Evening star., 1941-09-14
Sy the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The S. S. ArkanSan, struck by
shell or bomb fragments during
an air raid on Suez, was added
last night to the growing list of
American ships lost or damaged
in the sea war, and, at the Cap
itol, there were reports that the
administration might ask au-
thority to arm merchant vessels.
A brief report to the State De-
partment from the Legation at
Cairo said the 6697-ton Arkansan,
engaged in trade between United
States ports and the Red Sea. was
hit and her plates pierced the night
of September H.. 3
The communication said nothing
of the extent Of damage, or OF
casualties among her crew OF 38-
of whom 36 are Americans, one
British and one Dutch.
Presumably, however, the damage
was small as British communique
issued at Cairo September y told
of an Axis raid on the canal area
the previous night and said no dam
age was done to shipping.
Left New York July 10.
The Arkansan. owned by the
American n-Hawaiian Steamship Co.
of New York and San Francisco,
sailed from New York July 10.
reached Port Sudan on September
5, and left for SueZ, town at the
Red Sea entrance to the canal, on
September 8. Presumably she was
lying in port to discharge cargo at
the time of the raid.
While the legations communica-
ton spoke of the missiles striking
the Arkansan as shell fragments"
officials here said the official who
sent the message was not military
man and concluded that the vessel
might have been hit by fragments
from a bomb, an anti-aircraft shell,
an aerial torpedo, or from shell
fred by a cannon carrying plane.
The department was seeking fur
ther information.
Still another communication from
Cairo advised the department that
Joseph M. c. Suka, third officer of
the American-oWned S. S. Steel
Seafarer, had made an affidavit that
his ship in the Red Sea on Septem-
ber was "a Junkers SO or, at any
rate, German plane"
Both the Arkansan and the Steel
seafarer presumably were carry
ing supplies for British forces in
the Near East
Arming Bill Seen Near.
With incident piling on incident,
many legislators felt that an armed
ship bill was in the offing, and with
1t a prolonged congressional battle
further embittering relations be-
tween supporters and opponents of
President Roosevelt's foreign policy.
In quarters usually we'll informed
1t was said that the administra-
ton was likely to present proposal
to arm merchant ships as a supple
ment to Mr.. Roosevelt's announce
ment that naval vessels would
henceforth sink Axis submarines on
sight in waters considered impor-
tant to defense. Such a measure
provoked a memorable controversy
in 1917.
Mr.. Roosevelt disclosed some time
ago that the Navy has plans, kept
continuously up to date, for arming
merchantmen, if such step should
become advisable. These plans, he
said, have been on paper for large
number of years.
Informed sources said the ques-
ton of putting these plans into
effect was discussed at the White
House on Thursday when the Pres
ident read his address of that eve
ming to congressional leaders Of
both parties. At least one of those
who attended left with the impress
sion that it was only a matter of
time until such bill would be pre-
sented.
That 1t would meet with deter
mined opposition from the Senate
group, led by Senators Wheeler,
Democrat, of Montana; Nye, Repub-
lican, of North Dakota, and Clark,
Democrat, of Missouri. which has
consistently opposed the Roosevelt
foreign policy, was a foregone
conclusion.
The legislation would take the
form of an amendment to the Neu-
trality Act. That law now forbids
American merchant ships to carry
any arms, other than the small arms
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