Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 9, Number 50, DeMotte, Jasper County, 2 November 1939 — WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS BY JOSEPH W. LABINE Turkish Pact Worries Russia; May Avoid Closer German Ties In Fear of Anti-Hitler Front [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS BY JOSEPH W. LABINE Turkish Pact Worries Russia; May Avoid Closer German Ties In Fear of Anti-Hitler Front

(EDITOR’S NOTE—When opinions are expressed in these columns, they are those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.) ■ Released by Western Newspaper Union. ________________

Europe in Brief: Turkey’s pact with Britain and France to maintain the Mediterranean status quo established Turkey as the key balance-of-power nation in Europe’s struggle for power. Italy, rturbed, viewed the pact as a bar'to Ru rian expansion in the-’Bal-I ere Mussolini "hopes to develop Italian influence. As a gesture of renewed confidence, ItalianFrench trade restrictions were removed. Russia and Germany both howled over the diplomatic defeat, but Hitler could expect little assistance from Italy by way of re-establish-ing Nazi influence in the Balkans. Vowing a ’/fight to the finish” on France and Britain, Hitler appealed to Russia for aid. • The Soviet,

CONGRESS: Hot and Heavy In the senate, most U. S. statesmen had already decided whether to-vote for or against the administration neutrality program. Nevertheless the moist prolific oratorical flood in modern U. S. history continued unabated. Congressmen, senators, bystanders and men with axes to grind bawled .over the radio, gave interviews and harrangued the senate’s rafters with speeches -(1) telling why the arms embargo should be lifted, (2) why it should not, and

(3) discussing any other phase of international politics which happen e d to come to mmd. Former President Hoover objected to selling heavy arm am ent,

urging that “in what we do, we seek for a firm basis in broad humanity.” Col. Charles A. Lindbergh thought we might soon have to forbid any American nation from sending troops abroad /or giving bases to foreign battleships. Michigan’s Sen. Prentiss Brown took him to task for lending “encouragement to the spirit of nationalistic imperialism. (Most heated international argument was a "who done it" forum on the Athema sinking. ,\orth Carolina's Sen. Hob Reynolds injected a new angle by accusing Russia. A a=i Propaganda Minister Paul Joseph Goebbels blamed Britain's W mstoh Churchill personally. The British, as usual, blamed Germany.) While Repealists Key Pittman and Alben Barkley fought to limit debate and bring the neutrality issue to a vote, U. S. public opinion was undeniably waxing wary. Repealists had already made sonhe concessions, abandoning the 90kiay credit clause and proposed restrictions on U. S. shipping. Whereas 44 per cent of the nation (in a Gallup) poll had earlier favored U. S. participation in the war should the allies lose, the percentage now’ dropped to 29. Observers thought the measure would get senate approval, but there were indications it had a majority of only 15 votes in the house. MARINE: Opportunity? At Washington the U. S. maritime commission learned its 5,000ton freighter City of Flint had been seized by Germany for carrying contraband of war to Britain Repute said the boat was taken first to Tromsoe, Nprway, where a Nazi prize crew manned her. Two days later the Soviet news agency announced the boat was at Koi bay, north of Murmansk. This startling incident, first U. S. involvement in

stunned by Turkey's move, warily sidestepped military assistance to the Reich because all Europe seemed conspiring against Germany. Soviet demands on Finland were reportedly eased. ; Fighting on the western front continued lazily, Hitler ordering his troops to remain on their own side of the French border. Observers thought this was a peace gesture, but he meanwhile summoned party leaders to souhd out Gei-man sentiment on a major offensive. At sea and over England’, German planes remained active. Net result for the week: AntiHit ler forces gained considerable strength. Russia, having won all she wanted from Germany and being unwilling to play ball with a loser, watched from the sidelines.

the war of 1939, fascinated Princeton's Dr. . Edward S. Corwin, professor of jurisprudence. He figured it this way: The U. S. can now ask Russia to state her position as regards the warring nation. If Russia maintains, she is neutral, the U. S. can demand return of the interned ship; if Russia indicates she is a belligerent, then Britain and France can go to work on Soviet shipping. In any case, Dr. Corwin thought it would clarify Russia’s position with Germany. TREASURY: Bad Neus Forgotten under the Stress of war has been Anxerica’s mounting public debt, which supplied a No. 1 political argument before anti-admin-istration forces turned their attention to neutrality (See CONGRESS). But one fine October day Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau called reporters for a story that set the opposition campaigning again. The story: The treasury was borrowing $150,000,000 in 91-day discount notes, although slightly less than $100,000,000 in similar obligations were due. Thus the public debt was hiked $58,000.000 in one day, the extra borrowing being a precaution against financing at a time when war news might make it difficult. / Thus the total debt reached $40,963,392,881 and seemed a cinch to cross the $41,000,000,000 mark within the week. Figures on public debt growth were discouraging: It was about 2Vz billions greater than a year ago, and a deficit of $1,291,509,406 had piled up since the cur-

rent fiscal year began (income: sl,629,591,000; outlay: $2,921,100,000). Moreover, the pace of growth was speeded, for debt incurred in last year’s similar period was only $997,039,000. The debt crept ever nearer the $45,000,(XX),000 statutory limit, which the administration has promised to raise (if congress approves) as soon as needed.

PEOPLE: Vo More Elliott At Boston, Son Elliott Roosevelt announced his 10 Texas broadcasting stations were resigning from the National Association of Broadcasters because of its self-imposed censorship barring expressions of personal opinion on controversial is-

sues from comrnercially sponsored programs. Next he flayed the federal communication s commission, whose sixmo nt h s renewal policy for broadcasting station “makes

broadcasting not a business but a gamble.” <[. At New York, Countess Barbara Hutton Mdivam Haugwitz-Reventlow arrived from Europe and hinted she’s to be Reno-vated to marry Robert Sweeney, American golfer living in England. <L Also at New York docked Britain’s former first lord of the admiralty, Alfred Duff Cooper, to predict a German revolution. (At London it was hinted Rritain might recognize a new German government to be seated in London.) <l. Americans Jhbroad: At London, Kermit Roosevelt (T. R.’s son) became a second lieutenant in the British army. Unsubstantiated was the report he had surrendered U. S. citizenship. Also at London, Wis-consin-born Harry Gordon Selfridge retired from his mammoth department store. DOMESTIC: Stolen March For two seasons Texas’ Rep. Martin Dies has made funny and serious headlines with his committee investigating subversive affairs, but not until late October did anything come of it. In September Communist Earl Browder testified he had traveled abroad on a false passport. This “shocker” brought no visible burst of action from the Justice department, hence it became a political issue. Through the national Republican office, New Jersey’s Rep. J. Parnell Thomas (a Dies prober), charged Democratic Attorney General Frank Murphy with being “strangely indifferent and listless.” Upshot was Frank Murphy’s announcement that a secret investigation had been under way for some time. He even hinted there were secret indictments.. Next day, as if a long-forgotten matter were suddenly remembered, Communist Browder was indicted. The question: Who had stolen a political march on whom, Parnell or Murphy? And what would come of it?

A WEEK OF EUROPEAN DIPLOMACY Net result: Hitler's position was uncomfortable.

REYNOLDS Russian tor pedo?

SECRETARY MORGENTHAU Ever upward.

SON ELLIOTT Radio's a gamble.