Washington, Feb. 14.
A subject of considerable comment. in Washington political quarters at present is the controversy on the destroyer question between the Secretary of the Navy Mr. Frank Knox and Mr, Wendell Willkie, defeated Republican candidate in the last presidential elections, who has just returned from a visit to Great Britain.
Mr. Willkie urges the Navy Department to send from five to ten destroyers a month to Great Britain in order to protect convoys at sea. while Col. Knox asserts that the United States Navy cannot part with any more destroyers without disturbing the balance of the American fleet.
Politieians backing Mr. llkie's view, point out the announcement made by the German High Command today that thirteen British merchant vessels, carrying a cargo of war material from the United States to Great Britain. were sunk off the coast of Portugal yesterday when German naval units attacked the convoy in which they were steaming.
These politicians add that a few obsolete destroyers of low speed, of which the American navy has a large number, would render great service in protecting British convoys, while they are practically useless for the American fleet which, for the time being, does not need to protect any convoys.—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.