Evening Star Newspaper, May 22, 1940, Page 1

Weather Forecast Mostly cloudy tonight and tomorrow; occasional light showers; little change in temperature; lowest tonight about 64. ‘Temperatures today—Highest, 75, at 1 pam.; lowest, 85, at 4 a.m. From weal Bufeau repost. B s on Pane A3 Closing New York Marke! ts—Sales, Page 18 88th YEAR. No. 35,085. ihe ‘WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION, tening St WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1940—FORTY-FOUR PAGES. #*** ‘From Press to Home Within the Hour’ Most people in Washington have The Star delivered to their homes every evening and Sunday morning. UP) Means Associated Press. THREE CENTS.- ALLIES COUNTERATTACK, RETAKE 2 TOWNS: BRITISH CABINET GIVEN DICTATOR POWE French Claim Arras and Abbeville; English to Conscript Resources Wave of OptimismT Stirred by New Successes BULLETIN. ROME, May 22 (#).—Telephone communications between Rome and Paris were interrupted this afternoon. Previously those be- tween Rome and London had been broken. There was no im- mediate explanation. By the Associated Press. PARIS, May 22—A new wave of eptimism swept over France today s reports reached the capital that the French had retaken Arras and chased a strong advance force of Germans out of Abbeville, 12 miles from the English Channel. The Ministry of Information, ral- lying from the gloom that followed the terrible setbacks of the past few days, announced also that the bridges of the Somme River had been destroyed and a strong stand taken by French troops to halt any southward push. The first note of optimism was eounded by Gen. Maxime Weygand, ellied commander in chief, after a visit to the front, and every hour ®s the day wore on his words to M. Reynaud were repeated over the na- tional radio system: “I am full of confidence if each man does his duty with a fierce energy.” ‘Weather Spell Broken. . - The perfect weather which fa- vored Hitler's Polish campaign and the “blitzkrieg” which he hurled against the Lowlands 12 days ago was broken last night by heavy Pains. Skies were clear again today, al- though fields and roads over which heavy tanks and armored cars had ' to move were SOggY. That break in the weather gave & slight rise to the French optimism, even though tempered by the belief that the Germans may be consoli-- dating their forces for a new and smore furious lunge. As the (}erxzmnx;:1 i pmu.sghed "t:mlr double-| ni warfare westmrmm the vital channel rts, the French established a new ront along the Somme and Aisne Rivers, 200 miles across. Northern France. With this defense system firmly established, the allies began their counterattack to relieve allied troops from pressure of the German push. Their first success, an- nounced in a brief communique, was the recapture of Arras. Shortly afterward the Ministry of Informa- tion announced the taking of Abbe- le. 'iA military spokesman said the destruction of the Somme bridges would force the Germans to bring up much heavier forces than they sgeem to have if they intended to cross the river. Text of Communique. The communique telling of the eapture of Arras merely said: “Enemy pressure continued in the direction of the coast, taking the form of ralds carried out by small motorized detachments. Arras is now in our hands.” The taking of Abbeville, where Germen motorcyclists and French had doggedly fought for possession of the railroad station, was an- snounced by the Ministry of Informa- tion. A spokesman there said grimly the Germans had been “chased out” of the town. 3 Fighting was also going on in the gegion of Neufchatel Sur Aisne, 10 miles directly north of Reims, the Ministry of Information said. De- tails were lacking. Claims to Abbeville Denied. It was the failure of the French to destroy the River Meuse bridges, Premier Reynaud said yesterday, which permitted the Germans to ad- yance so0 rapidly into France. , The Germans asserted yesterday they had seized Abbeville, Arras and Amiens in their drive to control the important English channel ports. The French at first admitted the loss of Arras and Amiens, but flenied Nazi claims to Abbeville, avhile conceding that German motor eycle troops were in the Abbeville area, It was these troops who today at- Sacked the railway station at Abbe- wille, 12 miles from the channel, on the Somme Estuary., . Part of the Nazi war technique 8s to send these motorcycles in swiftly moving fleets far in advance of the tanks, confusing the fighting (See PARIS, Page A-3) Boy's Three-Year Fight Against Fever Is Futile 7 the Associated Press. WATERBURY, Conn., May 22— fhe “little