AMERICAN VIEW

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20033, 4 September 1939, Page 9

AMERICAN VIEW

SUPPLY PROBLEM BRITAIN AND FRANCE AVOIDING AN EMBARGO NEUTRALITY ACT EFFECT CENSURE OF HITLER (F.li'C. T.'l. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Sept. 4, 9 a.m.) WASHINGTON, Sept. 2. Official circles believed that the American Neutrality Act was responsible for the Anglo-French delay in declaring war against Germany, due to the virtual necessity of Britain and France avoiding an embargo. The democracies were believed to be facing the following alternatives: (1) Declaring war, upon -which the embargo will apply until Congress promptly repeals it. (2) Merely declaring that a state of war exists, when it is questionable whether President Roosevelt will invoke the embargo. (3) Go to the aid of Poland without any declaration, when it is thought almost certain that Mr. Roosevelt will not invoke the embargo due to the precedents of the Chinese-Japanese and Spanish conflicts. Two developments strengthened the theory. Firstly, a White House spokesman to-day expressed doubt if the embargo would apply if there was no formal declaration of war, and, secondly, Mr. Chamberlain conferred with the American Ambassador, Mr. J. P. Kennedy, just prior to a Cabinet meeting in London. Surface developments in Europe left officials in Washington uncertain what the next turn of events was likely to be, but some are inclined to draw encouragement from the apparent slackening in the GermanPolish hostilities. Neutrality Law Both White House and the State Department made it plain that they would not start steps to. invoke the neutrality law until a clearer picture of the European situation had been obtained.

The Secretary of State, Mr. Cordell Hull, told the press that his reports from Europe were confusing. The Washington correspondent of the New York Daily News states that Mr. Roosevelt is preparing his speech with the conviction Chat Britain and France will be engaged in war when he speaks. “Probably,” adds the correspondent, "the speech will contain a blunt declaration that - while we do not wish to send troops to Europe, still American democratic sympathy cannot but manifest itself toward the non-aggressor nations.” European Censorship An undated dispatch to the Associated Press of America says that European censorship is delaying news, but apparently there has been no suppression of the truth as the journalists see it. The chief difficulties are in London. where on Thursday evening censors walked unannounced into the communication offices and many dispatches were held as longsjas five hours and none came through with the former speed. Berlin had a mild censorship, but transmission was more rapid than in the other capitals. The Paris censorship is functioning fairly fast. Herr Hiller Condemned Senator K. Pittman, chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee declared that Herr Hitler had nol only written his physical death, but his political demise.” “He will probably destroy the Polish people, but he will never win." he declared. The German-America'n League for Culture is distributing thousands of circulars denouncing Herr Hitler and declaring: “History -will show that Herr Hitler is not Germany.”

The General Electric Company’s station W.G.E.A., the western hemisphere’s most powerful short-wave station, is commencing German language news broadcasts to Europe to-morrow.