AGAINST AGGRESSION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 March 1939, Page 6

AGAINST AGGRESSION

SWING OF PUBLIC OPINION IN AMERICA

SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT’S POLICY. VIEWS ON NEUTRALITY ACT. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright WASHINGTON, March 12. The latest nation wide survey by the American Institute of Public Opinion indicates that Amercans are swinging in behind President Roosevelt’s policy of giving concrete assistance 1o the democracies in the event of war. Seventy-five per cent, now favour selling food to Britain and France and 52 per cent, favour selling planes and munitions. Eighty-three per cent, are against assisting them with t\e United States army and navy, but the Institute reports a growing fear that America will not be able to stay out, also the belief that Germany and Italy would attack the United States if Britain and France were vanquished.

The survey stresses the momentous shift of public opinion going on within America, Two weeks before the Munich conference the institute found that the majority of Americans opposed even sending food to Britain and France... It now finds that public opinion favours a revision of the provisions of the Neutrality Act. Meanwhile, according io the “New York Herald-Tribune,” President Roosevelt is prepared to back, a move for the repeal of the Neutrality Act, but will not take the lead himself. Il is reported that he wants authority to permit belligerents to buy supplies if they are prepared to pay'cash and transport the munitions in their own ships. It is believed that this would harmonise with American traditions of neutrality yet carry out the Administration’s policy of assisting the democracies. Theoretically both the totalitarian Powers and the democracies. are able to buy armaments, but actually only the democracies have the naval power to protect their ships.

. It was revealed' today that more than three-fourths of America’s exports of armaments in the past two months have been to Britain and France. Britain took 11,711,030 dollars worth and France 5,594,428 dollars. Italy and Japan were not granted a solitary licence and exports, to Germany totalled only 535 dollars.