boy in the big window,” 9-year-old Kenneth L. Andrus, is dead after a 3-year fight against gheumatic fever. * The doctors prescribed care and plenty of sunshine for Kenneth whose parents, unable to afford the expense of a sanitarium, put his bed beside an unusually large window in the front room of their home. ‘curtains always were drawn back. The War at a By the Asseciated Press. toward the English Channel. Parliament quickly passed empire’s peril. The House of final approval. news. 35 miles away, apparently was almost to the Channel. Last of Liege Forls Capitulates Affer Nazi Bombardment ‘Swastikas Raised Above Batice 20 Minutes After Beginning of Attack By LOUIS P. LOCHNER, Associated Press War Correspondent. WITH THE GERMAN ARMIES ON THE WESTERN FRONT, May 22—A gigantic fort capitulated un- der our eyes today as we stood on heights between Eupen and Mal- medy with a superb commanding view of the whole region, now Ger- man. It later proved to be Batice, last of the great major fortification works around Liege, Belgium. Artillery, followed by bomb-diving warplanes, made it easy for the in- fantry to force its entry. Stukas (bomb-divers) began their attack at 3 pm. and we saw the Nazi swastikas raised atop the main fortification 20 minutes later. Reichenau Waits Order. Col. Gen. Walther von Reiche- nau waited in a peaceful old castle today for a telephone call from Adolf Hitler which would send the powerful right wing of the German Army westward against a half-mil- lion allied troops in Flanders. ‘The object: To drive back toward the English Channel the forces which block a direct Nazi attack on England. Expressing confidence in the out- come, Von Reichenau, while he waited, checked through his general staff plan once more. 3 The West Flanders town of Ypres, which the British Tommy of the first World War called “Wipers,” appeared to be one of those to be struck when the newly accumulated fury of the German mechanized forces is released. Hitler’s plan for incirclement of Paris presupposes this strong right wing movement in the southern sweep and to Von Reichenau was intrusted the job of seeing it through, Von Reichenau’s challenge will be to the English, French and Belgian troops caught in the German pincer between Abbeville, at the mouth of the Somme River in France, and Antwerp, big Belgian port. Yypres lies just about halfway between these two points, about 25 miles in from the English Channel and about 8 miles above the French border not far from the industrial city of Lille. Main Force Not Contacted. The Germans are aware that they have not yet contacted the main allied force, as Von Reichenau dis- closed to American newspaper corre- spondents yesterday. < “Every German soldier knows why he’s fighting,” Von Reichenau told American newspaper dents correspen: during our call on him. “It is to be or not to be for : supreme confidence in our military leadership. Others don't in theirs. There can be no doubt of the -out- come. “Bivoyouhnndltmnc-lt The | the end of days of enormous marches (See LOCHNER, Page A-D.) ” 3 3 Glance A “dictatorship” bill to marshal all of Britain’s wealth and man power in the fight against Nazi invasion was rushed into law today as the French claimed recapture of Arras and Abbe- ville, to which the Germans had penetrated in their drive the war emergency powers bill soon after the government had demanded it because of the Lords was waiting to give its Across the Channel, allied counterattacks apparently were relieving some of the pressure on British troops, fighting with their backs to the sea in a “pocket” in Belgium. A French military spokesman said German advance guards had been “chased out” of Abbeville, 12 miles from the Channel, and that Arras, to the east, also had been retaken. Optimism spread through France in the wake of the day’s Fiercely counterattacking French troops by recapturing Arras eased pressure on a “pocketed” British and Belgium army of 550,000 fighting with their backs to the sea. Amiens, still in German hands. The German high command, however, claimed lightning- paced Nazi thrusts—daring motorcycle raids, apparently unsupported by infantry—had widened the corridor, reaching A sudden renewed alarm in Southeastern Europe, mean- while, came from Rumania, King Carol’s rich little oil king- dom, where the general staff called 300,000 reservists to the colors on 24 hours’ notice—virtually full mobilization. The French destroyed all bridges along the Somme River in a move to block the German march to the sea. In the German drive on Paris, according to an unconfirmed report by “informed