Evening star., 1941-12-13
High Naval Officials
Called 10 White House
For Consultation
Hull and Stimson Also
Summoned for Talk
With President
BY JOHN c. HENRY.

W1ll6 HOuSS COllleIcIlCeS lOudS Will
top-ranking foreign policy and mill
tary advisers, after his customary
daily review OF latest official Army
and Navy reports from the fighting
fronts.
Called to the White House first
we're Secretary of State Hull and
Secretary of War Stimson. Thirty
minutes later the President az
ranged to see group of high-rank-
ing Navy officials. headed by Acting
Secretary Forrestal.
Included in the naval group were
Admiral Harold r. Stark, chief of
naval operations; Rear Admiral
Samuel M. Robinson. chief of the
Bureau of Ships, and Rear Admiral
w. r. Sexton, chairman of the Gen
eral Board.
Mr.. Roosevelt's consultation with
the naval officers followed introduc-
ton in Congress yesterday of legis-
lation authorizing a 80 per cent
increase in the surface fleet. House
and Senate Naval Affairs Commit
tees are scheduled to begin on Mon
day executive consideration of eX-
pert testimony on the Navy re-
quirements, plus information peril
nent to the issue of relative fighting
qualities of surface and aviation
arms of the Navy.
Early next week the President is
preparing to send to Congress a
voluminous recounting OF Japanese
American relations. dating from
their initiation S8 years ago to the
beginning of the war last Sunday
The Chief Executive announced in
his radio address Tuesday night
that such a documentary record was
being prepared for submission to the
Congress.
Mr.. Roosevelt also is planning to
send to Congress early in the week
his third quarterly report on opera
tions under the lease-lend law.
AS introduced yesterday at request
of President Roosevelt and the Navy
Department. shipbuilding author
ization legislation would permit a
30 per cent increase in the Navy's
surface fleet.
While there seemed little DISPOSE
ton at the Capitol to delay assent
or to question Navy recommends
tions. the Associated Press report
ed, japanese aerial successes against
British and American surface ships
prompted congressional demands
for thorough reappralsal of fight
ing tactics at sea.
Navy Given Leeway.
Chairman Walsh OF the Senate
Committee. who introduced the
legislation, said the degree of VOL
nerability of battleships to aerial
assault undoubtedly would have to
be threshed out.
The measure would authorize an
eventual addition of 100000 tons to
the surface fleet. but the initial ap-
preparation would be for about 300-
900 tons-all that can be handled
under present conditions. The total
authorization. Senator Walsh said,
was sufficient for seven or eight As
000-ton battleships, six or seven
20,000-ton aircraft carriers and some
81 cruisers, 80 destroyers and 47 sub
marines.
The new building however, could
be apportioned as the Navy saw fit,
and most legislators believed a sub
stantial portion of the funds would
be allocated for battleships to re-
place the one sunk ana any damaged
in the japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor
Naval Picture Changing.
Senator Wiley. Republican of
Wisconsin. another member of the
Naval Affairs Committee, told re-
porters that before any authorize
tion was granted he and others
would want to know whether the
Navy and Army favored giving
priority to battleships or bombers.
Wiley pointed out that aircraft
had been credited with sinking two
British. one Japanese and one
American capital ship in the past
week, along with lighter craft
Our recent experience shows he
said, that unless a sea navy has a
strong o-ordinating air arm. there
is no protection for it. The question
thus becomes one of choosing which
branch shall be built up first when
there is limitation on the essential
materials needed by both"
Agreeing that the events of the
last few days had changed the naval
picture. Senator Byrd, Democrat. of
Virginia said that as a veteran ad-
vocate Of building more battleships,
he, too, was beginning to wonder if
more stress should not be placed
now on constructing bombers.
He said, however, that airpianes
could not take the place of battle
ships in one important phase of the
Far Eastern war - the transporta-
ton of troops in large quantities.
Senator Walsh said he regarded
this as an important point. adding
that there also remained the neces-
Eity of building dreadnaughts for the
battle line so long as other nations
had battleships.
Others advised against ignoring
the possibility that submarines may
have been the silent partner in some
Of the japanese successes, and point.
ed out that Germany, with all hel
air might. was still building capita
ships at last reports.
There was one new development
which might eventually place uIort
auxiliary ships-and possibly car.
rier-at the Navy's disposal, but fol
the present the significance of thu
Governments move in this cast
was not clear.
However, the Coast Guard, now {
part of the Navy, removed the crew
yesterday from the French ship
now tied up in United States port
and placed guards aboard.
The action was Immediately in
terpreted as a seizure of the French
merchantmen. but the State Depart
ment denied this The French crew!
had been removed for their owl
safety. it was explained, and th'