Senate Debates War Zone Path for Relief Craft

New York Tribune, June 19, 1940 Second Alternative "A second alternative might be to Senate Debates send food, clothing and other non- mllltary necessities In unconvoyed ships bearing the Inslgnl ..: the War Zone Path Red Cross with a warning hat the torpedoing or bombing 01 any of them bould bring us into the war For Relief Craft as an acknowledged bclllge* nt." Food, which Is an artU .e of un conditional contraband. Is aboard Chance of Serious Incident the McKeesport largely In the form, Charged in Plan lo Ease of condensed milk. The other articles of contraband, mentioned in Senate Rule for Red Cross Ships debate, were automobiles and soap. Senator Clark called upon Senator From the Herati Tribune Bureau Key Plttman. Democ/at, of Nevada, WASHINGTON, June 18.—A pro chairman of the Se. te Foreign Re posal that the neutrality act be lations Committee, to verify the amended to that Red Cross ships! fact that CoL Bieckinridge Long.. could carry medical supplies and Third Assistant Secretary of State, food Into prohibited European war and Norman H. Di.vis, President of j zones without safe conducts guar the American Red Cross, had given! anteed by belligerent governments undertakings that there would be stirred a stiff debate today on the no effort henceforth to run block floor of the Senate. ades with food or other contraband. The plan, which was occasioned Senator Plttman did so. Senator by the situation in which the Red Clark later described the assurances Cross ship McKeesport found Itself "as a weak instrument upon which two days out at sea without safe to depend in the face of a grant of conduct granted by Germany and power by law." Italy for it to land at Bordeaux. The resolution was called up out France, as originally intended, and of order, since It ordinarily would carrying contraband supplies for the have to lie on the table for a day Allies, including food. The Senate after being reported. Its passage Foreign Affairs Committee held an today, however, was blocked by~ah emergency session this morning and objection to unanimous consent to hastily reported out a joint resolu take it up. by Senator Holt. It w'll tion to permit what the neutrality undoubtedly be the subject of law specifically forbade. further debate tomorrow. It was Several Senators charged that to also Introduced in the House bv permit this to be done at this par the Foreign Affairs Committee in ticular time would be to invite an the same form as In the Senate. incident which would Inflame the MeCarran Sees Emergency country to a pitch of wanting to declare war on Germany. Senator Pat MeCarran, Democrat, of Nevada, charged that the country- Holt Crlticzes Roosevelt was facing a serious emergency, One Senator, Rush D Holt. Demo-! caused largely by "statements of the crat. of West Virginia,s went so far President of the United States." as to assert that newspaper and War-like statements emanating radio commentators were saying' from the White House, he said, had that President Roosevelt was dis caused dismay "the length and cussing with people at the White breadth of the land.*" He sympa House "the question of whether or thized with people abroad, he said, not he can have a declaration of adding: war." He added that he would not\ "But I know that the greatest vote to "put Into his hands without avalanche to bring us Into this war question the .possibility of an Inci is to sink a Red Cross ship with an dent" which would drive the coun American flag flying at Its masthead. try to war. Just let one ship be sunk with an Senator Bennett Champ Clark. American flag at Us masthead and Democrat, of Missouri, declared that the Red Cross on its side and every he had serious misgivings about the red-blooded American will rush into advisability of amending the neu this holocaust of hell. And we have trality law in this respect, but ad no place there. That was done in mitted that this was a hard case and 1917. Let It not be done today under it would be unfortunate If the vessel the guise of an emergency." had to return to an American port. Senator Guy M. Gillette, Demo He had gained, however, two points crat, of Iowa, acknowledged that in voting for the resolution in com he was the only member of the com mittee and supporting It on the mittee to oppose the resolution and floor. The flrst was that the State added that he would continue to Department and the Red Cross had oppose It. since "nothing would *b given categorical promises that any inflame the minds of the American loophole afforded by a change In the people as the halting and searching law would not be used In the future of a Red Cross ship on the high to run blockades. The second wai that he tacked on an amendment to the resolution which barred the Senator Arthur H. Vandenburg. arming of Red Cross ships or send Republican, of Michigan, stated that ing them under convoy of Allied this was not a time to "multiply vessels or United Stales warships. hazards—I think we have all the Senator Clark referred to a syn hazards that we can assimilate." dicated column written by Ernest K Lindley in which Mr. Llndley. whe has close Administration connec tions, said that the use of American ships, convoyed if necessary, was en visioned If Germany tried to bring England to Its knees through block ade. He quoted a second alternative suggested by Mr. Lindley: .

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