Feb. 3.
While nothing officially has been divulged concerning what President Roosevelt told the members of the Senate Military Affairs Committee, certain senators are reported to, have disclosed the tenor of his remarks, and to this has to be added considerable guesswork which would probably, if the truth could be made known, approximate what the President said, If President Roos velt did not actually say, as it is alleged, that in his opinion Britain and France were the two Powers who supported the greatest burden of the ideological conflict between the democracies and the totalitarian states, whereas the United States Is left relative: ly undisturbed,—he might very well. have done so, for as the position stands, that is wet. 'It is also a fact that if Britain, and France were worsted in any war which' may ens en the republics of north and south America would form the last rampart of domocrucy, with the possibility of the American nations in their turn becoming the victims of new territorial expansion by the totalitarian states. Hence the readiness of the Presideit to countenance the sale of war materials not only to Great Britain and France, but also to other independent states in Europe tueing the threat of aggression by dictatorships. That decision has had wide percussions in the United States, where public opinion seems to be definitely split fon the subject, with little at present to in= dicate where the predominance of support lies. In this connection it must be remembered that while on Monday Herr Hitler said nothing to precipitate a struggle, on the other hand he omitted to say anything which might tend definitely to remove the possibility of war. Thus while immediate anxietiex are for the moment allayed there hho been no real betterment inthe sit tion, 1 it is obviously the duty of both France to proveed with usselves in the best as quickly ay possible, That ix being done, with gratifying results recently announced by Mr ain, and there ix every prospect that the present rearmament will catch preparations in the not too Even now, n ix better lust. yea sult of the pacific idealism of the twenties, and the rapid growth of rman armaments since the advent: of Herr Hitk {to office the balance of' power in Europe has been sadly disturbed, and the position of the Rome-Be consequently been considerably ed. To rear extent th of the American war materials market the democracies as President Rousevelt nds towards the readjustment of the of power, putting both Britain and nin which they ageolerated sp up out is but natural that the two Europ= can Powers should readily avail them= selves of the facilities. which have been placed at their disposal, But there ix also th an angle to be considered. The huge volume of business which has been placed with: the American aircraft) manu-will enable them so to develop production that the ernment will in its turn the growing ability. of the turers to supply with speed the quirements of the United States as well There is a perfeelly good reason for ull this done. The Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis There is no reason whatever to be-the granting of the German-ted
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.