Evening star., 1944-06-20
Senate Probe Asked
On Report Of Promise
To Aid Britain in War
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated FreSS.
The Senate had chalked up an
other wrangle on foreign policy to-
day, with Senators Shipstead
Republican, of Minnesota and
Wheeler, Democrat, of Montana
proposing an investigation to deter
mine of any war commitments had
been made by President Roosevelt
to Winston Churchill before the
latter became Prime Minister, and
Senator Connally of Texas plead
ing for unity and deploring Snip
ing behind the lines"
The debate started late yesterday
and at one point Senator Wheeler
said Mr.. Churchill had been per
mitted to use the American code
which, in my judgment, as under
stand the law, is not to be used by
any foreigner"
Senator Shipstead started the dis
cussion by reading a news dispatch
from London Chicago Tribune
Press Service) which said a men,
ber of Parliament had questioned
why Capt. A. H. M. Ramsay
another member of Parliament, had
been held in Jail for years without
a trial. The member suggested
that the reason was the government
feared disclosure of negotiations be-
tween President Roosevelt and Mr.
Churchill when the latter still was
First Lord of the Admiralty in the
Chamberlain cabinet.
Connally Outlines Case.
During the debate Senator Con.
nally, chairman of the Foreign Re-
lations Committee, dashed out te
a telephone, called the State De-
partn1ent and came back with what
he termed the facts in the case
This was the way he outlined them
Tyler Kent, an employe of the
American Embassy in London, be-
came involved with group in Eng
land which included Capt. Ram
say and Russian woman, who
were alleged to be conspiring to
violate British law against the de-
fense of the realm.
Mr.. Kent was alleged to have vio-
lated British law, and the British
government submitted the docu-
ments in the case to the American
Government, which decided he
should be prosecuted under Brit
ish law and which waived his dip
lomatic immunity.
Senator Wheeler had said Mr.
Kent formerly was in the diplo-
matte service in Russia and had
been transferred to London after
becoming very anti Communist. u
He said Mr.. Kent was code clerk
and was DECIDING messages which
passed between Mr.. Churchill and
Mr. Chamberlain. Senator Wheeler
said Mr.. Kent made copies of the
messages and very foolishly showed
them to a member of Parliament
and to a Russian woman.
Held for Three or Four Years.
He said there was some fear that
since the woman was a White Rus
sian opposed to Communism she
would pass the information along
to Hitler.
Mr.. Kent has been in Jail for three
or four years, Senator Wheeler said
He said the young man had beer
charged with stealing documents
from the American Embassy and hac
been tried in private British court
and that he had asked the State
Department for an explanation fol
such a trial and had received nc
reply
Senator Shipstead spent the better
part of an hour reading excerpts
from the London news dispatch
which dealt with debate in Parlia
ment as to whether Mr.. Churchill
had received assurances before h
became Prime Minister that thi
country would come to Britain'
rescue in the event of war.
Senator Holman, Republican, o
oregon wanted to know whethe,
this coincioed with speeches il
which Mr.. Roosevelt was ASSURING
Americans they would not have t.
fight in foreign wars. Senator Ship
stead said he thought the assur
ances were made earlier.
Hearsay Statements Charged.
Senator Holman said that mean
that after giving the assurances, MI
Roosevelt told the American peopl
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