Show Bru charts washington digest feeling beelin r of unrest in europe reaches our side of atlantic permeates administration and to some extent congress result Is great and increasing mystery prebi presidents secrecy approved facts about plane sales by WILLIAM BRUCKART service national press illda o washington D C washington the feeling that has obsessed europeans for weeks that they are approaching toward sonic some international crisis seems to have spread to our side of the atlantic right out of tho the air so to speak wo we are made ando to feel that great questions are arc about to take shape shapo and that we in this country must bo be ready to decide them the Is has taken germ or whatever it up its domicile within our administration and to some extent in congress and the result Is great and increasing mystery most sources in washington did not believe that the so called settlement of the european crisis at munich last september was in fact act more than a n stopgap stop gap ns as I 1 reported to you at that time the munich failure has become more and more evident and the very atmosphere la Is charged again with exactly the same type ot of bated expectancy in a general way of course wo we all know that the worldwide difference between the democratic forms of government and tho the dictatorships la is at the bottom of the whole thing we know as well that hitler and mussolini have challenged the european democracies by tho the boldness of their dictatorship actions in taking practically what they want in the way of additions to their empires we know further th that a t tho the end decidedly Is not yet insofar as tho the hitler and mussolini ambitions are arc to be considered and wrapped up in all of this Is the genuine friendship that the united states lias has for france and england beneath the surface things have been going on in our own government the president the department of state and the military and naval services know what Is taking place in europe and they are advised as to what may be expected plans were being formed and developed so that steps could bo be taken here at the proper time all of this was done in more or less secrecy ns as it ft always has to bo be done since public discussion of such delicate matters could tilt us very easily from the trying frying pan into the fire genuine danger of war but not immediately because of the necessity tor for avoiding wrong impressions which Is a vital tiling thing in international relations president roosevelt told the military affairs committee of the senate confidentially something of the inside story I 1 believe he did right in sli shielding felding those facts from genral knowledge for no one knows how they could or would be distorted in german or italian newspapers but this air of mystery tins has back fired in a curious way it has aroused certain portions of the country into a veritable frenzy particularly some members of congress and they have ha ve slewed upon a relatively unimportant thing as their weapon in striking at mr roose belts foreign policy they have lumped jumped all over the presidents ts neck about the sale of airplanes to france airplanes that were manufactured and are being manufactured by private plane builders and which are being sold tor for cash to the french government it Is made to appear that this Is a terrible thing the howlers bowlers ore are saying that mr roosevelt has v violated 10 the spirit of the neutrality act and that he should never have given permission for the solo sale of the pl claries aries there are other charges flying about also but t they are unimportant here I 1 have dug into the situation as far as is po possible isible I 1 believe and I 1 fall to get very much excited about the whole thing there Is of course the genuine danger of war although 1 I am not convinced that europe is going to break out tomorrow sometime probably but not immediate ly such a clash of hopes and convictions vict ions and traditions tradition sand and faith as obviously occurs between the philosophies of dictatorships and democracies Is bound to lead to use of force but I 1 think there Is the probability that it Is further away than this jittery feeling of the world now indicates frances purchase Purcia ae of american made airplanes to get back to this airplane thing I 1 should like to set out some of the facts france is buying american made airplanes several hundred ot of them she ii 13 doing this because her own airplane production has stalled and france has sufficient clent gold to liy them elsewhere the french military service must have them in case thera Is s that outbreak of force that seems so imminent on the surface for the reason that germany and italy are superior to france in the air the contracts were let in this country after mr roosevelt had talked over the whole question with his cabinet and with the war and navy departments department and certain leaders of the airel airplane ane incle industry stry they were authorized after ambassador bullitt in his reports from paris lind had laid bare the whole situation I 1 am told that mr bullitt advised mr roosevelt to treat the matter as a routine that to talk much about atwould It would excite people unduly well the bullitt idea was working until the unfortunate accident out near los angeles when a 8 big bombing plane fell injuring a member of the french mission that tha t Is in this country buying the planes then out popped tho the secret and out camo came the critics of the roosevelt foreign policy it Is not within my power to say whether mr Roosevel ts foreign pol icy Is right or wrong I 1 do not believe anyone can tell yet any foreign policy Is something of a gamble if it works the author Is a hero it ff it falls the author of tho the policy promptly Is termed a sup sap but of this phase I 1 can write why should the howlers bowlers now arise and denounce the presidents foreign policy on the basis of sales of planes to france when more than a year ago the british government began buying planes from our manufacturers why Is it wrong to lot the french buy and right to let bic the british buy or to state the matter affirmatively it seems to me that we cannot well differentiate between two nations with whom we ve have friendly relations foreign policy opposition making itself look foolish I 1 do not regularly burn incense nt at the roosevelt dais but when I 1 believe his opposition in is making itself look foolish I 1 believe they ought to be called what they are if they can show where the present foreign policies s are ridiculous now is their opportunity it if this criticism of mr roosevelt were directed at his actions with respect to spain or japan perhaps there would be something worth considering it will be recalled that the president persuaded plane manufacturers and many others as well to discontinue sales to the japanese for use against china it will be recalled also that indirect assistance was given the so called loyalists in spain aid that surely must be looked upon if done honestly as help to the military forces al though disguised as provisions for those who suffered buffered back of the lines all of this was done while we have a neutrality net act through which congress believed it was taking away certain powers from brorn the chief executive so I 1 repeat that there Is cause it appears for criticism of some of the presidents foreign policies but it does not seem that critics have joined issue with the chief executive on any sound basis I 1 always have felt that there Is too much secrecy in general governmental administration unimportant squirts holding unimportant tant jobs are forever and ever taking themselves seriously to the point where they would not admit it was pouring down rain if it were raining cats and dogs from that level of officialdom on up and down theline the line one finds that sort of thing in our government I 1 saw a congressional committee chairman refuse just the other day to lot let newspaper raen men see a statement that ho he was inserting berting in in the committee record a record that Is as public as the light of day it was silly but it was typical president has authority to shape foreign policy when it comes to foreign relations however the situation Is entirely different the constitution wisely enough provides that such such matters must be dealt with by the president it allows him the power of negotiation but it curbs that power PO W by requiring him to ask congress tor for a declaration of war in 0 ther other words the president is provided with authority to shape and conduct the foreign policy the dealings with foreign nations but he must have the approval of congress which represents the people when the concluding phases of those negotiations ore are reached and the nation I 1 Is about to be bound that condition was arranged at the outset of our notions nations history it has worked well the rights of the people are amply protected think tor for a moment what the situation would be if ff our foreign policies were in the hands of demagogues in iii the house or the senates I 1 hazard a guess that some of them would talk us its long as hitler did the other day and create just as much grief so I 1 firmly believe there should be some secrecy about our foreign policy and that the president should have some liberties in working out arrangements with other governments after all any program that he has must eventually be published and debated by congress 0 6 western newspaper union |