Evening Star Newspaper, May 12, 1940, Page 4

P°E’3 Prays for Invaded Nations as Anti-British Feeling Rises in Italy Profest Is Reported Ater Fascist Crowd Attacks Diplomats Contraband Control Situation Is Called More Serious By the Associated Press. ROME, May 11.—Amid mounting Fascist feeling against Great Britain, marked by anti-British posters and & slugging incident, Pope Pius XII sent his blessing from the Vatican today to Germany’s newest enemies, with prayers for their victory. Messages to the Catholic rulers of Belgium and Luxembourg and to Protestant Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, whose countries had been attacked “against their will and right,” told of the Pope's prayers for their liberation. 8ir Percy Loraine, the British Ambassador, was said in reliable quarters to have protested to Italian authorities against both a swarm of | posters which sought to impress Italians with the German Army's superiority, and a reported assault upon two British diplomats last; night. ‘The Italians counter-balanced this with an intensified campaign against the vexations of the allied contra- band control of their sea commerce. Premier Mussolini aprfauded in the Senate when Admiral Domenico Cavagnari, undersecretary of the navy, declared the “disturbance” of Italy’s shipping “must. change.” Control “More Vexatious.” Luca Pietromarchi, chief of the “economic war” office of the foreign ministry, reported to I1 Duce that the allied contraband control was becoming “ever more vexatious,” and called attention to the “seriousness of the situation.” Italian newspapers and radio made no mention of the Pope’s messages, which were made public after the Pontiff had received a succession of dipiomats, including Myron C. Tay- Jor, President Roosevelt’s personal representative to the Vatican, in private audiences. Admiral Cavagnari declared in * his 5,000-word report that a total of 857 Italian ships had been halted and taken to control points, and some of them detained for months. “While the long delays at first were supposed to have been caused by the imperfect organization of the control system,” the report said, “perpetuation of such system caused it to be considered a meas- ure of reprisal for motives whose hature cannot always be seen.” Correspondents Invelved. Two American newspaper cor- respondents, John Whitaker, Rome representative of the Chicage Daily News, and Miss Virginia Cowles, ‘whose articles aresyndicated bythe North American Newspaper . Alli- «ance, were involved in the incident in which two British diplomats were roughed-up by a crowd of ahgry Bl - v Mr. Whitakér and Miss Cowles had been dinner guests of George La Bouchere, secretary of the Brit- 1sh Embassy, and Comdr. Rodd, as- sistant naval attache, and were being escorted home when the at- tack occurred. One version was that the party incurred ' the wrath of the Black- shirts by attempting to remove a poster to keep as a souvenir. Another report said the party merely was reading the poster when seven men attacked the three men without warning and slugged them. Miss Cowles was pushed around, but not struck. Britons Telephone Minister. The Britons then telephoned British Minister Sir Noel Charles— Britain maintains both an am- bassador and a minister in Rome— and he hurried to the scene. Sir Noel arrived and hailed two passing policemen, but witnesses said they refused to intervene. Eventually the police chief appeared and escorted the foreigners to their two cars, which they found covered with posters. Sir Noel insisted they be removed, and the police chief complied. Only Mr, La Bouchere was in- Jured. He received slight marks on the face. Both British and Italian circles described the incident as ‘“regrettable.” Authorities of both nations declined to comment. The shipping situation in the Mediterranean still was confused. British merchantmen continued to call at Italian ports, but it was not known whether they were using the Mediterranean for through trips to the East. Gnyd‘a Sees Uncertainty. ‘The authoritative Virginio Gayda | of Il Giornale D'Italia appeared less sure of the superiority of Germany’s forces than other Fascist commen- tators. He said he would not “hasten to say when this new phase in the war would be decisive.” “The British and French forces still are imposing and mainly in- tact,” he said. Pietromarchi told the Senate that contraband control damage to Italian commerce amounted to one billion lire ($20,000,000). He charged the prize courts with applying Jurisprudence going back to “sail- ing ship days.” Citing British insistence that shippers, to get their vessels