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Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1938. AMERICA AND EUROPE.

'A CABLEGRAM from New York yesterday reported President Roosevelt as briskly rebuking a section of the American Press, which he declared was behaving badly “in wrongly interpreting facts (of foreign policy) for political reasons.” At a Press conference (it was added) the President endeavoured to end the growing impression that the United States is morally aligned with the European democracies in a “stop Hitler” movement involving a pledge of support in the event of war. The President indicated that there is no alignment. Some people may feel that Mr Roosevelt chose his time b'adly for a sweeping disclaimer, which conceivably may in some measure encourage Hitler to take up an intransigent attitude. It must in fairness be added, however, that nothing said by the President, or by his Secretary ot State (Mr Cordell Hull) has given any grounds for a belief that the United States is morally aligned with the European democracies to the extent of being pledged to support them -in the event of war. The foreign policy of the Rqosevelt Administration was outlined by Mr Cordell Hull didy a few weeks ago, when he made a broadcast speech in which he pledged the United States to an international programme for the restoration of sound economic relations, international mora - ity and the principles of international law and justice. Mr Hull said the programme included: — First, adherence to international law; secondly, economic reconstruction; thirdly, respect for and observance of treaties; fourthly, voluntary self-restraint and abstention from the use of force in the pursuit of national policy; fifthly, preparation to limit and piogressively reduce armaments. v This, it will be observed, is first and last an offer to cooperate with peaceful nations on lines of international law and justice and there is in it no hint of anything that could be regarded as an offer of alliance with any nation or nations. That being acknowledged unreservedly, it may be added that the United States would be strangely blind even to its own material interests if it were not morally aligned (though not to the point of alliance) with the European democracies in their stand against lawless aggression. The facts of the position were admirably put by Mr Cordell Hull in a statement reported today—a statement which sets an interesting footnote to the observations by President Roosevelt quoted above.

The nations of the world (Mr Hull said) are faced with the issue of determining whether their relations will be characterised by international lawlessness, or the principles of fair play and order under law. No nation and no government can avoid the issue; nor can any nation avoid participation, willing or not, in the responsibility of determining which course of action shall prevail.

Evidently, in light of what President Roosevelt had said almost simultaneously, this cannot be construed as a forecast of alliance with the European democracies. It may be accepted, however, as a frank admission that if there is to be a conflict in Europe on the issue of international law or lawlessness, even the United States cannot indefinitely avoid participation.

It is not difficult to envisage the course of events in which the United States sooner or later would be dyawn inevitably into any conflict of the kind. Already the American Administration is said to be considering a revision of the neutrality law to permit the sale of arms on a cash and carry basis and to permit the making of loans or extending credits to debtor nations in the event of war. It is in any case most unlikely that the United States, in the event of a European war, would consent to refrain from trading with some of the nations at war. It would then speedily become a question of whether the United States was or was not to submit passively to the slaughter of its citizens and the destruction of their property.

Even if the economic and other consequences of stopping trade with all nations at war were accepted, the security of the United States would be ultimately at stake in a conflict on the issue of international law or lawlessness. If democracy upholding international law were overthrown in Europe, it could hardly be regarded as secure against attack even in the United States.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAITA19380913.2.22

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 September 1938, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
715

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1938. AMERICA AND EUROPE. Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 September 1938, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1938. AMERICA AND EUROPE. Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 September 1938, Page 4

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