AMERICAN SHIPS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 October 1941, Page 5

AMERICAN SHIPS

ENTRY INTO WAR ZONES APPROVED BY SENATE COMMITTEE « PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL POLICY. s DESTRUCTION OF HITLERISM (Bv Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) ‘ ‘ NEW YORK, Octoer 26. The destruction of the Hitler menace was the “real and inescapable end” of American foreign policy, President Roosevelt said in a message to the Foreign Association Forum, lie pointed out that in achieving that end America’s responsibility was fully as great as those who were fighting and dying for if. “I know our country will, not shrink from that responsibility or from equal sacrifice when the critical hour arives,” he added. The Senate Foreign Relations Commettee voted to amend the Ship Arming Bill to remove all the Neutrality Act restrictions on the movement of United States ships into belligerent ports and combat zones. The Administration leaders predict that the Bill will pass within a fortnight by at least 55 votes.

Mr. Roosvelt has created the Office of Facts and Figures to serve as a pool of defence information under the directorship of the Congressional Librarian, Mr. Archibald Macleish. Announcing the new tank production programme, Mr Roosevelt said it would go far beyond the goal of 2000 tanks a month mentioned by Mr W. S. Knudsen, head of the Office of Production Management. Some new plants would be built, others expanded, and operations would be stepped up. The President said the tank programme was being developed primarily for America’s own armed forces, rather than for lend-and-lease demands.

In future, the President said, details of aircraft production would not be published, as such information was valuable to the Axis. The last estimate, that for September, gave the month’s total as 1914 planes.