circles” in Berlin, the Nazis may have passed Soissons, famed World War battleground—only 50 miles northeast of the French capital. Nazi Forces Brace For Counterattack In Northern France Motor Column Drives Toward Boulogne as Planes Bomb Ports By the Asscciated Press. BERLIN, May 22—Two curving | prongs of the German Army ripped northwest toward the bottleneck of the English Channel and south to within some 50 miles of Paris today. But while Nazi bombers showered down death from Channel seaports to interior battlegrounds, the main German Army in Northern France braced itself for a hard counter- attack by the allied armies now under the supreme command of Gen. Maxine Weygand. “It may be that our present move- ments will come to a temporary halt,” Gen. Walther von Reichenau, German commander in the field, acknowledged. “Weygand has or- dered every man to stand his ground. That may mean hard fights ahead.” Holding between 500,000 to 1,000,- 000 allied troops in what they call a huge sack in Northern France and Belgium, the main German forces now are making their major job the systematic destruction of these divisions. Channel Ports Bombed. The northwestward ‘prong of the armored ® advance forces, after brushing by Abbeville, on the Picardy coast, 12 miles from the Channel, drove on today toward the port of Boulogne, on the shoulder of the narrowest part of the Channel, while the air force punished this and other ports where British forces might embark for home. Another German force swelled out its “bulge” into Northern Prance at the same time, informed circles said, with a swift southwestward drive toward Paris, which may have passed through or around Soissons, World War battlefleld only about 56 miles northeast of the capital. The Nazi drive toward the channel was pointed toward St. Pol and Montreuil-Mer, a line toward the Straits of Dover where only 22 miles of water separate the British Isles from France. Water rronts Are Bombed. Ahead of it roared German war- planes, the high command reported, bombing the water fronts of Ostend, Dunkerque, Boulogne and Dieppe— the chief ports behind imperiled British forces fighting with their backs to the coast. Blazes started by Nazi air bombs also swept through the railroad sta- tions at Compeigne and Creil, on the. line from.St. Quentin to Paris. Both are beyond Soissons, where, 1t was reported, the Nazis may be Commons Enacts Emergency Bill With Speed By the Associated Press. LONDON, May 22—Britain’s Parliament tonight invested the government with dictatorial powers to conscript 'labor and wealth to strengthen the nation's shield against German invasion. Within three hours the House of Commons and the House of Lords passed and King George approved a bill giving Winston Churchill's government unprecedented, sweep- ling war emergency powers de- manded “in view of the grave peril in which the nation stands today.” It armed the cabinet with admin- istrative weapons similar in ef- ciency and scope to those of Brit- ain’s authoritarian enemy. An order in council, prepared even before the parliamentary pro- cess got under way, gave immedi- ate effect to the law. It sets up controls under the min- isters covering, chiefly, labor, bank- ing, agriculture, transport, mining war industries and export trade in- | dustries. Labor to Be Drafted. The war material and export in- dustries will be given absolute pri- ority and labor will be drafted as required to the more essential in- dustries. A 100 per cent excess profits tax was provided. Arthur Greenwood, Laborite min- ister without portfolio and head of the Productions Council, summoned the Munitions Board immediately. Supply Minister Herbert Morrison ordered all ordnance factories to work full time seven days a week until further notice. Most fac- tories now are working two 12-hour shifts. All-powerful production councils will be set up to speed supplies of munitions, ships, aircraft, farm pro- duce and minerals. Clement R. Attlee, Prime Minis- ter Churchill’s lieutenant in the House, who called for the virtual “dictatorship,” declared he wanted the munitions boards to “get on the Job” tonight. Swift Transition. The new measure carries forward & swift transition from democracy to semi-dictatorship which began before Britain went to war. Military conscription was intro- duced hastily in the days just pre- ceding that fateful Sunday, Een:r- ber 3, and since then there ve been measures restricting prudts, limiting individuals’ actions and controlling investments, all paving the way to today’s complete subjec- tion of the nation to the one idea of