New York Times, July 2f 1940
Act Signed to Ban Arms Sales to Britgiti
From Surplus Stocks of the Army and Navy
Special to Tnr New York Tim
WASHINGTON. July l^Thc gov-
ernment has practically shut down
during the last ten days on the
supply to Britain of^ munitions
from the United States Army and
Navy stocks.
Today, with the signing by Pres-
ident Roosevelt of Bill 9822. "an
Act to Expedite National Defense
and for Other Purposes." the ban
was made statutory. Section 14 of
this act prohibits the sale or trans-
fer of any vessels, weapons or
munitions to any foreign govern-
ment unless the chief of Naval Op-
erations or Chief of Staff certifies
that they are not essential to the
national defense.
Since it is believed that neither
the head of the Army nor of the
Navy would be willing to take the
responsibility of certifying in writ- ^ £GW"
ing that anything sufficiently tisc- dorsed
ful to cause Great Britain or her
empire to bid for it was not essen-
tial to the national defense, pur-
chasing officers saw In this section
of the act the last blow to their
hopes of obtaining here material
with which Great Britain might de-
fend herself*
This development comes on the
very day that American-born C. D«
Howe. Canada's Minister of Muni-
tions and Supply, and English-
born Arthur B. Purvis, the Cana-
I dian who has headed the British
h Purchasing Mission in the United
States, had at last received carte
blanche to buy what they could
find on this continent.
The Allies want primarily rifles,
ammunition and field guns. They
had been taking hope from the Gal-
lup poll, which indicated that Presi-
dent Roosevelt's previous sales of
munitions to the Allies bad been
approved by a majority of the
American public.
Even the Lee-Enfield rifles left
[Over from the World War, which
were offered to the Canadian Gov-
ernment just before this war began
and refused and which a few
weeks ago were being represented
as available to the Allies, are now
being conserved.
A substantial number of these
weapons were bought by Canada
and Britain before the War Depart-
ment and the Administration
changed their minds. Now Canada
and Britain are trying to buy more
of them, but are unable to do so.
weeks ago the Navy en-
the delivery of twenty tor-
pedo boats to Great Britain, but the
endorsement was canceled later.
British purchasing officials admit
that they snapped up most of what
was available before the embargo
went into effect. Left now are only j
odds and ends, if precious ones.
But they had expected that in a
few months, as deliveries of new
material were made, the Army and
Navy might have been disposed to
release more old stocks.
Eire also has come into the scene
as a prospective purchaser of muni-r
tions In America. Inquiries are
now being made on her behalf for
guns and rifles with which to pro-
tect herself should Germany try to
occupy that country. \
4