re- leased, must renounce claims for damages and agree to pay Britain Qv THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, MAY 12, 1846—PART ONE. Britain’s New War Cbinet ‘ LORD HALIFAX. Conservative, foreign secretary 59— . . . “the Christian gentle- man in British politics.” Modest and unassuming, but tactful and prudent, he rose in four years from political obscurity to vice- roy of India in 1926. Son of second Viscount Halifax and Lady Agnes Elizabeth Courtenay . . . entered public life in 1910 as member of Parliament . .. was foreign secretary under Cham- berlain. ARTHUR GREENWOOD. Laberite, minister without port- folio—one-time economics teach- "’ er, 58, tall, iron-gray hair, spec- tacled, urbane. “Despises” golf. Once undersecretary for health. ~Proponent of —social - legisiation: Hard, patient worker, seldoni:in limelight until he became acting leader of Labor opposition in 1939 . . . rated probably most popular Labor member of Commons. First elected in 1922. WINSTON CHURCHILL. Conservative, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense—*“Win- nie” to his friends . . . veteran of four wars . , . journalist and . occupant of nu- government post . .. First Lord of Admiralty in both this and the World War . . . orator and phrase coiner , . . swift in action, abrupt and restless . . . 66 years old, eldest son of Lorq Randolph Churchill and Jenny Jerome, a New Yorker, CLEMENT R. ATTLEE. Laborite, conscientious objector in World War, but joined army; refused to carry arms, led his command brandishing & cane in- stead of a gun. Bald, mustached, 57, solid, rather than brilliant. Criticism of Mussolini in 1935 re- sulted in two challenges from Italian newspaperman. - Attlee refused. Denounced Hitler’s 1939 peace proposals as “utterly worthless.” In Commons since 1935. for control expenses, such as pilot charges, unloading and warehousing costs, he said such acts “in effect are acts of piracy.” He accused the British of violating diplomatic mail and applying cargo control to passengers’ baggage, even that in some cases of diplomats. Sometimes, he asserted, seizures of goods were made at the behest of rival firms. Red Cross material sent from the United States to Geneva had been free from delays, he said. Eden Still Unpopular. The inclusion of Anthony Eden as War Minister in Winston Churchill's new British war cabinet means no good for the strained Italian-British relations, in the opinion of Fascists, The news of his appointment, however, came too late tonight for official comment. The name of Eden is indelibly linked in Italy with the sanctions imposed during her Ethiopian cam- paign—a move ir which he took the lead as British delegate to Geneva. ! While he was British Foreign Secretary Mr. Eden was lampooned almost daily in the Fascist press. In fact, he probably has been the subject of more disparaging cartoons in Italian newspapers than any other world statesman. Rainbow Division Chapler To Offer Rifle Award In an attempt to stimulate inter- est in rifie marksmanship the Medal Committee of the District Chapter of the Rainbow Division yesterday formulated plans for the presenta- tion of a gold medal to the win- ning member of the District Na- tional Guard in a contest to be held some time this summer or early fall. Meeting at the Occidental Res- taurant, the group, headed by Bent- ley Muiford, decided that the match will be held outdoors and will be open to all members of the National Guard, irrespective of rank. Other arrangements, such as the rules and the place of the con- test, will be made by Col. Charles A. Dravo, Mr. Mulford announced. S h to hear about . .°. 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Authoritative sources an- nounced the landing of allied forces in the Netherlands West Indies Is- lands of Curacao and Aruba—some 700 miles northeast of the Panama Canal by air—“to prevent possible German attempts at sabotage in im- portant oil refineries.” The United States Government has been kept informed, it was added. 