victory. Mr. Attlee assured the House that the power conferred by the bill was great enough so that if Parliament could not meet because of a German invasion or some other reason the cabinet could govern unhampered by lack of legislation. “No Distinction.” Mr. Attlee said there even might be cases where firms would be closed and others where property would be destroyed. All munitions factories will imme- diately be placed under government control. Parliament proudly and speedily enacted the bill amid appeals to show Adolf Hitler it was an effi- cient instrument of war. Mr. Attlee told the House that “there should be no distinction be- tween rich and poor and all should be willing to perform services or give up property, and those who were recalcitrant came into precise- ly the same category.” The granting of dictatorial powers to the government, Mr. Attlee said, did not mean that today or tomor- row everybody would be given or- ders to do this or that, nor did it mean that from tomorrow every form of wealth would be taken, but the power would be exercised when- ever it was necessary in the interest of the Nation’s safety. ' Will Make Resources Effective. Mr. Attlee, lord privy seal and member of the inner war cabinet, (See POWERS, Page A-8) Landon Conferring With Roosevelf on National Defense Possibility of Coalition Cabinet Seen Remote, as Leaders Oppose Plan (Picture on Page A-2.) By G. GOULD LINCOLN. Former Gov. Landon of Kansas, titular head of the Republican party, is at the White House today con- ferring with President Roosevelt presumably on the drive for in- creased national defense and the situation created by the European war. Mr. Landon declined, on his ar- rival here this morning, to make any comment until after his conference with the President. It has been assumed that the President, when he issued his orig- inal invitation to Mr. Landon to come to Washington to talk with him, would offer the Kansan a place in his cabinet or some other impor- tant post having to do with the program of national defense, Mr. Landon, however, will not ac- cept a place in the cabinet—if it is offered him. He does not believe in anything that smacks of a coalition Government, as he announced in Topeka before leaving for Wash- ington. Favors Increasing Defense. The Republican 1936 presidential nominee is strongly in favor of in- creased national defense and is willing ,to do anything he can to fufther it. If he were invited to have a place on a board having to do with the necessary mass pro- duction of arms and munitions, the situation might be different. Col. Frank Knox, Chicago pub- lisher, Mr. Landon’s running mate in 1936, is reported to have been offered the post of Secretary of the Navy, which is to be relinquished soon by Secretary Edison, now the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey. It was reported today that Col. Knox will not accept. The President, unable to obtain important Republican leaders from the Midwest to serve in the Cabinet, may, it was rumored, turn to the East. Representative Wadsworth of New York, an authority on military af- fairs and head of the Republican committee of the House set up to report last year on national de- (See LANDON, Page A-2) Railings Make Munitjons LONDON, May 22 (#).—The inner iron railings of London’s famous Hyde Park were being turned into munitions today. The government expects to get hundreds of tons of metal from this and other parks. Smathers Asks Lindbergh To Reveal Any Aid on Speech By the Associated Press. Senator Smathers, Democrat, of New Jersey, in a statement today called on Col. Charles A. Lindbergh to tell “who wrote or who collaborat- ed with him in the preparation” of .| his recent speech on the inter- at the bottom deep T (Bee BERLIN, Page AL 4 k] national situation. “When a national figure like Col. Lindbergh takes to the air and ad- dresses the American people on the important subject of foreign policy and refers to the Government's efforts of national defense as hys- terical chatter,” Senator Smathers said, the American were en- titled to receive the information he asked. “One of my constituents,” Senator colonel’s speech written by Senator other isolationist or pacifist, who & few short months ago was making similar speeches and prophecies on the Senate floor, only to have sub- sequent and recent happenings and events discredit such prophecies and speeches. “It is & matter of common knowl- LAFAYETTE, WE ARE HERE! — Tropical Storm Moves North, Off Hatteras By the Associated Pre- JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 22— The Weather Bureau reported today that a pre-season tropical disturb- ance which formed in West Indian waters last week end had moved northward and this morning was about 20C miles east of Cape Hat- teras. Forecasters said the storm, ap- parently moving almost due North, probably was of gale force near the center. Brisk Buying Spurt In Aircraft, Steels Halts Rout in Stocks Investors, Long Out of Market, Return to Gain Bargain Prices By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, May 22.