BITTER DEBATE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 March 1941, Page 5

BITTER DEBATE

ON AMENDMENT TO AID BILL USE OF AMERICAN FORCES ABROAD. BEARING ON JAPAN’S POLICY. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, March 5. An extremely bitter debate was held in the Senate today on an amendment to the Aid to Britain Bill by the Democrat, Mr A. J. Ellender, opposing the use of American armed forces abroad. The discussion of this is likely’ to be prolonged. Earlier the Senate unanimously adopted seven amendments representing minor concessions by the Administration. The chief of these empowers the Congress to end the President’s special powers under the Bill at any time by a simple majority of both Houses; another tightens Congress’s control of the spending under the programme, and a third amendment requires tho President to accept the valuation of defence articles and appraisals by the Secretaries of War and the Navy. Mr Hull, in a statement today, described the United States foreign policy in the Far East as aiming to maintain equality of opportunity, respect for national sovereignties, and observance of treaties. He said: “Our relations in the Far East have brought together with benefits, some problems. Recently two countries in that region were unhappily engaged in military conflict, and still more recently the conflict area was spreading to neighbouring regions. “At such a time there is a great need for informed and intelligent discussion of Far Eastern questions.” Mr Roosevelt today added 16 commodities, including several vegetable and fat products to the growing list of war materials which are subject to export licence control. Simultaneously the President issued a proclamation imposing similar control on exports of plans and specifications utilised in connection with the production of any items under the licence system. Mr Roosevelt has sent a letter to the Women Voters’ League asserting that the purpose of the lend and lease proposals is “not war policy, but the contrary.”