a result of
the orders to the American Navy
by the President to patrol the
North Atlantic and to shoot at
sight any ships which interferred
with our Sea-borne commerce This
is the defense policy of the United
States at the moment. The mill
tary and naval strategiSts of the
Government advised the President
that occupation of Iceland was a
military necessity, a proper defense
policy. The politicians might argue
differently but the Executive charged
with responsibility under the Con-
stitution for assuring the defense of
the United States is bound to ac-
cept the advice of his military and
naval experts.
Navy Support Assured.
Now, however, the situation is
somewhat further advanced. The
defense policy is an established fact.
Will the United States now retreat
and haul down its flag on the At
lantic or in the Iceland base be-
cause Hitler decides that he will
Use naval force to dislodge the Naval
forces of the United States? That's
a different challenge from any flung
thus far in the war period. 1t is
tantamOunt to asking whether the
United States Navy having been
ordered in the interest of national
defense to take up certain positions
will now be ordered to run away
and go back to continental United
States because Congress wills it so.
Strictly speaking, Congress can
order a retreat and can order the
seas to be surrendered to Hitler. On
that issue how many iSOlationiSts
would vote for retreat and sur
render? It's difficult to prophesy
the number but it would not be