The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-01-11
Aid-io:britain
Plan Studied
Congress Reviews
Specific Methods


Senator Byrnes (D-SC) who
participated in preliminary con-
ferences on the legislation in
troduced in congress yesterday.
said il was likely that, II ap-
proved, the lease-lend program
would be put into operation by
the president chiefly through
the new office of production
management.
This, 1t was said, would make
for complete correlation from
start to finish between produc-
ton for American and that for
British use. The office, headed
by William S. Knudsen and Sir
ney Hillman with Secretaries
Stimson and Knox as members,
already has been charged by the
president with full responsible
ity for American production.
In addition, other sources
said that agencies such as the
Reconstruction Finance Cor
poration might be called upon to
handle some phases of the pro-
gram.
The first necessity for max
ing the program effective,
Byrnes said, is q survey of pro-
duction capacity to determine
exactly how much and what
kinds of equipment can be sup
piled to the British. He predict
ed that the chief items to be
furnished would be airplanes,
destroyers and cargo vessels.
These, he said, are the things
which Britain Is most anxious to
obtain.
In other quarters 1t was learn
ed that the British might be
asked to turn over upwards of
$4,000, 900. 900 of investments in
this country ~ collateral for the
war materials which the presi-
dent proposed to lend. British
investments here consist of
stocks and bonds in American
concerns, of real estate and of
British owned companies or SUBJ
salaries operating In the United
States.
At the capitol, with both SEN
ate and house in recess, admin
istration leaders laid plans for
Fastening action on the aid leg
islation, which, In addition to
authorizing the loan and lease
of war equipment on any terms
the president may AK, would
permit the communication of
defense information" to war
ring democracies and allow the
repair of British warships and
planes in American shipyards
and factories.
But in several quarters op-
position of various sorts was de-
veloping. One roup of op-
ponents, including Senators
johnson (R-Calif), Wheeler 3D.
MONTY and Clark (D-Mo) dis
cussed the measure at an in
formal conference last night.
They were expected to try to
defeat the bill, and failing that,
to propose numerous restrictive
amendments.
They have generally been at
odds with the administration for
eign policy. On the other hand,
Senator Austin of Vermont, the
acting Republican leader of the
senate, said that while he was in
sympathy with basic administra-
ton foreign policy he believed
there should be some check on
the authority proposed for the
president.
First, Austin said, the life of
the legislation should be limit
ed to two years and it should
be terminated earlier IF either
congress or the president de-
clares that the emergency is
over"
Second, he asserted, the army
chief of staff and the navy's
chief of operations should be
required to certify as to the de-
STABILITY of shipping various
types of military equipment
abroad.
The house was expected to act
first on the measure, and Chair
man Bloom (D-NY) called his
foreign affairs committe to con-
slider 1t Monday. Bloom said he
hoped to complete hearings by
Thursday.
There was. a jurisdictional
squabble in the offing, however,
with Chairman May (D-Ky) of
the military contending that the
bill was Clearly, plainly and
simply q, National Defense meas
ure and sould 60 to our commit
tee" May called his group to
meet today to decide what steps,
II any, IL should take to gain
control Of the legislation.
In the senate. the measure was
sent to the foreign relations
committe and Chairman George
(D-Ga) said the group would de-
eide on procedure at . meet
ing Wednesday.
George disclosed that an orr
ginal draft Of the bill was re-
vised before its introduction to
make it clear that American
naval vessels could not convoy