Mr. Roosevelt's Plain Words The controversy in the United States
over the sale of aero- planes to France is completely overshadowed by the reports of the nature of President Roosevelt's observations at a meet- ing of the Military Affairs Committee of the Senate on Tues- day. The meeting being secret, reports of the precise language used by the President must be accepted with some reserve, but there is no question that he declared himself unequivo- cally in favour of giving every practicable form of support to the European democracies. Mr. Roosevelt sees far more clearly than many of his countrymen how far-reaching are the dangers which the attempt at the domination of Europe and the penetration of Latin America by Germany and Italy involves, and he can rate at their true value Herr Hitler's declarations that National Socialism is not an article of ex- port and that Germany sought to interfere in no other country's internal affairs. France is, of course, perfectly free legally to buy aeroplanes in the United States, and Mr. Roosevelt, as Commander-in-Chief, is fully entitled to give the French mission official advice and assistance, but he has co reckon with the criticism both of his political opponents and of confirmed isolationists of both parties. It would be profoundly unfortunate if they proved strong enough to impede his plans, but that is improbable.
