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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS By Edward C. Wayne U. S. Maps New Ways to Aid British As Senate Passes Lease-Lend Bill; Nazi Spring Offensive Gains Speed With Balkans as Center of Activity (Released by Western Newspaper Union. I ' f ' Hhu v ' ' ' f TIT FOR TAT: Italy-U. S. Washington was mildly Inflamed, if such a term can be used, when Mussolini, without any diplomatic interchange, ordered U. S. consu- I Following Senate passage of the Lease-Lend bill, providing a method of extensive aid to Britain, these senators get together for a united handclasp. hand-clasp. They are: (Left to right) Senator Barkley of Kentucky, majority leader; Senator Wheeler of Montana, opposition leader and bitter foe of the bill, and Senator George of Georgia, foreign affairs committee chairman. chair-man. The vote was 60 to 31. (Set Below: Lease-Lend, Finally.) lates at Naples and Palmero closed. Also all of the American embassy and consular officials in Italy were ordered practically to- be "confined to quarters" that is, their diplomatic diplo-matic rights to move about the country coun-try were denied, and they were given categorical orders to stay within the areas to which they were assigned. Cordell Hull acted promptly in reprisal. re-prisal. The Italian consulates at Detroit and Newark were ordered closed and Mr. Hull added to these actions the same type of restrictive order regarding the movements of Italian diplomatic officers and members of the consular service here. Mostly Americans were amused by this interchange, particularly in the comparison of Detroit and New- ark with Naples and Palermo. However, Mr. Hull's orders carried car-ried with them one additional item which carried a somewhat sinister note, and that was that he especially especial-ly restricted the Italian military and naval attaches. LEASE-LEND Finally The passage of the lease-lend bill, called many names by its opponents, oppo-nents, including the lend-spend bill and the lend-give bill, suddenly was passed by the U. S. senate by 60-31. The action seemed sudden after the long and vituperative debate which found Democrats leading the opposition and many Republicans finally in the favoring fold. As the vote neared on the final day, almost exactly two months to a day from the time when it was jointly introduced in both houses, leading opponent Wheeler (Mont.) declared angrily: "I have been told by New Dealers who get their information direct from the feed-trough that the United States will be at war by April 1." Within the hour, however, the bill had passed, and the same Senator Wheeler grinningly was posing for pictures amicably patting the joined hands of Democratic Leader Bark-ley Bark-ley of Kentucky and George of Geor- (b) amendments adopted in both houses provided sufficient safeguards safe-guards against dictatorial powers, and strong single and central power in the President's hands was needed need-ed in order to make the aid swift, certain and considerable. What Next? Aside from Senator Wheeler's daring prediction of "War by April 1." Washington observers began to ask themselves what would be the natural aftermath of the passage of the bill. The bill frankly created one huge arsenaj out of this country, and it was anticipated that the first act of our government would be to begin the transfer of huge stocks of war material already on hand across the Atlantic to England. Much of it, too, could be expected to be transferred to Mediterranean ports, where many of the American-built American-built airplanes are now in service. Another step certain to be taken, it was said, would be the awarding of certain proportions of American NIGHTCLUB: And Death There were many who believed that Hitler was merely putting on a sideshow in the Balkans, attempfj-ing attempfj-ing to lure England away from Africa Af-rica and the Suez, thus permitting two things a drastic attack on the canal and Gibraltar at the same time; and, second, a strong invasion attempt on the British isles with England's head turned the other way. That this might be so was seen in the fact that the Nazi Luftwaffe launched almost its bitterest air night attack on London that the war has seen. Many civilians walking along a road were killed and wounded; a direct hit was scored on a night club with many casualties; and two bombs hit streets on each side of a cafe, collapsing the building and burying many who were dining there after dark. Cables carried pathetic stories of the night-club bombing, telling how the bomb landed in the midst of the band-stand, killing the band-leader and many of his musicians; scattering scatter-ing death and desperate injury among a gay group of dancing men and women, the latter expensively gowned. Though with customary British Bid, me Din s leading