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Exportation of Arms, Munitions
or Implements of War to Belligerent

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A JOINT RESOLUTION TO PROHIBIT THE EXPORTATION
OF ARMS, MUNITIONS, OR IMPLEMENTS OF WAR
TO BELLIGERENT NATIONS

STATEMENTS OF

HON. JOHN J. MCSWAIN, a Representative in Congress from the State of
South Carolina.

Hon. J. MAYHEW WAINWRIGHT, a Representative in Congress from the State
of New York.

HON. B. CARROLL REECE, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Tennessee.

HON. DWIGHT F. DAVIS, Secretary of War.

MR. CHARLES H. HERTY, Chemical Foundation, New York City.

HON. THOMAS S. BUTLER, Chairman, Committee on Naval Affairs, House of
Representatives.

HON. CURTIS D. WILBUR, Secretary of the Navy.

MR. H. N. Foss, Assistant Solicitor, Department of Agriculture.

Mr. G. S. MELOY, Assistant Chief Marketing Specialist, Department of Agri-
culture.

HON. CHARLES B. ROBBINS, Assistant Secretary of War.

HON. FRANKLIN F. KORELL, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Oregon.

HON. THEODORE E. BURTON, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Ohio.

36144

MARCH 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, AND 22, 1928

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UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1929

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EXPORTATION OF ARMS, MUNITIONS, OR IMPLEMENTS

OF WAR TO BELLIGERENT NATIONS

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Thursday, March 15, 1928.

The committee this day met, Hon. Stephen G. Porter (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. I understand representatives of the House Military Affairs Committee are here to make statements.

STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN J. MCSWAIN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Mr. MCSWAIN. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, rather than being representatives of the Military Affairs Committee as a committee, the three gentlemen from that committee who appear here, consisting of Representative Wainwright, Representative Reece, and myself, appear as individual members of the House and as the bearers of the greetings of the Committee on Military Affairs, for the purpose of expressing the very high appreciation of that committee toward your committee for the fine spirit in which it received the memorial by the Committee on Military Affairs. When the matter was called to the attention of the Military Affairs Committee, that the possible effects, not certain effects, because that could only be ascertained by investigation, of the enactment into law of House Joint Resolution 183, might be such as to impair the preparedness program and might impinge upon the national defense, it was suggested that the Committee on Military Affairs itself ascertain that fact, but upon reconsideration, in the spirit of comity and of courtesy that should prevail between coordinate committees of the House, and especially, in consideration of the high esteem in which the members of the Committee on Military Affairs held the individual membership of this committee, it was decided, rather, to memoralize this committee as to the significance that appeared to the majority of our committee to be involved in House Joint Resolution 183, and for that reason to ask this committee to hear the facts that might be presented by such persons as might desire to appear and to make statements with reference to the consequences of the enactment of the House resolution into law. I have no statement with regard to it myself. I do desire that you hear the other two members of the Military Affairs Committee if they desire to be heard, and especially Mr. Wainwright, former Assistant Secretary of War, which office under the national defense act is charged with the matériel end and the ammunition end of the preparedness program.

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The CHAIRMAN. We certainly appreciate very much your kindly thoughts. We recognize as you do in your country that when the quality arms the complements begin.

STATEMENT OF HON. J. MAYHEW WAINWRIGHT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Mr. WAINWRIGHT. Mr. Chairman, I will not assume to present considerations involving the merits of this resolution, as I feel there are others who are so much more able to do so who have been more recently associated with the activities of the Government that would be affected by this resolution. I am sure my valued friends on the Military Affairs Committee will not deem it out of the way if I say that in considering this resolution we were impressed with the fact that, had it not been for the first section of the resolution, that resolution would have gone to the Military Affairs Committee, since it involved matters that would automatically have sent the resolution to our committee. But since this involves a matter of general policy in the form in which the resolution is worded in the first section, it is entirely appropriate that it should come to your committee, but we felt that there was a joint interest in this matter, and let me concur in the expression of my colleague from South Carolina, in my appreciation as a member of the committee of the spirit in which the resolution has been received, because I wish to assure you and, to add to what has been said, that it was with some embarrassment, with some reluctance we took the action that we did, and it is very gratifying to have it received in the spirit it has been received.

