WEST INDIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 August 1940, Page 5

WEST INDIES

THE FRENCH AND DUTCH POSSESSIONS AMERICAN PLAN REPORTED APPROVAL AT HAVANA. AN IMPOSED TRUSTEESHIP. ißy Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK. July 30. The “Daily News” publishes a copyrighted exclusive story which states that the Pan-American Conference at Havana agreed, and the step only awaits ratification, to a plan by the pan-American nations for the United States to send a naval expedition to the Caribbean early in September to impose a trusteeship on the French and Dutch possessions, thus liquidating the war in the West Indies, bottling up the oil refineries of the Dutch Island of Aruba which have been important suppliers to Germany, impounding 250.000.000 dollars of gold in Martinique, demilitarising the French naval units and repurchasing the 100 United States military planes there for resale to Britain.

A Havana report says the conference adjourned sine die after all delegates had signed the convention and also the "Act of Havana.” The United States Secretary of State, Mr Hull, issued a statement stressing that “at no time has any American nation had the slightest thought of taking advantage of the European situation for tne purpose of grabbing territory.” Referring to the subvesive activities of certain Governments in the Western Hemisphere, Mr Hull made the charge that "pursuing these policies, the personnel of their diplomatic and consular missions has increased out of all proportion to their needs for legitimate functions.”