proponents. Many amendments were added in the senate, but those which were passed did not arouse as much comment com-ment as those which went down to defeat. Chief among these were three, the Ellender amendment which would have kept the President's hands tied on the movement of U. S. troops, the anti-convoy measure, and the Taft substitute for the entire bill, which would have made two billions available immediately for Britain, but which would have nullified most of the general intent of the British aid measure as originally framed. The seven amendments added in the house, which limit the size of the aid to $1,300,000,000 without further authorization by congress, and which limit the life of contractual obligations, and which make it mandatory man-datory for the President to advise congress of steps taken, and which make it possible for congress to terminate the arrangement under certain circumstances, seemed generally gen-erally acceptable to the senate, at least to the majority of senators, and materially shortened the fight against it in the upper house. The solid Democratic South was strongly in favor of the bill and chief opposition generally was more marked from the Middle and Far West. The eastern senators were generally in favor, and nf th m r aeiense contracts now being executed execut-ed to Britain, and making arrangements arrange-ments for delivery. Some more American freighters, it was felt, would be given to Britain, and probably prob-ably some more destroyers, of which Willkie stressed the British need. SPRING: Offensive The Nazi spring offensive was' gaining momentum, and the chief early activity was in the Balkans where, on the face of reports, if they could be believed, Germany was making a determined bid to pull Italy's Albanian chestnuts out of the Greek fire. The reports of activity were voluble volu-ble and confusing, as might be expected ex-pected from activities that were at least 50 per cent diplomatic and the other 50 per cent actual motion of troops and materials. First step was the German infiltration infil-tration into Rumania, with its terrific ter-rific and chaotic aftermath; then came the "mufti-invasion" of Bulgaria, Bul-garia, closely followed by an actual taking over of that country and the massing of troops and munitions in force on the Greek-Bulgar frontier The number of these troops was variously estimated, the highest fig-ure fig-ure being about 600,000. The throwing of 600,000 men censorship the location or name of the club was not cabled, it must from the description have been an exclusive recreation spot for the well-to-do, showing that the East-Enders East-Enders have not been the only sufferers suf-ferers from the air blitz. merman blitz caliber against Greece, most military men agreed would be fatal to the Hellenes if they had at the same time to continue con-tinue to defend against a counterattack counter-attack of Italians bolstered by Nazi officers in Albania. That is, it would be fatal unless Greece had substantial help This on the other hand, if reports again could be believed, England was about to send. On the face of things Britain had already given Greece considerable and substantial aid in the Albanian battle, had vigorously vigorous-ly engaged and whipped the Italians m Africa, and was strong in her promises to aid Greece on the northern north-ern front when, as and if the German Ger-man attack materialized. publicans who voted "Aye," six were from New England and New Jersey, while only Aiken of Vermont, Ver-mont, Danaher of Connecticut and Tobey of New Hampshire made the three out of seventeen Republicans who voted "Nay." Of the thirteen Democrats who voted against the bill, only one. Reynolds (N. C.) was from the South, and only one, Walsh (Mass.) was from the East. The issue was clear-cut, the op- ! position saying in effect two things: (a the measure was frankly a war measure; (b) it would give the President dictatorial powers. The proponents took two positions: posi-tions: (a) the bill was our best protection protec-tion against active entry into the war because it would aid Britain in holding the Nazi menace away from our shores; ihis aid was going to come, it seemed obvious that it would have to involve Turkey, which would have to get in the war on the side of England and Greece. Visits by Eden and General Sir John Dill were followed by their moving over to Athens; the landing of British troops at Salonika, reputedly reput-edly a full motorized division, and the formal request, a few davs later by the Greek authorities, for a formal for-mal assurance by Turkev that her treaty commitments would be met The stand of Russia at the mo ment was dubious enough, but most observers believed she would act m the same manner she did in the case of the invasion of Poland namely, hold off until German success suc-cess was sure. |
