Evening Star Newspaper, April 26, 1940, Page 4

Nazi Parly Financier In December Urged Hitler fo ‘Turn Back’ Thyssen Fulfills Threat To Disclose Story of . Flight to World By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, April 26.—"Turn back as long as it is still possible,” Hitler was urged last December by Fritz Thyssen, German steel and coal king, who financed the Nazi party and made possible Hitler's rise to power. “Your policy will terminate in a finis Germania,” he said. Thyssen's communication to the man he joined forces with willingly when the Nazi party was young, is one of a number of hitherto unpub- lished letters from Thyssen to Hitler which appear in the current issue of Life magazine. The letters bare a burning Ger- man patriotism and a bitterness against the course of the Nazi regime. Threat Is Fulfilled. In making public the letters ‘Thyssen fulfilled a threat he made last December to Hitler that he would “call upon the conscience of the world” by disclosing the full story of his flight from Germany, events which led up to the confisca- tion of his vast properties, the de- nationalization of himself and his wife by Nazi decree and the war- rant for his arrest which has made him today a fugitive in France. The letters tell of Thyssen's in- ereasingly helpless protests against the course of dictatorship. “Think of the oath you swore at Potsdam (to uphold the German constitution),” Thyssen wrote Hitler. “Give back to the Reich a free par- liament, give back to the German nation freedom of conscience, free- dom of thought and freedom of speech. “Create anew the foundations which are necessary to restore law and justice, which will make it pos- sible to trust a German treaty again, Stop the useless bloodshed and Germany will obtain peace with honor and will preserve her unity. Calls Upon World Conscience. “Should the German nation be| prevented from hearing my words which are the words of a free and | upright German, then I shall call | upon the conscience of the world, and shall let the world pass judge- ment. I am waiting. Heil. Germany.” Thyssen wrote the German leader that he had protested “against the persecution of Christianity, against the brutalization of its priests, against the desecration of its churches,” and that “when on No- vember 9, 1938, the Jews were robbed and tortured in the most cowardly and brutal manner and their syna- gogues destroyed all over Germany, I protested once more.” The German agreement with Boviet Russia brought renewed pro- tests from Thyssen, who wrote Hitler at the time that “your present policy amounts to suicide. Its beneficiary will be your arch-enemy of yester- day (Stalin) who is your ‘friend of today.’ * Fears Loss as World Power. Thyssen said earlier this month that “war will make Germany de- pendent on Russia in the matter of raw materials and thereby she will lose her position as a world power.” “Your new policy, Mr. Hitler,” Thyssen wrote, “is driving Germany into an abyss and the German na- tion into perdition.” Thyssen asserted that Germany'’s declaration of war was voted at a Reichstag meeting at which “ap- proximately 100 members were ab- sent—their seats taken by party officials” and that Thyssen demand- ed of Field Marshal Herman Wilhelm Goering that the German public be‘ informed that “as a member of the Reichstag I have voted against the war.” Thyssen declared that “I am and always shall be German with all my heart, with all my thoughts and endeavors, I profess proudly and loudly my German nationality and shall eontinue to do so with my last breath.” “Listen to me,” Thyssen wrote | Hitler last December, “and you will hear the voice of a tormented Ger- man natior that is crying out to you: ‘“Turn back, let freedom, right and humaneness rise again in the German Reich.’” London (Continued From First Page.) “five, possibly six, air bases in Nor- way” and pointed out Britain might be having difficulty getting bases in the rugged Norwegian territory. ‘These sources pictured the war in Norway as settling down to a battle for Trondheim, on the outcome of which the whole future course of the Scandinavian conflict may de- pend. “A treacherous invasion,” one British source said, gave Germany all the initial advantage in Norway, with her airplane bases playing a vital role in fighting over the moun- tainous terrain. “We knew we would have a diffi- cult time and certain of our forces probably are having difficulties, but don't think for a moment this is going to have a detrimental effect on the allied efforts in Norway.” “We had to send out to Norway the troops immediately at hand. We had to use undeveloped ports and improvise facilities. The first land- ing was carried out by men who had just what they could carry with them.” There were authoritative indica- tions that both sides are striving to consolidate strategic positions, with the allies rushing reinforcements with all speed and the Germans driving northward from Oslo in an effort to unite forces with the de- fenders of Trondheim. The allies are harassing the Ger- mans as much as possible with long- range bombing attacks across the North Sea in an- attempt to keep the Germans rocked back on their heeis until fast fighting planes and anti-aircraft defenses can be estab- lished on Norwegian soil. An unofficial amplification of the Air Ministry communique said a British Bristol-Blenheim bomber attacked two German flying boats far out over the North Sea and that, after a sharp dog fight, the Ger- mans fled. Smoke was pouring from the en- gine of one of the German planes * hit by British fire. ‘The War' Office said the British withdrawal to a point 6 miles north of