—The stock market, along with major sensitive commodities, improved today, after yesterday’s severe price cracks. Trading continued in fair volume in the stock exchange, and price trends were mixed, but brisk buy- ing of aircrafts, some steels and mis- cellaneous industrials stemmed the recent selling rush. Brokers said the slump of 20 to 25 per cent in prices in the past fortnight had begun to bring in sub- stantial buying, some on the part of investors who had been out of the market for a long time. Stocks up $1 to more than $2 toward midday included Douglas, United Aircraft, Martin, Allied Chemical and Johns Manville. At the same time, Du Pont was off $4, and Goodyear, American Telephone and Standard of New Jersey, $1 to $2. Wheat and corn futures at Chi- cago were more than a cent a bushel higher, and cotton at New York rose about 50 cents a bale, In foreign currency dealings Brit- ish sterling and other allied cur- rencies improved. President Appoints Maine Manto S. E. C. President Roosevelt sent to the Senate today the nomination of Sumner T. Pike of Maine to be a member of the Securities and Ex- change Commission. Mr. Pike has had varied experi- ence in the oil and investment busi- ness. His appointment was to fill & vacancy left by .the resignation of George C. Matthews of Wisconsin. Mr. Pike was born in Lubec, Me., in 1891 and is a graduate of Bow- doin College, in that State. He began his business career in 1913 with Stone & Webster in the utilities field and returned to this company after nearly' two years' service with the Army during the ‘World War. Later he was in the oil business in the Southwestern United States and in 192¢ entered the investment business with a New ‘York insur- ance concern. Throughout his con- nections from 1924 to the present he has speclalized in matters per- taining to the oil industry. Mr. Pike is a member of the board of governors of Bowdoin College and is an associate in the American As- soclation of Petroleum Geologists. Bulletin ‘The National Symphony e chestra’s sustaining fund 0 was officially - called todsy, with $102,564.31 on the and sufficient additional e - Roosevelt Requests Speedy Approval of Reorganization Plan Military Procurement Advisers Also Called In Defense Move By JOHN C. HENRY. Continuing his swift pace in directing the rebuilding of America’s defenses, military and civil, Presi- dent Roosevelt today asked Congress for speedy approval of a fifth de- partmental reorganization plan, summoned military procurement ad- visers for a late afternoon con- ference, and considered naming three additional administrative assistants to co-ordinate various phases of the board mobilization program. By the terms of his reorganization proposal, first announced late yes- terday, the President suggested that immigration and naturslization functions of the Department of Labor be transferred to the De- partment of Justice. Informing Congress that previous thought had been given to this very transfer, Mr., Roosevelt said that “the startling sequence of inter- national events * * * has necessitated a review of the measures required for the Nation's safety.” Accordingly, this particular plan is being submitted immediately, rather than deferred, as had been earlier decided. * Civil Liberties to Remain. “I am convinced,” he said, “that under existing conditions the immi- gration and naturalization activi- ties-can best contribute to the na- tional well-being only if they are closely integrated with the activities of the Department of Justice. “This plan provides for transfer- ring the Immigration and Naturali- zation Service from the Depart- ment of Labor to the Department of Justice. While it is designed to af- ford more &ffective control over aliens, this proposal does not reflect any intention t6 deprive them of their civil liberties or otherwise to impair their legal status. This re- organization will enable the Gov- ernment to deal quickly with those aliens who conduct themselves in a manner that conflicts with the pub- lic interest.” The President specified that no monetary savings are anticipated, but asked that Congress