It President Roosevelt's fireside chat was as forceful as was expected, he added significance to his utterances by the issuance of a proclamation of a state of unlimited national emergency for the United States, which is interpreted by the United Press as placing the nation on a war footing. It does not necessarily mean that the United States are actually at war, or that they will be in the future unless German action is considered likely to imperil American interests. It is perhaps unfortunate that only a precis of the speech is available in Shanghai, though it is sufficiently copious to give a very fair idea of the full content of what the President said, but there surely can be nothing more direct than his concluding remarks:—
As President of a united and determined people. I solemnly say that we reassert the ancient American doctrine of freedom of the seas. I reassert the solidarity of the American Republics and the Dominion of Canada.
We have pledged material support to the other democracies of the world. We will fulfill our pledge.
We will decide for ourselves whether, when and where our American interests have been attacked, or our security threatened. We are placing our armed forces in a strategic military position, and we wil! not hesitate to use our armed forces to repel attack.
We assert our abiding faith in our Constitutional Republic as the perpetual home of freedom, tolerance and devotion to the word of God.
There need be no misunderstanding of the attitude of the United States by the aggressor nations now. The supplies of war material will go forward to Great Britain if necessary under American protection.—That can be legally done because the German blockade of the British Isles is not complete, and the United States regarding German behaviour as piracy pure and simple, are entitled in international law to protect their goods against depredation. President Roosevelt's debi tion of the star of story to which the wor 1d would be reduced. if ti aggressor nations were ever to gain the day, is no figment of the imagination. It is a statement of the fixed and declared intentions of the Nazis, and the American people as well as the British would rather fight to the death than meekly succumb to any such fate.
But perhaps his strongest point was in describing the dangers with which the United States would be faced if the Axis were to win this war. The American farmer would lose his power and dignity. Trade Unions would become things of the past. Freedom of trade would disappear. A crippled independence would require the maintenance of permanent conscription and the United States would be forced permanently to pour its resources into armaments. No clearer statement of the fact that the first line of defence for the United States is manned by Great Britain and her Allies could possibly have been made, The President with no searching after-effect has told the people of the United States of the peril in which they immediately stand, and as a statesman of the first water he has decided upon the only policy which can retain for his country that independence which is so necessary in which to work out its own destiny.
Mr. Roosevelt is not carrying the war to Hitler. Hitler has already carried it to him, and the reply is as emphatic as could possibly be desired. The speech is a purely defensive one, it must be admitted, but in it President Roosevelt faces all contingencies, and makes it quite clear what will be the attitude of the United States Government in certain eventualities. Cost what it may, he declares to the whole world, the rights and interests of his country shall be protected. If it is necessary in the ultimate result to resort to arms, the challenge will be accepted no matter whence it may come. Neither Hitler nor anyone else can now be surprised if in the event of aggression against the United States fierce and very powerful resistance is offered. Mr, Roosevelt has cleared the air of any misunderstandings which might even at this late date have remained in the minds of the Governments of aggressor states, and the full responsibility for whatever happens in the future must rest entirely upon their shoulders.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.