The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-18
KNOX THINKS GRAVE
CRISIS IN WAR NEAR
Continued From Page One)

morrow night. Mr.. Roosevelt was
asked at his press conference
whether he had received an i'm
preston that Kennedy would op-
pose the bill. Such an impression
seemed to be abroad in Washing
ton, he was told. Mr.. Roosevelt
suggested that the public determine
Kennedy's position from his speech
rather than from what it reads in
advance in the newspapers.
Another development saw a6vo-
Gates of the administration bill in
crease their strength on the i'm
portant senate foreign relations
committee. A democratic steering
committee designated S e n a o r
Glass (D.-Va.) and Senator Brynes
OBS. c., both supporters of the
bill, for election to the foreign rela-
tons group.
Supporters of the measure also
found satisfaction in an announce.
ment by William Green, president
of the American Federation of La.
Dor, that he favored the general
principles of the bill. Green turned
down an invitation from Rep. Fish
(R.-N. W to testify against the
measure.
Tempers Swapping
The third day of hearing on the
bill before the house committee
found tempeES swapping, particu'
larly those of republican members,
who were incensed at the repeat
ed actions of Chairman Bloom d..
N. " in ruling their questions
out of order.
Stimson, the War department
head, concluded the testimony
which he began yesterday, and a
mid-afternoon he turned the wit
ness chair over to Secretary Knox
who like himself came to the Roos
evelt cabinet from a position O.
prominence in the republican
party.
II resign this rather warm chail
to you," he told the secretary O.
the Navy.
Stimson had made several points
in concluding his testimony, all il
answer to questions which cam,
predominantly from the republican
membership. He said:
1t was fantastic and preposter
ous'' to assume the bill had beef
drawn to permit the President t.
buy the French or British navies
Should Trust F. r.
Congress should trust the Presi
} dent to determine which nation
are to be assisted with American
war goods and not attach a ham
pering amendment specifically nam
ing them.
He could not foresee the Unite
sktates adopting dictatorship as
system Of government as a resul
of the powers the measure woul'
give the President. The bill woul
prevent such a result, he said.
II can't state too emphatically,
he said at one point, 'the appre
hension I feel as to the possibilit
of a crisis which l think even m,
friends on the right (waving to
ward the republicans) would rec
ognize as a crisis, within the mex
60 or 80 days"
Knox, questioned on the point b.
Rep. Fish (R.-N. W, agreed an,
said that if the British fleet wer'
defeated, the Axis powers - Ger
many, Italy and Japan woul,
have a combined fleet far superio
to that of the United States. H
did not, however, expect a direc
and immediate attack by sea upol
this country.
South America was a land o
rich resources, and a sparse ant
largely illerate population, HI
said. A Germany dominant in Eu
rope would be equipped to produce
with cheap or slave" labor arti
cles which South America woule
find desirable in exchange for it,
raw materials.
Nothing would be more nat
ural," he said, than the swift
building up of an economic rela
tionship between Germany ane
South America"