Evening star., 1941-04-06

IOflS OF axis CdISO SI4lpplIS was III
volved. The immigration and Natural- r
zation Service ordered the arrest of IT'S
Italian and 100 German seamen with
berths on the seized vessels. They were
charged with overstaying the statutory
limit of 60 days for alien seamen in
America.
The German and Italian governments
protested the seizure of the ships and
the arrest of the men. Sec
Adrirofs retary of State Hull an
Recall nounced that the protestants
should have their reply soon,
but before it was delivered, the American .
Government requested Italy to recall its
naval attache, Admiral Alberto Lais. A
note to the Italian Ambassador informed -
him that President Roosevelt had found 2
Admiral Lais persona non grata." The
note did not detail the charges agains,
the admiral, but the captain of at least
one of the % seized Italian ships was
reported to have said he received orders
from the naval attache to wreck his
ship, and Mr.. Hull explained to the press .
that the withdrawal was asked because 3
damaging of many of the Italian ships
before they were taken over. President
Roosevelt told his press conference it
was pretty clearly proved that much of
the sabotage to Italian vessels was at =
the instance of the attache.
AS Admiral Lais prepared to go, leaving
his Americana wife and daughter
behind, Secretary Hull replied to the
German and Italian protests. The an p
sWer was mo" to the demands for the
release of the ships and of the men.
The reply to Hans Thomson, the German
Charge d'Afairs, made the American
position clear:
you seem wholly to disregard the plain
provisions of our statutes which make
it felony for the master or any other
person in charge or command of a YES
sci, foreign or domestic, or for any men,
Der of the crew or other person, within
the territorial waters of the United
States, willfully to cause or permit the
destruction or injury of such a vessel
=. and which authorize the authorities
of this Government to take possession
and control Of any vessel and to remove
therefrom the officers and crew when
such action is deemed to be necessary
to protect the vessel from damage or
injury, or to prevent damage or injury
to any harbor or waters of the United
States"
Mr.. Hull added that he knew of no
principles of international law which
permit the crews of vessels
HuIPs that have sought refuge in
RepIy ports of another country to
sabotage their ships in dis
regard Of local law.
In Rome the police guarded the Amer
ican Embassy when a demonstration
against this country was made in front
of it. To Berlin the Government sent a
protest against the arrest of Stewart
Herman, American Embassy clerk in
Berlin.
President Roosevelt held a parley on
British aid and the need for ships to
carry goods to England. On Tuesday
he said $1,0S0 100000 had been allocated
for war goods for the axis foes. Three
days later he said another S500000,000
had been allocated in existing supplies
to the British and their allies, and that
s500,000,000 had been set aside for a
start toward the construction of 212
cargo ships, so or so new shipbuilding
ways and repairs to damaged ships.
Mexico, after a long negotiation,
granted to the United States the right
to use her airfields for military planes.
However, the planes are only to halt on
those fields on southwark flights; they
are not to be used as bases