The United States at Sea
The torpedoing of the United States destroyer ` Kearny' 350 miles south-west of Iceland was announced by the Navy Department at Washington last Friday. It has since transpired that eleven men are missing and ten are casualties. The news has caused anger in the United States. On the following Tuesday came the further news that the United States freighter `Lehigh ' had been torpedoed and sunk in the South Atlantic and the American-owned ` Bold Venture' near Iceland. The former was unarmed, in ballast, and far from the battle zones. These events have their bearing on the resolution to repeal the section of the Neutrality Act which forbade the arming of American merchantmen. It has passed the House of Repre- sentatives and is now under consideration by the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate. The sinking of the ` Lehigh ' has shown that American vessels are not made immune from attack by avoiding belligerent waters. It has provided an additional argument for repealing the whole of the Neutrality Act and allowing American vessels to enter belligerent zones. If the Senate should decide on this extension of the measure the Bill would have to go back to the House of Representatives and stand the chances of another debate, which, if unfavourable, would delay the arming of merchantmen. There is no doubt about what the Administration wants, but President Roosevelt knows the danger of forcing the pace, and is waiting till public opinion will have its effect on Congress. To interventionists the sinking of American vessels presents a clear case for abandoning the whole Neutrality Act ; to extreme isolationists- it becomes an argument for still stricter neutrality ; but that counts for little when measured against the mounting indignation of the American people.
