GREAT ACT OF FAITH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 May 1941, Page 5

GREAT ACT OF FAITH

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT’S SPEECH WELCOMED BY MR. EDEN. ENCOURAGEMENT TO EREE NATIONS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. May 29. The Foreign Secretary, Mr Anthony Eden, speaking at. the Mansion House, said that President Roosevelt’s speech was “a momentous world event." “By his words,” said Mr Eden, “he has given resolute expression to the fixed determination of the most powerful nation on earth. He defined the settled policy of his country in terms which are as vigorously encouraging to us as they must be disheartening to the enemy. “To give effect to this policy the President decreed a state of unlimited emergency in the United States. For our part we listened with hearts full of thankfulness to the President's determination that the cause of freedom can and will prevail. ’We do not accept, and will not permit, this Nazi shape of things to come.’ In these historic words the President expressed the determination of all freedom-lov-ing countries. “The .keynote of the speech was the repeated declaration that the existence of free nations must ultimately depend on the freedom of the seas. Freedom to trade, he has declared, is essential to the economic life of America. This applies with equal force to the British Empire, for without the ability of the ships of the world to sail freely on their lawful occasions no modern nation can hope to maintain its commercial and political freedom. “The President has pointed the way for free nations of the world. He has done more. He has accomplished a great act of faith and statesmanship.” WILL AAIERICA FIGHT? TREND OF PUBLIC OPINION. NEW YORK. May 29. A Gallup survey shows that the number of voters believing that the United States will enter the war has doubled since hostilities started. The current poll shows that 85 per cent believe that the United States will fight, compared with 4G per cent in February, 1940. The “Herald Tribune" says that a survey by the student division of Federated Union, Incorporated, shows that 91 per cent of editors of 300 college newspapers want England to win. Forty-seven per cent favour United States participation at an unspecified future date.