ARMS SUPPLY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 March 1939, Page 5

ARMS SUPPLY

PROPOSALS IN UNITED STATES

ASSISTANCE FOR THE LATIN REPUBLICS. DEFENCE OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. WASHINGTON, March 14.

Foreign policy entered a new phase of controversy today when Senator Pittman, with the approval of the State Department, introduced a resolution in the Senate permitting the supply of warships, arms and munitions. and all necessary secrets concerning their manufacture and operation, to South American republics.

The broad terms of Senator Pittman’s resolution surprised even his Closest associates. It has not been suggested hitherto that materials involving secret manufacture or secret processes should be supplied to foreign Governments. The resolution also left open the questjon of payment and merely specified. that "no transaction herein shall result in expense to the United States.’’ It would authorise supplies merely with the understanding that, at an unspecified future date, the purchasers would reimburse the United States. ACTION IN THE HOUSE. Representative Bloom, introducing a similar resolution in the House of Representatives. commented that it would enable South American countries to be "better prepared to resist attack from the armed forces of non-American Powers.” The proposals are the broadest laid before Congress since the Great War. The resolution leaves the question of sales directly to the President’s discretion. It opens up a proposition under which the President would be able to sell unlimited arms from Government arsenals to countries with a total combined population exceeding 100,000,000 persons. The resolution binds purchasers not to sell the arms except to other South American Republics. Regarded as virtually tantamount to underwriting the defences of South America, Senator Pittman's plan for furnishing arms to the Latin American republics thus far has aroused only favourable comment in spite of the fact that the mild proposals of earlier years involving the sale of old naval craft ha.d fallen through. President Roosevelt’s hand is sensed behind the proposal, which is the first indication of the magnitude of the pattern of the western hemisphere defence scheme he has planned. OFFICIAL SUPPORT. The fact that the resolution calls for appropriations to 1 finance the purchases is interpreted as meaning that arms will be supplied merely in the expectation that the republics will pay “in due time.”

The early endorsement' of the plan by Mr Summer Wells, Under-Secretary of State, and Senator Barkley, majority leader, indicates that the Administration is backing it. Mr Wells commented that it would foster the growing spirit of American solidarity and institute a further necessary step in national defence.

Another move in South American diplomacy, with particular reference to the Panama Canal, is seen’ in the raising of the American Legation in Panama to the rank of Embassy. Mr William Dawson was today appointed first Ambassador.

NOTE OF OPPOSITION. A jarring note to these proposals for co-operation in the defence of the Western Hemisphere was, however, provided by a heated Senate debate on the recently-announced treaty with Brazil, whereby the United States will make advances of 120,000,000 dollars. Senator Hamilton Lewis . declared that Brazil was a country which “will promise everything and do nothing. He said Brazil already owed America millions of dollars on municipal loans, and would use part of the new loans to start repaying her debts to Britain. Senator Reynolds commented that the Foreign Minister of Brazil, Senhor Aranha, had given America "the finest dry-cleaning it had ever experienced.” Senator Borah said that there were no differences between the dictatorships and the democracies when the time came to pay. He caustically referred to the British and French defaults and predicted that more credits would go to default. , j u „ Senator Reynolds said he had been informed that Brazil was planning a five-year armament programme, spending 70,000,000 dollars in Germany, 20,000,000 dollars in Britain, but only 7,000,000 dollars in the United States oi America. z FUNDS FOR NAVAL BASES. WASHINGTON, March 13. The Naval Affairs Committee today indicated that it was recommending that the 'Senate approve more funds for naval bases. JAPANESE MANDATES TREATY VIOLATION CHARGE NOT BORNE OUT. WASHINGTON, March 14. The State Department announced today that it has no evidence bearing out a charge that Japan has violated treaties regarding the Japanese mandated islands in the vicinity of Guam by fortifying these islands or permitting Germany to do so. The United States has protested again to the Japanese Government against the financial restrictions on trade through the imposition of the Japanese currency in North China.