Steinkjer, 75 miles northeast of Trondheim, on Wednesday involved enly & British advance guard that 9} Lack of Air Support By MAJ. GEORGE F. ELIOT. I think it may be well to keep in mind that up to the present the land fighting in Norway between German and allied forces has been of what may be called a preliminary na- ture—in general, & race by advance guards and detached motorized ele- ments to seize important key posi- tions for larger forces which may be expected to come after them. Owing to the rugged Norwegian terrain and the resultant dearth of communications, these key points, if they command important rail or road routes, are likely to be of pro- portionately greater value than in less diffcult country. The allied objective for this phase of the campaign is the port of Trondheim, This they need because it is a well-equipped sea base through which they can pour a large army with all its heavy equipment into Norway. A road system and two railways connect Trondheim with the Norwegian capital, and there is also road and rail connec- tion into Sweden. Must Be Attacked by Land. But Trondheim is held by the Germans, and its sea approaches are narrow, difficult and commanded by the fort of Agdenes. Hence the place must be attacked by landing forces at nearby points and ad- vancing overland, which the moun- tainous nature of the country makes difficult. The British chose two such points for landing, both at the termini of branch railways—Namsos, to the north of Trondheim; Aanda- Isnes, to the south. Reports have been circulating that the British force landing at Namsos has sustained a major disaster at Steinkjer, northeast of Trondheim. This conclusion seems unjustified, and it may be well to point out what has probably happened. Steinkjer is an important key ‘point in the defepse of Trondheim against attack from the north. Here the railway from Namsos, and both highways from that point, cross bridges over the upper reach of Trondheim Fjord. The rail dis- tance from Namsos to Steinkjer is about 80 miles, the line following a circuitous route via Grong. One road parallels the railway, another cuts straight across the uplands. By this latter road the distance be- tween the two points is only 36 miles. The Orthodox Procedure. Namsos is a small port without docks, cranes or other modern cargo-handling equipment. In land- ing troops at such a place it is im- perative first of all to send ashore lightly equipped infantry to estab- lish what is called a “beach head” to clear away any enemy parties in the vicinity and to take up de- fensive positions protecting the landing place from attack. When this has been done larger forces may be sent ashore. The problem of advancing from Namsos toward Trondheim had to be considered in terms of the avail- able motor equipment, which would consist of what was brought along and could be landed under the pre- vailing conditions, and what was sources (probably not very much); and in terms of the available rolling stock on the Namsos-Trondheim railway. Some of this was, of course, captured by the Germans along with Trondheim, so that again not much could have been ready at Namsos for allied use. The German air at- tacks directed against the port and ships undoubtedly delayed and com- plicated the arrangements of the allied commander. But one point was undoubtedly clear in his mind from the first, and that was that any advance toward Trondheim must go through Steink- jer. His decision was, apparently, to send two lightly-equipped battalions over the muddy, slush-clogged road to occupy a bridge head south of Steinkjer and endeavor to hold this key communications point until they could be supported. A Sound Plan. . This decision was perfectly sound, indeed commendable. The posses- sion of Steinkjer was a necessary preliminary to an advance on Trond- heim. It is not known whether field available ashore from Norwegian | THE EVENING ‘ STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, British Defeat is a Setback, Not Disaster, Eliot Asserts Allies’ Strategy at Steinkjer Called Sound, Being Only Blunder or anti-aircraft artillery was avail- able; even if it was, it might have delayed the advance. There was doubtless good reason to believe, and it seems probably true, that the Germans in Trondheim had no artillery; appears to have been provided by a German destroyer in the fjord. Time was of the first importance, and the { British commander appears to have | acted with celerity and good judg- ment. One criticism only can be made, and that is the lack of air support. Arrangements should certainly have been in hand for some sort of air co-operation; it is now an axiom of modern war that all land operations against an enemy provided with air- craft require air support. While it does take time to establish a land air base, it seems unquestionable that fighting planes operating from a carrier could have been used to aid the advance guard and to pro- tect it after it had successfully oc- cupied its bridgehead south of Steinkjer, as it did. True, the pos- sibility of the carrier’s being hit by a German bomb had to be taken into account but the old Argus might have been risked. She can carry per= haps 25 to 30 small fighters, and the risk of her damage or loss would probably be less than the risk of leaving the advance guard unsup- ported. The Germans, on their part, also showed commendable enterprise and better co-operation between all arms than was displayed by the British. They attacked, it is stated, with about 1,800 men, supported by planes and by gunfire from their destroy- ers, arove the British out of their brideghead position, recaptured Steinkjer, and are