I have only one suggestion to make. I see the Secretary of War here. I see the Chief of Staff of the Army, and I may say that the Secretary of War succeeded me as Assistant Secretary of War, and nobody could be more familiar with the considerations involving an ample supply in time of war. I see here also former Assistant Secretary of War, Hanford MacNider, whom we love to call Colonel MacNider. Therefore, I feel that the defense considerations here are in abundantly good hands. I would simply suggest that an opportunity be given, that the matter be held over, in order that the present Assistant Secretary of War, Colonel Robbins, may have an opportunity to be heard through his section, which is definitely charged with the responsibility in this regard. You will notice that I refer frequently to the Assistant Secretary of War, and I simply wish to recall to the minds of those who were in Congress in 1920, that at that time the Assistant Secretary of War was given a very definite relationship to national defense and he was made, as he might have been termed abroad, a "minister of munitions." He was charged with the measures for an adequate supply and for adequate measures for that purpose for a time of war, and I suggest he be given an opportunity to be heard. I would also suggest, as I am informed that the Assistant Secretary of War is absent from Washington at this time, and I am quite sure the Secretary of War himself will concur in the suggestion on my part, that you might give General Ruggles, the Assistant Chief of Ordnance, who, as I believe, was one of the delegates, a fellow delegate with Senator Burton, at the Geneva conference, an opportunity to be heard before this committee. He could enlighten the committee from his stand

point on some of the proceedings at the Geneva conference with regard to this subject.

The CHAIRMAN. May I say, Mr. Wainwright, to keep the record in proper shape, that the Burton resolution was introduced on December 5, 1927. Numerous meetings of the committee were held. It was not reported until January 30, 1928, a period of almost two months, and during that entire time no one, according to the records of the committee, indicated a desire to be heard either in favor of or in opposition to the measure. I might add to that, it is not customary unless people ask to be heard to request them to be heard. The committee realizes that we are going out of the usual course by fixing this hearing, but we are anxious to hear anybody that desires to be heard on this or any other measure. There was ample opportunity, however, to be heard by simply requesting the committee during the two months preceding the reporting of the resolution to the House.

STATEMENT OF HON. B. CARROLL REECE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF TENNESSEE

Mr. REECE. Since the Secretary of War and members of the Military Establishment are here, and since two members of the Committee on Military Affairs have made statements to which I feel I can not add anything at this time, I would suggest that the Secretary of War be invited to proceed with his statement.

Mr. BURTON. Has the Committee on Military Affairs formulated any objections to this resolution; I mean, specific objections?

Mr. REECE. No, sir; the Committee on Military Affairs has taken no positive action with regard to the resolution or any subjects raised in the resolution, but in considering the resolution-Mr. Wainwright, Mr. McSwain, and myself-certain possibilities, certain far-reaching consequences appeared to the committee and members of the committee, and they were of such far-reaching importance that we thought that the members of the national-defense arms of the Government ought to be asked to present their views as it affected the national defense, with the object of determining just what effect enactment of this resolution into law might have. In reference

to the policy that was announced by the chairman of the committee, the Committee on Military Affairs, the members of the Committee on Military Affairs, and I think I might say the committee also, never had the matter called definitely to their attention until after it was reported to the House.

Mr. COOPER. You say your attention was not called to it until after the Committee on Foreign Affairs had reported the measure. Who called attention to it?

Mr. REECE. Perhaps I should not say it was not called to our attention. I. perhaps, should have said that it did not engage our attention until that time.

Mr. COOPER. Who engaged your attention?

Mr. REECE. Mr. Wainwright and I entered into a discussion between ourselves about the effect it might have, and we invited the attention of the Military Affairs Committee to the resolution itself.

Mr. WAINWRIGHT. We deemed that our responsibility as Members of Congress justified us in so doing; in fact, demanded that we should

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