Evening star., 1941-10-13

paign Of world conquest"
Testifying as the first witness be-
fore the House. Foreign Affairs Com
mittee on proposed repeal of the
prohibition against armlng American
merchant ships, the Secretary de-
clared the German government is
today and has been throughout the
course of this war sinking defense
less vessels" of this and other coun-
tries either without warning or
without making provision for the
safety of their crews
He declared the NaZi military ma
chine was engaged in campaign Of
conquest unprecedented in the
annals OF history
In addition to removing tbs
limitation on the arming Of mer-
chant ships. Mr.. Hull told the COM
mittee he personally favored re
peal or modification" of section two
of the act which prohibits American
merchantmen from entering combat
zones.
Seeks Control of Seas.
Mr.. Hull said Hitler was seeking
desperately to control the high
seas"
Discussing the proposed repeal Of
the ship arming ban, Mr. Hull said
it was not called for under inter-
national law and asserted that even
when it was enacted there never
had been any thought Of this
country abandoning Its full rights
of self-defense in the event OF any
threat to the continent.
The ban. the Secretary declared,
makes It impossible for American
ships TO defend themselves on the
high seas from lawless forces seeking
world domination
AS the Secretary completed the
reading of his formal statement, the
committee went into executive ses-
sion but not until Chairman Bloom
and Representative Vorys. Repuo-
lcan, of Ohio had a brief row.
Over the attempts of Mr.. Bloom
10 gavel him into silence, Mr.. Vorys
SAID he wanted it understood that
the exclusion of the press from ths
questioning period was not by
unanimous consent"
Two STAY Away.
Neither Representative Fish. Re-
publican, of New York, the ranking
minority member, nor Representa-
tive Tinkham, Republican. of Massa-
chusetts were present when the
hearings started and members of
their Office staffs said both members
we're absenting themselves from the
proceedings in protest against the
action of the majority in restricting
the inquiry to two days of almost
completely closed sessions.
One of Mr.. Fish's secretaries said
Mr.. Fish had wanted to call about
30 witnesses, prominent people from
all over the country but decided
against il when it appeared they
would have only about minutes
apiece for their testimony.
The committee. intent on dispos-
ing of the legislation in two days,
limited witnesses 10 a discussion OF
section only-the armlng Of mer-
chant ships-forbidding testimony
regarding other sections or the en-
tire law itself.
Procedure Called Outrageous.
Republicans termed such proce-
dure outrageous and shocking"
They pleaded in vain for longer
hearings and when the committee
refused to yield on this point, Mr..
Fish and Mr.. Tinkham remained
away in protest.
Says Danger Has Come.
Secretary Hull said the theory OF
the neutrality legislation was that
by acting within the acts limlta-
tions the United States could keep
away from danger.
But danger has come to us-has
been thrust upon us-and our prob
lem now" he continued. is not that
of avoiding it but of defending our
selves against hostile movement
seriously threatening us and the
entire Western Hemisphere.
The blunt truth is that the world
is steadily being dragged downward
and backward by the mightiest
movement of conquest ever at
tempted in all history. Armed and
militant predatory forces are march
ing across continents and invading
the seas, leaving desolation in their
wake.
With them rides a policy of
frightfulneSs, pillage. murder and
calculated cruelty which fills all
civilized mankind with horror and
indignation.
Many Fail to See Danger.
Mr.. Hull said the Nazi plan Of
conquest was so unusual and un-
precedented that many people in the
peace loving United States do not
at all perceive the danger to this
country that this movement por-
tends"
This failure to realize and COM
prehend the vastness Of the plan
and the savagery of its unlimited
objectives," he went on, has been,
and still is, the greatest single source
of peril to those free peoples who
are yet unconquered and who still
possess and enjoy their priceless in
StlIullOIlS.
The Secretary said the German
governments submarine and aircraft
attacks on merchant shipping were
intended to "intimidate this coun-
try into weakening or abandoning
the legitimate defenses of the heml-
sphere by retreating from the seas
Presumes to Close Oceans.
"In defiance of the laws of the sea
and the recognized rights of all ma
tions, the Hitler government has
presumed to declare on paper that
great areas of the ocean are to be
closed and that no ships may enter
those areas for any purpose except
at peril of being sunk" he said.
This pronouncement OF lndlScrim-
mate sinking makes no distinction
between armed and unarmed vessels,
(See NEUTRALITY. Page A-3o