now said to be digging in on the north bank of the fjord in & bridgehead position of their own. ® Action Can Be Overestimated. It is easy to overestimate the im- portance of this action. From the point of view of the officers and men engaged, most of whom were “see- ing their dead” for the first time, it may well have appeared that they were being uselessly sacrificed. From the point of view of the Nor- wegians it may well have been a letdown from the miracles which they doubtless expected their allies to perform. The writer well re- members the first time he ever came under hostile fire and saw his friends and comrades falling about him. It is an experience Which no soldier forgets, and young troops do not always understand what has happened or why. But this will not be the first time in modern war that an advance guard has been asked to push for- ward quickly, with insufficient sup- port, to try to hold an important position until the main body comes up. That it has mailed to do so in this instance is a setback for the British north of Trondheim; to call it a major disaster, however, seems unwarranted. It should not be forgoften, in par- ticular, that Trondheim is open to attack from the south as well as the north; that the approaches from the south are easier; and that allied troops have landed, not only at Namsos, but also at Aandalsnes, from which point they have ad- vanced, according to the last reports (not yet officially confirmed) to Stoeren, only 32 miles from Trond- heim. A daring dash by a German motorized column up the Oesterdal toward Stoeren appears to have been thrown back. It is not impossible that this is the main attack; that the move from Namso is & holding attack only, intended to divert a part of the none too strong German gar- rison of Trondheim to the northern front; and that the sacrifices suf- fered by the British advance guard at Steinkjer may yet turn out not to have been in vain. At any rate, wars cannot be made without losing men, and we are by no means as yet at a decisive point in the struggle for possession of Trondheim. One point does stand out, as we have repeatedly said; the allies must have air support if they are going to succeed. It is hardly to be supposed that this has been over- looked by the allied high command. Copyright 1040 By New York Tribune, Inc, was seeking to escape flanking fire from three German destroyers in nearby Trondheim Fjord. Hardy French veterans and ar- tillery now are supporting the main British line north of Steinkjer, au- thoritative sources stated, and added that no further immediate German pressure was expected in that area. Difficulty Seen With Bases. The same sources said no reports of allied losses had been received yet, and that it was not known whether the expeditionary troops had support from artillery and anti- aircraft guns. It was believed in London that Britain might be having difficulty in getting bases in the rugged Nor- weglan territory. An informed source said there had been “no attacks” on the Brit- ish position at Myra, north of Steinkjer, midway between Trond- heim and Namsos. The British reported that Norwe- gian guerillas using explosives had blocked Osterdalen, the valley which stretches southeast from Trondheim. French poilus were said to have scrambled into supporting positions behind the British line at Myra as the allies strove to prevent contact between German forces rolling northward from Oslo and those op- erating in the Trondheim area. Informed quarters said today that should the allies be cut off from contact with Southwestern Norway theéir task would be to reach the Swedish frontier and seal Northern Norway from further German pen- etration. Great Britain, keeping a close eye on the position of Sweden in the Scandinavian phase of the war, was reported to have told Swedes that if German troops invaded their country the allies would go to their aid. The British were said to have as- sured Stockholm, however, that al- lied troops would not attempt to oc- cupy the Swedish ore port of Lulea, on the Gulf of Bothnia and soon to be ice-free for shipments of iron ore to Germany. German military preparations said to be under way at Memel and other East Prussian ports caused consid- erable apprehension in diplomatic quarters here. German troops were reported concenfrating in German Baltic ports and-embarking on ice-break- ers. Some thought that these prep- arations might be aimed at the Finnish-owned Aland Islands, at the A entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and near the coast of Sweden, Sweden was reported to be strengthening her defenses at Sundsvall, which was described as & more likely German objective than }aulu since Lulea is still locked by ce. » Holy Cross Alumni Club Elects Officers The South Atlantic Alumni Club of Holy Cross College heard four speakers and elecied William L. Lebling president for the coming year at the club’s annual banquet at the Mayflower Hotel last night. Speékers included the Rev. Joseph N. Maxwell, rector of Holy Cross; the Very Rev. Arthur J. O'Leary, president of Georgetown University; the Rev. Francis E. Lucey, regent of Georgetown Law School, and Wil- liam E. Leahy, class of 1907. Other officers named were: Mat- thew McGuire and Thomas A. Courtney, first and second vice presidents, respectively; Eugene Butler, secretary; James J. Far- rell, treasurer, and the Rev. Joseph Fenton, chaplain. APPROVED BY FIRE UNDERWRITERS Steel construction and reine forced concrete make the United States Storage Ware- house absolutely fireproof . . . a safe place to keep your furniture. To be sure of this protection “See The Usited States First” UNITED # STATES 