ARMED ACTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 April 1941, Page 6

ARMED ACTION

IN GETTING SUPPLIES TO ALLIES URGED BY AMERICAN COMMITTEE. DECLARED & UNDECLARED WAR. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, April 19. The formation is announcer! of a “Fight for Freedom Committee,” an organisation desiring the United States to act on the theory that the country is already at war and therefore must use American shipping and Hie navy and ait force to get supplies to the Allies.

A committee manifesto declares: “Hitler cannot allow our goods to get to Britain, otherwise he will be beaten. We cannot allow our goods to be sunk in the Atlantic, otherwise we shall be beaten. Thus the problem is simple and the answer is our willingness to do whatever is necessary to ensure Hitler’s defeat.

“This means accepting the fact that wc are at war, whether declared or undeclared. Hitler, regardless what we do. will attack lis when he feels it is to his advantage. Americans recognise that the war abroad involves our destiny as much as it involves the destiny of Britain, Greece, France, China, etcetera.

“We recognise that an Axis victory would be a threat to the United States. Thus we have abandoned neutrality, but we are still largely blind to the fact that there is no lasting choice between war and peace. We have too long left the main burden of winning the victory to other people.”

Senator Glass, honorary chairman of the committee, broke a lifetime practice of never lending his name'to nonGovernmental committees.

The active head is Bishop Henry Hobson, and the membership includes many prominent educationists, clerics, journalists and lawyers.