Evening star., 1941-11-16
u. s. War Without O. Declaration
Temperament Preceden Expedency Bear Present
ByC Charles .Ros.

lar better prepared for tWO-ocean war
today than We were a year ago. or six
months ago. The outcome of our ne
gotiations with Japan is on the lap Of the
gods. But this can be said If and when
the American Government shall receive
satisfactory assurances of peace for the
Immediate future in the Pacific, on that
day We shall be measurabiy nearer to a
declaration of war against Germany
than we now are.
In the view OF many observers, an
other reason why Mr.. Roosevelt has not
sought war declaration and why he
may go on Indefinitely without seeking
one, is the demand that such a declara-
ton would provoke in this country for
the retention of the great bulk of our
war production for the use Of our own
forces. Such a demand would be hard
for any administratio to resist. The
present condition gives the President
far freer hand in the disposition Of the
war supplies rolling from our factories
than he would have if the Nation were
formally committed to war against
Germany
Again, 1t is argued by sor observers
that the existing status bes; serves the
American interest because it gives the
President f1rmer control over our re-
lations with Great Britain than he would
enjoy if we were a co-belligerent AS
things are, Britain is in no position to
make demands on the United States
but must accept without cavil what We
choose to give; If We should declare war
on Germany. it is argued, we should
thereby make Great Britain a full part
ner in our enterprise. with the rights of
a partner to make demands and to par
ticipate in our decisions.
Lease-Lend Act Is l.. S. Policy.
To what extent, If at all. the President
feet of a war declaration on the flow of
supplies to England or by regard for
our position vis-a-vis England in an
all-out war effort, is a question that
invites speculation but lends itself to
no assured answer.
To get back to solid ground-the Presi-
dent as his speeches show. considers
that the policy of this country was fixed
by the Lease-Lend Act of March II, 1941,
committing this country, IN its own de-
fense. to the production of billions of
dollars worth of supplies for Great
Britain. Already, through the revision
of the Neutrality Act in the fall of 1889,
We had assumed an unneutral attitude,
and in the spring of 1910, spurred by
the conviction that Hitlerism repre-
sented a real menace to the United
States, had embarked upon our huge
armament program. The gradual har-
dening of that conviction brought about
the Lease-Lend Act The vote for this
act in the House was 260 to 165, or
better than to 2, and in the Senate
was so to 81, or almost 2 to l. When an
appropriation Of $1,000, 900 900 was pro-
posed under the act, the favorable vote
in the House was So to 55 and in the
Senate ST to 9.
We have moved forward inevitably
along the road charted by the Lease
Lend Act. Self-defense was the motive
behind the act and the outpouring Of
billions to give it effect. II self-defense,
reasoned the President, required the pro-
duction of supplies for Great Britain,
sen-defense likewise required that We
should do whatever might be necessary
to get these supplies into the hands of
Great Britain. Hence it was that the
President, in September gave his orders
to the American Navy to shoot on sight
any Axis raiders it should find in the
defensive waters of the United States.
This is the position in which We find
ourselves today, and we are there, in
the view of the administration as the
direct and inevitable result of the policy
set by Congress when it passed the
Lease-Lend Act.
President Shows Lack of Candor.
1t is regrettable that the President at
times has confused the issue by over
zealousness to convict Germany, in de-
tail, of shooting first. He would do bet
ter, many believe, to rest his case on the
broad ground that the lawless acts of
Hitlerism, on land and on the sea. are a
positive threat to the safety of the United
States. As Arthur Krock of the New
York Times said in a recent speech Mr..
Roosevelt does not need to seek narrow
grounds for his attitude when the record
provides him with such speeches as that
Of Hitler to his munitions workers in
December, 1940 proclaiming that two
worlds are at war and that one of these
two must break asunder.
The Presidents account of the attack
on the Greer told only part of the truth.
It's omissions enabled the Nazis to score
a palpable hit against him. The Presi-
dent made it known only that the Greer
was attacked by a German submarine
with torpedoes. 1t came out later
through report obtained from Admiral
Stark, Chief of Naval Operations by the
Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, that
the Greer had been chasing the subma-
rine and broadcasting its position.
In refreshing contrast with the Presi-
was the subsequent straightforward re-
port from the Navy on the sinking of
the Reuben James.
Is an important decision in the max
ing that will end all quibbling over who
attacked whom? There are some OBJ
servers who so believe. The writer would
only suggest that an attentive eye be
kept on Japanese-American relations
Therein may possibly be found some
useful clew to the way in which our
policy will develop in the Atlantic,
whether toward open warfare openly
recognized or declared or toward an in
definite continuance Of the present state
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