PETITION FOR U. S. CONVOYS TO BE MADE

In its first official statement since it merged with the Committee for Militant Aid, the American Student Defense League, Harvard Chapter, announced yesterday that it favors the use of American ships and American men in order to convoy supplies from the United States to Great Britain.

Copies of this statement will be circulated as petitions in the form of an open letter to President Roosevelt, and the League will endeavor to get as many signatures on the letter as possible. Providing that enough people sign, facsimiles of the petitions will probably be forwarded to several Congressmen and Senators.

Safe Shipment

According to Roger D. Fisher '43, president of the Defense League, the organization had two reasons for taking the action. The first was that the group believes there is little point in producing goods for Britain without seeing to it that the goods are safely shipped, since, if they are sunk, they are simply wasted.

Secondly, since Great Britain is having ships sunk at a rate of twice her capacity to construct ocean-going crafts, sooner or later there will not be enough ships available. To prevent any such eventuality, the League proposes the use of American merchantmen and naval warships for convoy duty.

Following is the statement issued by the organization explaining its action: "The Executive Committee of the Student Defense League, realizing that it is the policy of the United States to aid Great Britain, that ships taking this aid are being sunk at twice the rate at which they are being built, and that to be effective, our supplies and armaments must get to Britain, we favor the immediate use of the United States Atlantic Fleet, ships and men included, to convoy these goods."