3. King George VI, in messages to Queen Wilhelmina of the Nether- lands, King Leopold of the Belgians and Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, expressed “disgust at this crime” of German invasion and complete faith that “our arms will again prevail.” ‘The air ministry said the royal air force alone destroyed at least 50 German planes in the first day’s raids in the campaign opened by the low land invasion and put many others out of action. Flyers also scouted the whole battle area for a hint of where Germany’s strongest sblows likely would fall and patrolled the region between the Rhine and the Meuse to bomb German concentrations as well as German columns moving toward the Netherlands. David Jones, aged 75, has retired from the smithy, in Cenarth, Wales, which had been in the family for four generations. NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN, Conservative, Lord President of the Council—“apostle of appease- ment,” who gave the umbrella a new meaning. An authority on birds and orchids, likes to fish, suffers frequently from gout . . . Son of & famous political family. Tall, angular, bushy browed and mustached. Became Prime Min- ister in May, 1937 . . . indefatig- able worker for peace. Now 71 years old. o= llies Drop Navicerts On U. S. Exports fo Dutch and Belgians Important Market For Farm Products Threatened by War By the Associated Press. Great Britain and Prance yester- day gave clearance through their contraband patrol to American ex- ,| ports destined for the Netherlands and Belgium. The British Embassy said the allies would dispense with navicerts on shipments to the Dutch and the Belgians. Navicerts are certificates, obtain- able by shippers from British con- sulates, which state that designated exporis are not contraband and therefore not subject to seizure by the British contraband patrol. Farm Market Threatened. The British Embassy sald navi- certs still would be issued for ship- ments to the Netherlands and Bel- gium if shippers desired them and -that the navicerts would be issued promptly if ships involved were’ to call at neutrsl, as well as allied ports. Meanwhile, Agriculture ' Depart- ment officials said the extension of the war to the Netherlands and Belgium threatens—if the German invasion assumes broad propor- tions—an important market for American farm products and an im- portant source of supply for the United Kingdom. Ranked High as Outlets. In 1939 the Netherlands bought approximately $39,000,000 worth of agricultural products from this country and Belgium about $27,- 000,000 worth. They constituted the fourth and sixth most important outlets for these comodities. The Netherlands, in 1938, furnished about 20 per cent of the United Kingdom's total imports of eggs and about 8 per cent of its imports of butter and bacon. Since the outbreak of the war the two Low Countries have been important markets for American wheat, tobacco, soybeans and raisins. Landing of Allied Troops |Not "Occupation’ of Aruba ‘The Netherlands Minister, Dr. Alexander Loudon, informally called to The Star’s attention yesterday a misuse of the term “occupation” in connection with landing of French or British troops in Aruba, one of the Netherlands West Indies. Under international law, it was explained, “occupation” refers to the entry of military forces into the ter- ritory of another nation, without in- vitation and possibly over the pro- test of such a nation, In the case of the Dutch possessions in the Carib- bean, it was explained, the Nether- lands, France and Great Britain are now allies in a war against Germany and the entry of troops of the allies in these islands is not “occupation” but the joining of military forces for possible protection against a common enemy. 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The text follows: I have read attentively the Ger- man documents published in extenso in the American press, and partic- ularly those which were handed to the Belgian and Dutch governments by the German ministers in their respective capitals, in an effort to justify the German aggression against the two countries, as well as the declaration of Foreign Minis- ter Von Ribbentrop on the same subject. I read them without in- dignation; a certain degree of stu- pidity does not arouse any emotion. I also read them without surprise, as they are the sort of documents one might expect in the circum- stances. Their authors had not even much imagination, for the general tenor of the documents is evidently inspired by the famous ultimatum handed to the Belgian government by the German minister at Brussels on August 2, 1914, and which has been recorded in history as a model of infamy. In these new documents are found the marks of origin which characterize certain official German documents. Recalls Message to Wilson. In the first place, it is a well- known Hitlerian principle that when one lies, it is better to tell a complete falsehood than only half a lie. The second point is; that particular form of hyprocrisy which already in 1914, at the very moment when his troops were massacreing 5,000 Bel- gian civilians, caused the Kaiser in a telegram to President Wilson to say that “his heart was bleeding . . .” The