Evening star., 1941-11-24
League Membership
Could Not Save Peace
Writer ExpIoins Reservations
Were Designed to Keep
independence for U.S..
BIZ Bertrdnl Benedict.


By Bertram Benedict.
"If the United States had only Joined
the League in 1919, this war wouldn't
have broken out in 1882"
Lots of people seem to be saying that
today, people in all walks Of life. OF all
shades Of political opinion, in all parts
Of the country. And eminent personages
In the Roosevelt administration are
charging more and more boldly that the
crisis in which the United States finds
itself today clearly shows how mistaken
was the foreign policy which the United
States pursued after 1919.
Well, let's see. When the Senate re-
jected the League In 1919 and again In
1920, the Senate didn't exactly go on
record for unadulterated isolation. The
Senate was willing to vote for the League
with IA reservations, and the United
States stayed out of the League only
because those proved unacceptable to
President Wilson and to his supporters
in the Senate.
Now, the Senate reservations didn't
demand that the United States wash its
hands completely and forever Of Euro
pean affairs. They demanded only that
the United States reserve its complete
freedom of action on whether or not to
involve itself in European affairs at
any given moment.
AS each world crisis came up, the
United States was to determine what it's
policy would be. The United States
might decide either to take action or no
action. If the United States decided to
take some action. it might take strong
action or weak action. What the Senate
would not tolerate in 1919-20 was that
the League should commit the United
States to definite course of action
ahead of time. Put little differently,
the Senate in 1890 refused to let the
country get involved in war. or in steps
leading to war, unless and until Congress
should so vote.
That Interpretation Is borne out by
study Of the IA reservations proposed by
the Senate in l9l9-20. They boiled down
pretty much to one central theme-that
the United States as member OF the
League would reserve to itself complete
freedom to act in foreign affairs as
though 1t were not a League member.
And as the League developed, that is
exactly the position which was taken by
those nations which did join the League.
In 1881 the League was morally and
legally obligated to defend China, a
League member, when Japan marched
into Manchuria. But the members of
the League decided not to take steps to
stop Japan In this crisis the Hoover
administration was willing to cooperate
with the League against Japan.
Came 1885 and the italian invasion of
Ethiopia. This time the League decided
TO take some partial economic measures
against the aggressor. These partial
measures C'sanctions') did not include
a ban on oil shipments, although the
Roosevelt administration in the United
States was willing to cooperate in re-
strlctlng oil exports to Italy. As it was.
certain OF the smaller members of the
League-for instance, Switzerland-dis
sociated themselves from even the partial
economic measures which the League did
apply.
The League-that is. the member ma
tions Of the League-decided to take no
action against Germany when GERMANY
annexed Austria, a League member. in
1888. Nor when Germany gobbled up
Czecho-Slovakia in 1883. 1t was Great
Britain and France, not the League
that new to arms in the late summer
OF 1899, when Germany and the Soviet
Union invaded Poland.
Unmitigated isolation from the troubles
OF the Old World under all circumstances
was the policy which the people and
the Congress of the United States adopt
ed, rather, in the years after 1919 and
1870. That isolationist policy became
intensified after Hitler rose to power in
Germany in 1888 and began to run amok.
In 1885 Congress put through the
Neutrality Act of that year. President
Roosevelt didn't altogether like it, but
ne felt compelled to give it his signature.
The 1885 act:
Forpade the expectation of arms and
munitions from the United States, no
matter what ships carried them.
Forbade American Ships to carry arms
to or for a belligerent.
Gave the President power to keep
Americans from travelling on q belliger.
ent ship, except at their own risk.
Placed the munitions industry under
control.
In other words, the United States
would play no favorites In any foreign
war, no matter who was the aggressor
and who was the aggrieved.
IN 1886 Congress added ban on loans
or credits for any belligerent. Thus no
American would feel predisposed toward
any side in a foreign war merely be-
cause that side owed him money.
In 1887 the United States took another
long step toward complete neutrality in
foreign quarrel. No American ship
trading with belligerent (even in ma
terlals other than war supplies) could be
armed. And any goods bought by q bel
Iserent had to be fully paid for before
leaving an American port, and moreover
no war supplies could leave In an Ameri-
can ship. (The cash-and carry reouire-
ment)
Then. In 1899, Hitler jumped on po-
land, thus provoking war with Great
Britain and France. And two months
later the United States took its first step
IN years away from isoIationism. when
the Neutrality Act Of that year omitted
the mandatory arms embargo Of the pre-