The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-13
American Owned Vessel Montana Was TOrped0ed,
 in North Atlantic WILL HITLER OBEY
 ROOSEVELT EDTCT? Future Acts Upon High Sea Will Have 10 Decide
 That Question
BY LYLE c. WILSON United Press Staff CorrcspOndent)


 Washington, September 13. (UP) = The navy faced the first all-out test of it's Atlantic patrol today in the Shoot-on-Sight hunt for the submarine which sank the Arnerican-owned cargo ship Montana in the North At- lantic. The vessel, which flew the flag of Panama, was torpedoed midway between Iceland and Greenland day before yesterday - approximately 12 hours before President Roosevelt announced tnat U. s. Naval and Air Forces would protect merchant ships of all flags in that area.
 The 26 officers and crewmen, none of whom were Americans, last were reposted adrift in open lifehoats.
 The Montana was the second freighter flying the Panamanian flag to be sunk in Icelandic waters. Another sinking in that area might indicate 6 need for reinforcing the Atlantic patrol force.
 Army units are cooperating from island land bases with the navy but the burden of safeguarding that area rests largely on the Atlantic fleet which in the past six months. has been tremendously reinforced from the Pacific.
 Confronted with the choice of withdrawing their raiders from what MT. Roosevelt described as American defensive waters" or Of being fired on by American patrol vessels, Axis authorities evidently intend at least to go through the motions of keeping up the fight in the prescribed area.
 Can Hitler Be Persuaded
 whether MT. Roosevelt'S shooting orders actually persuade Germany to abandon half of the Atlantic area she has proclaimed to be a war zone may not be definitely known until after the war is over. But over Q period of weeks there should be reasonably good indica- ton of Axis tactics. If consider able time elapses without raiders being sighted or without further loss of shipping, 1t will be assumed here that the Axis concentrated its op- erations nearer to Great Britain.
 Coincident with the drive against the Axis in the Western Atlantic, W. Averell Hartman, who shortly will leave to represent the United States in a Moscow conference with Great Britain and the Soviet Union, revealed that new supply chan- mel would be developed to aid the Russians. It will extend from At- lantic or British ports to. the In dian Ocean and into the Gulf of Persia to make overland connec- tionS across Iran.
 Taking Iceland as the easternmost extremity of American defensive waters" the area from which Mir. Roosevelt has prescribed Axis raid- CTS, comprises the western half of the German-proclaimed combat zone. The President says the United States has not been advised of this proclaimed area and that fe does not recognize 1t.
 Former Danish Ship
 The Montana, which was en route to Iceland, is another of the former Danish ships taken over by this government and subsequently, trans ferred to Panamanian registry where they are not subject to re- strictions which forbid American lag vessels to enter British ports. It is estimated that from i20 to l5O American-owned vessels including the 30 seized Danish ships, are un- der Panamauian registry.
 (Continued On Pare 2l.