third mark of origin is an illu- ision particular to the Germans to | believe that it is enough to pro- claim their absurd lies with clumsy solemnity, in order to give them an appearance of plausibility. For people who believe in the good faith of the Germans, it may be remarked that the argumentation of the German note reproaches the Belgian government with having taken - special precautions against the power which it of wishing to attack it. It is true that the frontier on the German, side was more strongly fortified than the others. In this, there is noth- ing incompatible with neutrality. This is not to be confused with foolishness, as no doubt the German lguvernment had hoped. The Belgian government, in declaring itself in- dependent and neutral, did not re- nounce its foresightedness, its free- dom of action and its duty toward its people. It has constantly remain- ed loyal and correct in its attitude toward all the belligerents, but it adapted its policy in accordance with their conduct toward Belgium. When it was noted that the conduct of one of them was becoming men- acing. precautionary measures were taken. Events have sufficiently shown how much these precautions were justified. Every one with an ordinary sense of honesty under- stands ‘and approves this course of action. The German government is apparently not in that category. That is why this explanation has been necessary. Hits German Propaganda. The German propaganda, in ac- ; cordance with one of its principles, always attributes to the public a certain lack of intelligence, which is certainly not a characteristic of the American public. The latter does not let itself be taken in by such falsehoods and sophisms. When a burglar begins to complain of pre- cautions taken by the police, the public is on its guard and if, after having committed a crime, he pro- tests with feigned indignation, the public realizes that the police were absolutely right. In conclusion, I may add that I read this morning that the German government had rejected the pro- tests of the representatives of Bel- gium and Holland at Berlin under the pretext that they employed the word “aggression” to describe the invasion of their countries. In the German vocabulary, this operation is qualified as “a measure of pro- tection.” No doubt the German government is surprised that the two countries involved prefer to assure themselves that protection. £ LOOR & DECK ENAMEL un, rain and scuffing feet cannot mar this most durable of - fi// apparently with heavy losses. as follows: 1. Germans landed 2. Nazis advanced into Holland lines. E-R'L ANDS @ AMERSFOORT GERMANS GAIN GROUND BEFORE ALLIED DEFENSES— Hammering the allies from Holland to the Moselle River sector, the German military machine gained ground yesterday but This map hits the high spots troops on beach at The Hague. as Dutch retreated to stronger 3. Slicing through the Dutch appendix, Limburg Prov- ince, Germans occupied Maastricht, claimed the capture of a major fort at Liege and hammered the Malmedy sector. 4. The German columns in Luxembourg were reported halted by allied troops. 5. A full division of Nazis, 14,000 men, smashed at the Maginot Line near Sierck in an apparent drive to force the French to rush reinforcements there. The shaded area in Holland represents area to be flooded for defense. The shaded lines in Belgium and France locate defense lines. citles were targets of aerial attacks. Underlined —A. P. Wirephoto. Paris (Continued From First Page.) duchy, other French coldiers )-asten- ed their forced advance to block temporarily the German arch on Belgium which began yesterday. Along a 300 to 400 mile front from the North Sea to east of the Moselle River the day was crammed with action—bombings, skirmishes and attacks on both sides. Allied forces moved swiftly to consolidate their positions, French military sources said, while Dutch soldiers drew up a strong line along the Ijssel River, where the German advance was said to be halted at present. Both French and British planes bombed at least five important Ger- man air bases and communication | centers, although their locations re- mained officially undisclosed. 