418 10th St N.W ME. 1843 the gunfire at Steinkjer Husband Takes Life Because of lllness of Wife and 3 Children W. M. McCurdy Suicide, Family Stricken With Scarlet Fever Believed to have been despondent over the illness with scarlet fever of his wife and three children, Walter M. McCurdy, 48; World War veteran and an auditor for the Union Trust Co., was found dead early today of carbon monoxide poisoning in his sedan parked in his garage at rear of his home, 1600 Newton street N.E. Mr. McCurdy’s children—a son 8 years old, another son, 13, and a 9-year-old daughter—were stricken with scarlet fever early this month. Then the mother, Mrs. Von Zelle McCurdy, caught the contagion while nursing the children. The house was placed under quarantine. Kept From Sick Rooms. The father was allowed to enter the front room of the home, it was said, but not the sick rooms. He helped & nurse administer to the needs of his family as best he could. Shortly after midnight, Andrew Edwards, a domestic employe of the family, went, looking for Mr. Mc- Curdy. He found him in the garage. A hose from the exhaust had been passed into the car through a rear window and the engine was still running. Edwards summoned as- sistance and the man was pro- nounced dead by a private physician. On Mr. McCurdy’s body, police said, was an envelope addressed to his wife, on the back of which had been written, “Father, forgive me.” Detectives had not opened the en- velope today. S Homicide squad detectives were told that Mr. McCurdy hati been worried over his family's illness and financial affairs. Eldest Child With Neighbors. His eldest child, a 16-year-old daughter, had been staying with neighbors during the quarantine. Mr. McCurdy had been away from work for the last eight days, assisting his family, Mr. McCurdy was an employe of the trust company for eight years prior to the World War. He joined the Army in 1917 and spent 19 months in France, his friends said. Mr. McCurdy went into business for himself. A short time later, he re- Joined the trust company, and since had bene employed theic. Deputy Coroner Christopher Mur- phy issued a certificate of suicide. | . Byrd Hurries Back to U. S. To Plead for Funds By the Asscciated Press. Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd is| hurrying back from the Antarctic to plead—if need be—for funds to| support the Government’s expedi- Rail Co. Wins Damage Suit Against Motorist Stalled on Treccks By the Associated Press. OMAHA, Nebr.,, April 26— This time it was the railroad that got the damages from the motorist. Last December 20 the car of Martin D. Wilson, Schuyler, Nebr.,, a Burlington engineer, stalled on the Union Pacific tracks near Richland. A Union® Pacific mail train struck the car just after Wilsorr jumped. The train was wrecked and two trainmen injured fatally. A Federal District Court jury awarded the railroad $40,025 damages from Wilson—the full amount asked. W. 0. Saunders, 56, Former Editor and Publicity Man, Dies Gained Fame Crusading For Pajamas as Summer Dress W. O. Saunders, 56, former editor of the Elizabeth City (N. C.) Inde- pendent and one-time Washington publicity man, died yesterday aft- ernoon when his automobile plunged into a canal south of .Norfolk, ac- cording to the Associated Press. Mr. Saunders, who once served as associate editor of Collier's Weekly and gained national fame in 1929 with his crusade for pajamas as summer dress for men, was driving north toward Norfolk from Elizabeth City when his car left the road. While in Washington he main- tained a publicity office in the Na- tional Press Building. For some years he was a frequent contributor to national magazines. Postmaster Confirmed The Senate yesterday confirmed the nomination of John L. Downs to be postmaster at Clear Springs, Md. GENERAL tion in the polar wastes for a second year. | Quitting the flagship Bear at Val- | paraiso, Chile, the explorer was booked to sail today on the liner Santa Elena for New York. The House already has rejected a $250,000 request for further Byrd | expedition expenses, and indications are that the Senate may act before Admiral Byrd reaches the United States May 14. Defeat of the appropriation, how- ever, would not necessarily doom chances of getting the money, for it could be voted later in a special bill. Champions of the South Pole ex- ploration are ready to make a re- newed appeal to Congress not to abandon the most extensive venture of its kind ever undertaken. The expedition went to the Ant- arctic late last year to dig in for a stay of from three to six years. Its work program called for charting unknown areas, making scientific observations and laying the basis for an eventual American claim to a large segment of the icy continent at the bottom of the world. Boyd Sisters on Program The Misses Elena, Mildred and Edith Boyd, guitar - strumming daughters of Dr. Jorge de Boyd, the Ambassador of Panama, will present & program of songs at a meeting of the Segovia Society tonight at 8:30 o'clock at 2000 N street N.W. Allison Sanderford, pianist, will appear on N KOOI SR A0 e 1P AND MAIL [] | refrigerator. the same program. All Upholstered Furniture Reduced Tomorrow FOR THE SPRING STYLE SHOW Karpen's and Grand Rapids APRIL 26, 1940. Technology Has Cost 18,140 Miners Jobs, Monopoly Quiz Told U. M. W. Official Says Advances Have Taken That Toll in 15 Years By the Associated Press. A union leader told the Monopoly Committee today that technological changes had cost the jobs of 78,140 coal miners in the last 15 years, Thomas Kennedy, secretary-treas- urer of the United Mine Workers of America (C. 1. 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