act speed- {ly to make his proposal effective. Earlier, the White House indicated that Mr. Roosevelt may name as many as three more administrative assistants and take some “dollar-a- year” men into the administration as a step toward implementing the industrial mobilization program. By the terms of one of the ear] reorganization orders Mr. Roosevelt was authorized to appoint six ad- ministrative assistants at $10,000 yearly. Only three have been named thus far. No New Bureaus Planned. At a press conference today Stephen T. Early, presidential secre- tary, emphasized that the industrial aspects of the defense program do not comprehend establishment of new Government agencies or .bu- reaus, nor the superseding of pres- ent administrative personnel by out- side aides. He said “the President has no intention whatever of creat- (See ROOSEVELT, Page A-12) Byrnes on Air Tonight To Answer Lindbergh Navy's Defense : Share Boosted $154,776,000 $100,000,000 Provided To Expedite Orders For Aircraft BULLETIN. The Senate this afternoon re- fused to create a joint congres- sional committee to check the President’s spending of the $132,- 000,000 emergency fund given him for discretionary use in speeding the defense program in the pending $1,823,252,000 Army bill. Passage of the bill_was near, By J. A. O'LEARY. A Senate Appropriations Subcom- mittee, acting with White House approval, today boosted the naval share of the President’s new defense program from $318,000,000 to $472,- 766,000 to expedite aircraft orders and increase the naval and marine enlisted strength. The last-minute increases consist of $100,000,000 of contract authoriza- tion for planes, in addition to $100,- 000,000 in cash for the same purpose, and $54,776,000 for increased en- listed strength. This action, which goes before the Appropriations Committee for ap- proval at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon, brings the total of the Navy bill for the next 12 months up to $1,436,576,- 000. Taken with the $1,820,000,000 Army bill, approaching Senate pas- sage this afternoon, it makes the combined defense program of more than $3,250,000,000. Discussion Sought. While all congressional groups were moving forward on the bills to set the defense program in motion, Senator Vandenberg, Republican, of Michigan Commi together “at least informally” to discuss “the question of s new na- tional defense tax bill.” In the rush to make the appro- priations, congressional leaders have made no definite move to determine how the defense requirements will be financed. Reviving this side of the picture, Senator Vandenberg wrote: “The President appears to leave this decision entirely to Congress. It is just as important as any other part of the defense problem, because the maintenance of a sound public credit is the maintenance of the first line of defense.” Another defense development to- day was approval by the Senate Military Affairs Committee of a bill to speed up the military end of the program by liberalizing War De- partment procedure in making contracts. Non-Partisan Board Asked. In connection with this bill, Sena- tor Austin, Republican, of Vermont drafted an amendment to delegate broad power to the President to set up a non-partisan five-man board of industrialists to direct the speeding up of defense construction. After informal discussion, however, it was decided not to attempt to incor- porate it in the pending measure. The Army defense speedup bill, somewhat comparable to the Vinson measure in the House to expedite naval construction, would enable the ‘War Department to dispense with the advertising requirement on con- tracts; suspend statutory limitations as to cost of individual projects for two years; suspend all existing limitations on the number of flying cadets and reserve air corps officers; remove all limitations on the num- ber of planes that may be equipped during the coming year; let down civil service requirements in obtain= ing new personnel for the War De- partment. Senator Shepherd announced the Military Committee made two last- minute amendments to: Provide basic law authorizing the un- earmarked fund of $132,000,000 which is being given the President in the pending Army supply bill, and which provoked debate in the Senate today. Authorize the President to pro- hibit or curtail the exportation of any military equipment or materials, whenever he deems it necessary to further this country’s defense. Rear Admiral John H. Towers, naval air chief, told the House Nava} (See DEFENSE, Page A-5.) Big Plane Orders Given U.S., Commons Is Told By the Associated Press.