147 Civilians Dead. Air raid alarms signaled the ap- proach of German bombers over Paris. Prance counted her civilian dead in two days of air raids at 147 tonight, reports from various towns swelling the first total of more than 100 persons killed. The report indicated that air fields, railway centers and stations appeared to be the principal objects of the Naxi air foroe. Other reports said German planes bombarded Reims, Epernay and Chalons-sur-Marme in France but results of the attacks were not given. Official French reports said 36 more German planes had been shot down in France and Belgium during & day of intense aerigl activity on both sides. This brings the Nazi plane losses in France and Belgium alone during the first two days of extended warfare to 80. The German losses in Holand yes- terday were reported at more than 100 but were not known for today. The French tonight joined the British in & categorical denial of & German charge that allied planes had bombed civilians in the Ger- man town of Freiburg. “The claim could only have for its purpose to legitimatize in ad- vance new bombardments of French cities,” an' authorized French spokes- man said HOUSE PAINT ‘The WHITEST House Paint various sections of France, including | Monday Club Plans Picnic ‘The annual picnic meeting of the Monday Evening Club will be held at the Palisades playground, Sher- rier street and Dana place N.W., at 4:30 pm. May 20. The program includes a baseball game captained by Herbert L. Willett, jr, director of the Community Chest, and Robert E. Bondy, director of Public Wel- fare. Maj. Charles H. Dodd is president. | Sigma Kappa Plans Tea Mother's Day tea which Beta Zeta | from 4 pm. to 6 pm. today. The tain mothers and fathers of mem- |bers in the lounge of the Home Economics Building on the campus. SPECIAL Fathers are invited, too, to the| Chapter of Sigma Kappa sorority at | | the University of Maryland will hold | newly installed sorority will enter- | ¢ Yugoslavia Signs Trade Pact With Soviet Russia Protocol Also Provides For Representation by . Economic Missions By the Associated Press. . MOSCOW, May 11.—Signature. of & trade and navigation treaty be- tween the Soviet Union and Yugo- slavia was announced tonight by Tass, official Soviet news agency. It said that under the agreement total trade turnover betwen the two countries for 1940 and 1941 would amount to 176,000,000 dinars. (The Yugoslav dinar has a nominal exchange value of about 2% cents, but special conditions make accu- rate translation of the amount im- possible.) Tass reported that a supple- mentary protocol provided for So- viet trade representation in Yugo- slavia and a Yugoslav provisional trade delegation in Russia. It said Russia intended to import from Yugoslavia copper, lead and - zinc ore concentrates, lard and other commodities and to export agricultural and other machinery, - kerosene, coiton and other goods. 1t was reported authoritatively in Belgrade, Yugoslav capital, last Thursday that Yugoslavia and Rus- | sia had agreed to work at top speed jon plans for a far-reaching mili- tary and political co-operation. A Yugoslav military mission was expected to leave for Moscow at the | end of the week, while the return- ing Yugoslav trade delegation was _ expected to bring back definite So- viet proposals of a political nature, ~ While the Tass agency Thursday night denied that Russia was re- verting to the pan-Slav policy of czarist times, which it called “re- actionary,” it did not deny that Rus- sia was interesting herself in South- \ eastern Europe’s neutrality for other reasons. Officials and civilians in Belgrade joined in voicing hope that Rus- sian protection would be forth- coming quickly in the belief it would shield them from “trouble” with either Italy or Germany. Dewey Urges Defenses To Make U. S. Impregnable By the Associated Press. LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 11.—Tak- ing note of European war develop- ments, Thomas E. Dewey said to- night, “We must build up the power and efficiency of our Army. Navy and | air forces to levels which will make | this country impregnable ta attack.” He added, however, that no Ameri- can forces should “esver again be sent to fight in Europe.” | Mr. Dewey, New York City District | Attorney, campaigning for the Re- | publican presidential nominaticn, spoke at a public meeting sponsored by the Lincoln Republican Club of Louisville in the Jefferson County Armory. In his prepared address he de- clared that “the next administra- tion must set this country cn its true course after seven years of New Deal misguidance.” he said, “give the American economic machine the signal to ‘go ahead.” | “It must devise an equitabie tax | program which will not sap the life- blood of our enterprise. “It must restore the Nation to financial soundness.” | “It must,” For ApDED QHAHM 3e£sy Loss Spt')zef Inviting in appearance and performance, one of these fine little pianos will invariably become the centerof attraction before the evening isover. 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