Evening star., 1941-09-13


the supporters OF
David Lawrence. the adminiStra-
ton are insistent that there are
plenty of precedents for the step.
The big question that is being
asked is why the President did not
ask for a declaration of war, in
asmuch as a somewhat similar chain
of circumstances led President Will
son to ask Congress for such a reso-
luton in 1917, The truth is that
Mr.. Roosevelt is carrying out pol
icy which Mr.. Wilson abandoned
a policy of armed neutrality.
It will be recalled that in Febru-
ary, 1917, Mr. Wilson asked Con-
gress for authority to arm merchant
ships. When the Germans pro-
claimed unrestricted submarine
warfare and when they began to
attack without warning, Mr.. Will
son felt that armed neutrality was
no longer of avail and that it was
best to recognize Germanys policy
as a state of war
Parallels 1917.
The events of 1917 and 1941 are
similar in that this time, as before,
the head of the German Navy has
announced a sink-at-Sight program.
That declaration, which was printed
in Berlin dispatches a few weeks
ago, was the forerunner of the re-
cent incidents. There is no con-
cealment by Berlin of its intention
to shoot any vessels carrying car
goes to Europe and there have been
repeated attacks on neutral ships
coming from the Western Hemi-
sphere.
The iSolationiSt view is that the
United States, having forbidden its
citizens to travel on the r-G1. should
let the Nazis shoot anything they
please without resistance on the
part of this country. The admin
istration's position is that attacks
of this kind must be stopped or
else there will be further and fur
ther encroachment until fighting
takes place in waters close to the
shores of Eastern United States. If
America does not protest attacks on
the high seas, the argument is made
that Congress meant nothing by its
overwhelming vote in favor of the
lease-lend bill.
While the isolationists are con-
STRUNG the Presidents latest speech
as equivalent to a declaration of
war, the administration is inSlstent
that its course is the best way to
prevent war. To warn the Axis
that attacks will be resisted, it is
reasoned by the President, may cur
tail if not stop altogether these sub
marine raids.
Action Has Precedent.
While it is being said in Berlin
that American naval commanders
have for long time had orders to
shoot at Nazi submarines, this is
very much doubted here. The belief
prevails that the Navy had qualified
orders and that the Presidents
speech of Thursday night releases
the full energies of the naval and
air patrols to sink at sight any
submarine they detect anywhere in
the Atlantic.
From a legalistic standpoint, the
precedents whereby Chief EXecu-
tive orders either the Army or Navy
into action without a specific sane
ton by Congress are numerous.
American forces have seen action
in China and in Latin America with
out previous authority from Con-
gress.
AS for the question of American
rights on the seas, the present neu-
trality statutes forbid Americans to
enter combat zones except by per-
mission Of the Executive, but the
same legislation stipulates that the
United States does not yield its
rights under international law to
traverse the seas.
Could Escape War.
Sentiment in Congress is not easy
TO gauge because many members are
still away, but there is reason to
believe that there are groups which
are relieved because a declaration
of war is not put up to them at this
time. The feeling seems to be that
events will decide the issue and that
II the Nazis destroy American lines
of communication to Iceland, the
President will have to carry out his
present policy by more extensive
action against Nazi submarines. If
Mr.. RooseYelt's program results in
reducing attacks at sea on the
theory that Berlin will not risk a
formal declaration of war, the
proponents of the policy believe it
will have justified itself. There is
as yet no sign that the President
wants a declaration of war. Ger
tainly his address indicates that if
he can steer the American course
through for the rest of the war with
only occasional skirmishes at sea
and few sinkings of American YES
sells engaged in carrying supplies to
Britain, he will be able to say at a
later date that he actually kept
America out of war and that such
action as did take place was con-
fined to attacks on isolated cases OF
piracy.
Everything depends now on Hit
ler's next move. Raids on conveys
may continue and American ships
may be sunk, but unless the Nazi
chieftain formally insists on a state
Of war there is not likely to be a
legally declared war with a vote In
Congress on the specific issue.