Asked if the agreement might lead to the postulation that a base should be established in "Greenland, the President replied he thought reporters should refrain from writing that it was a forerunner of anything else.
He said the destroyers would be transferred to Bngland reasonably soon, Asked whether some of them wore already en route, he replied he would not say that and he did not Know where they were at present. Me added the United States could not deliver them to Bngland, a remark which was taken to imply that Brit. ish or Canadian crews would man them. the fact that Mtr. Winston Eh chill, British Prime Minister, had erated through Lord Lothian, Brit. ish Ambassador at Washington, that Great Britain would never surrender or sink the British Fleet, led repor~ ters to speculate whether the bases might one day be used by British warships President Roosevelt refused to di cuss this, saying he only assumed that satisfaction by the British Government and the people of the British Commonwealth, Reuters diplomatic correspondent stated from London, From the Notes exchanged it was quite clear that the British Common-Wealth and the United States had evolved during negotiations a practical method of contributing materially and effectively to each other's defence requirements, Great Britain is anxious to acquire destroyers for convoy work, to deal with submarines and to keep open channels through which pass. transports to the United States and other parts, itis declared.
'On. the other hand, the United States has acquired a 99 gears' lease of certain sea_and air facilities in the Panama Canal Zone and else where on the Atlantic seaboard, The Prime Minister, M. Winston Churchill, has made clear in the House of Commons that there is no question of any transfer of soverelgnty. The administrations in. the territories concerned have been consulted and concurred, ax have the Dominion Governments.
Defence requirements of the British "Commonwealth and the United States tend (0 overlap in the Western Hemisphere, and parallel negotiations fon this. subject are proceeding between the United States and Canada, Three Main Pur The agreement can be said to serve three main purposes: provides a timely reinforcement of the British Navy in the {ask of maintaining control of the contributes to the security of the United States, a fact which the people of the British Commonwealth recognize as being of vital importance; and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.