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Show Washington, D. C. F.D.R. RESISTS PRESSURE TO SEND NAVY VESSELS WITH SUPPLIES The most important question discussed dis-cussed in inner administration circles cir-cles before the President made his recent defense speech was that of using American warships to convoy supplies across the Atlantic to Irish or British waters. This question probably was in the President's mind also when he wrote the speech. The problem has been debated among some of Roosevelt's close advisers ad-visers ever since BritisJi missaries brought word that while England could withstand airplane bombardment bombard-ment it could not withstand the continued con-tinued sinking of its merchant vessels. ves-sels. The British also made it clear that more over-age U. S. destroyers would not do the trick, because the royal navy was running short of trained crews. So far, the President has shied away from any such drastic step as using American naval vessels to guard supply ships across the Atlantic. At-lantic. Some of his advisers have leaned toward the idea, but Roosevelt Roose-velt has argud against it. He maintains, main-tains, first, that it would be in violation vio-lation of the Neutrality act and could not be done without an act of congress; second, that if an American Amer-ican naval vessel were sunk it would mean war. Some of Roosevelt's advisers contend con-tend that the last thing Hitler wants is to bring the United States into the war; that the effect on the German people (who remember how the United States tipped the scales in the last war) would be devastating. However, the President hasn't fallen for the idea yet, though he is watching watch-ing carefully the effect of his speech on public opinion. Note One of the British Emissaries Emis-saries who put American entry into the war bluntly up to Roosevelt was the duke of Windsor. However, the President replied that he had given a firm pledge to the American people peo-ple not to take them into war and he did not intend to be another Woodrow Wilson. PANAMA CANAL TROUBLE Although the Roosevelt Good Neighbor program has been about 99 per cent successful in Latin America, Amer-ica, there is one contrary spot which is causing army and navy officials genuine worry. That spot is the most strategic of all countries below the Rio Grande Panama. Panama is now governed by a president who has all the earmarks of leaning toward the Axis and who is holding back on the granting of important emergency landing fields, anti-aircraft and searchlight positions posi-tions on Panamanian territory to the U. S. The president, Arnulfo Arias, served for six years as Panamanian minister in continental Europe, and now fetes Italian and German consuls con-suls in Panama while ignoring the British and Americans. He has also chosen as his secretary secre-tary a near-albino named Antonio Isaza, who served as consul in Hamburg Ham-burg and whose fair hair and blue eyes have caused him to be a great rooter for the Nazi theory of supremacy suprem-acy of the Aryan race. Isaza seems firmly convinced that Hitler is sure to dominate the world and has had great influence with his chief in the presidential palace. It is important to remember that in order to defend the Panama canal, ca-nal, army operations outside the actual ac-tual Canal Zone, on territory of the Panama Republic, are necessary. This was provided for by the first treaty negotiated by Secretary of War William Howard Taft, and gave the U. S. army the right to use Panamanian Pan-amanian soil during emergencies. However, the Panamanian government govern-ment under President Arnulfo Arias is now talking about ousting U. S. forces from the vital U. S. army air field at Rio Hato, which is on Panama soil,' and is holding back on granting various emergency airports and anti-aircraft gun emplacements. So pronounced are the Nazi leanings lean-ings of the president that his brother, broth-er, Harmodio Arias, most influential influen-tial newspaper publisher in Panama, has quarreled with him Harmodio Arias gave Panama four years of excellent government as president from 1932 to 1936 and is one of the chief boosterj of Panama-American co-operation. His opposition, however, howev-er, has brought threats that his paper, pa-per, the Panama-American, would be closed by the government Meanwhile, the state department worried over the situation, soon will shakt up its embassy staff in Pan-nma, Pan-nma, put one of its skilled trouble-shooters trouble-shooters on the Job. AIR COUPS FICTION Few people know that In his private pri-vate life the man who stands at the head of the expanding army air corps Is an author of books for boys. Maj. Gen. Harold H. ("Hap") Arnold, Ar-nold, chief of the air corps, has written six books that rend like the Rover Hoys nnd bear such titles as "Hill Bruce nnd the Pioneer Aviators," Avia-tors," "Hill Bruce Becomes an Ace." nnd "Bill llrueo on Border Patrol." The father of three boys. General Arnold used to write aviation stories sto-ries for them as a llrcside hobby. |