The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-31
BILL
PASSAGE URGED
BY HOUSE GROUP
Continued From Page One)


dent are substantially modified
and saw the senate foreign rela'
tons committee receive confiden
tial information from Henry L.
Stimson, the secretary Of war.
Gerard Favors War
The senate group, in addition,
heard James W. Gerard the for
mer ambassador to Germany, say
he favored an immediate declara.
ton Of war against the Hitler gov.
eminent, and advocated passage OF
the bill as a weapon for lightning
defense" against lightning war;"
The pending lease-lend measure
would give President Roosevelt
broad authority to have military
supplies manufactured here or
elsewhere, with the treasury, sub
ject to later congressional appro'
priations, footing the bill. The
President then, at his discretion,
could sell, lease, lend or ''other-
wise dispose of" the products to
nations whose defense he consid-
cred essential to the defense OF
the United States.
The committees report-to be
followed by a minority report to-
morrow or Saturday Was q
lengthy document, first of all urg-
ing the house to approve the bill
and then proceeding to a minute
analysis of the measure and OF
the amendments which the com.
mittee, with the approval of ad-
ministration leaders. attached to it.
Calling the provision empower
ing the President to lend or other
wise dispose Of wal materials the
most important. single clause OF
the bill, the committee went on
to say:
1T authorizes the disposition by
this government to any nation
whose defense is vital to the de-
tense of the United States OF any
defense article upon those terms
and conditions which the Presi-
dent deems satisfactory.
Consultation
"As to defense articles which
are not specifically manufactured
or procured on behalf of such a
foreign government, the DISPOSE
ton can only be made after con.
sultation with the chief of nava
operations of the navy or the chle1
Of staff of the army, or both.
This provision, in a manner
wholly consistent with our constl'
tuition, gives the f%lexibility neces
sary to meet the last changing
situation in the war abro"d in or
der that our own national defense
interests may be served best. l
places this power of negotiation
and disposition in the President
the chief executive and command
er-in-chief of the Army and Navy.
At another point, in dealing witt
the definitions of defense artl
cles" the committee said the tern
includes mot only all arms, mum
tons, and implements of war, bu'
also other commodities such az
cotton, wheat, and all other agrl
cultural products which may be
necessary for defense purposes
It added:
This term does not include mer
nor does any other provision o.
the bill deal with the utilization
of our armed forces"
Turning to a provision empower
ing the President to provide repair
facilities for vessels of a belllger'
ent democracy and for outfittins
such vessels, the committee notice
"a point which has received mucf
discussion-that the bill does no
"in any way enlarge or modify
the powers of the government tt
requisition foreign ships IN
termed in our ports"
The committee noted that I'M
bill employs the phrase "notwlth
standing the provisions OF any oth
er law" in numerous places, ane
said that conflicting laws were no
repealed by that language bu
suspended" to make it posslole
to carry out the purpose OF IN.
measure effectively. This had rel
erence particularly to its use II
connection with the President:
powers to dispose of war mater
ais.