Victims of Axis Raiders
■ * *•
Shown above are two ships which figure in the five sea incidents men
tioned in President Roosevelt’s "shoot first” address. Pictured at top
Is the American-operated S. S. Sessa, former Danish freighter, torpedoed
and sunk off Iceland. Below: American freighter, Steel Seafarer, shown
at Baltimore dock, which was sunk by an Axis bomber In the Red sea.
Orders Navy to Free Western Sea of Raiders
President Roosevelt as be delivered his momentous message to the
world, following recent attacks on American shipping by Axis submarines.
The President warned Axis powers that he had issued orders to the navy
to shoot first if Axis war craft are sighted within American defense
■ones. He pledged protection of all shipping.
Confers With F.D.R.
Constantine A. Oumansky, Soviet
ambassador to the V. S., arrives
at the White House for a conference
with the President and Secretary of
State Cordell Hull. It is believed
they discussed the Chief Executive’s
radio address to the world.
Questioned on FBI
Keith Ferguson, 21, New York
model, one of several girls ques
tioned about shakeup of G-men in
New York city. She threatened suit
against the FBI for its treatment
of her.
Mexico Pledges Co-operation
In top photo Avila Camacho, president of Mexico, delivers his first
annual message to congress. He stressed the attitude of the Mexican gov
ernment as favoring democracy, and pointed out the Mexican intention
of co-operating in the defense of America. In lower photo labor union
adherents to the O.T.M. stage demonstration as evidence of their support
of the president’s announced principles.
To Whom It May Concern
The 16-inch rifles on the No. 3 turret, aft, of the 35,000-ton U.S.S.
North Carolina cut loose with a roar as they hurl shells about 26 miles
to sea in the greatest broadside of history. This soundphoto was made
from the stern of the navy’s superdreadnaught during recent firing tests.
The North Carolina is under the command of Capt. Olaf M. Hustvedt.
Curtain Falls
Mrs. Sara Delano Roosevelt,
mother of the President, who died in
her home on the Hudson river, at
Hyde Park, N. Y„ at the age of 86.
Mrs. Roosevelt, famed for her
beauty in youth, was from an era
of grand dames and dowager duch
esses and she ruled her household
in a regal maimer. She was buried
beside her husband, James, who
died in 1900.
Miss America
The crown of Miss America of 1941
was placed on the blonde locks of
Miss California, Rosemary La '
Planche, at Atlantic City, N. J. The
19-year-old, hazel-eyed beauty, re
sides in Los Angeles, and was a run
nerup In last year’s beauty pageant.
I
Seven Man Super-Defense Board
First meeting of the Supply Priorities and Allocation board. Photo shows (1. to r.) standing: James
Forrestal, undersecretary of navy, representing Secretary Knox; Robert Patterson, undersecretary of war,
representing Secretary Stlmson; Leon Henderson, administrator, OPA, and Sidney Hillman, associate gen
eral director, OPA. Seated (1. to r.): Harry Hopkins, William Knudsen, Henry Wallace, chairman of the board;
and Donald Nelson, executive director of the board.
Parley Held to End Oil-Gas Shortage
Oil and railroad men met In Washington to discuss reductions in rates for hauling petroleum from south to
northeastern seaboard. L. to R., frdht row, J. M. O’Day (Sinclair); A. J. Cleveland (railroad assn.); D. T.
Lawrence (Eastern trunk lines). Back row: J. A. Farmer, chairman western traffic committee; J. O. Kerr
(So. freight assn.); C. F. Dowd, (chairman sub-committee on transportation); and A. C. Hultgren (tank car
transportation committee). Right: Unused tank cars In Philadelphia, photo of which was shown committee.
World’s Biggest Locomotive Takes to Rails
“Big Boy,’’ the largest and most powerful locomotive ever built. It
was constructed by the American Locomotive company for the Union
Pacific, to handle increased traffic resulting from defense orders. It is
132 feet long. In inset Is shown the Seminole, built 75 years ago for the
Union Pacific, whose total size was about equal to the tender of “Big Boy."
Captain Mountbatten Inspects His Crew
Capt. Lord Louis Mountbatten, left, and Capt. G. Seymour Tuck,
center, inspect the crew of the aircraft carrier, H.M.S. Illustrious, short
ly after Captain Mountbatten took command of the ship in an American
shipyard. The Illustrious is the ship that was “sunk” many times.
| To Head U.S. Mission
W. Averell Harriman will head the
U. S. Mission to the joint conference
at Moscow with Soviet and British
authorities, looking to a co-ordina
tion of greater resistance to the
German threat. Picture shows Har
riman at White House after confer
ring with the President and Harry
Hopkins.
Heads Soviet Mission
Soviet Gen. M. Gromov, hero of
trans-polar non-stop flight of 1937,
head of mission of 47 Soviet tech
nicians who flew to Nome, Alaska,
from Russia en route to Washington.
NATIONAL
AFFAIRS
Reviewed by
CARTER FIELD
U. S. May Build Base in
Iceland . . . Transship
ments Found Impractical
. . . Army Experts Had
Figured Germany W ould
Beat Russia in Four
Weeks . . . and Lind
bergh Had Said Russian
Air Force No Good.
(Bell Syndicate—WNU Service.*
WASHINGTON.—Even American
isolationists get a chuckle out of the
German and Japanese protests at
the "immortality" of the British and
Russian invasion of what used to be
called Persia, and especially the
sensibilities in Berlin and Tokyo be
ing shocked by this "unwarranted”
attack on a weak and defenseless
power. It is obvious, of course, that
the infiltration of German "tour
ists" and "business men” had a fifth
column significance.
But a story from Iceland is just as
amusing, even if it is more than a
year old.
It seems that when a British fleet
steamed into the harbor of the chief
port of Iceland a Nazi watcher on
the docks rushed up to the German
consulate to report it The consul
was not interested.
"It is not a British fleet," he said,
"it is a German fleet. Don't bother
about it."
Then he hesitated, and surprise
showed in his face. "But they are
10 days ahead of schedule," he said.
Then he went about his business.
Contrary to the belief of many
people in this country, Iceland is not
being used importantly as a trans
shipment point for American sup
plies for Britain. It had been as
sumed here, after the sending of an
American force to Iceland, that this
would be done. The thought was
that American ships, prohibited by
the neutrality act from entering the
war zone, could take supplies to
Iceland, and then British ships could
transport them the remaining 800
miles to Scotland.
Maybe this was the plan, but
there were a lot of miscalculations
about the facilities in Iceland.
The transshipment plan has been
found impractical for the simple
reason that there are no piers
equipped with loading and unload
ing machinery of the modern type in
any Icelandic harbor. To make
transshipment of any ordinary
freight possible it would be neces
sary to ship the equipment there and
set it up—rather a large-sized under
taking.
• • •
THE EXPERTS GO WRONG
ON SOVIET RUSSIA
In view of the possibility of a
shooting war with Japan it might be
wise to bear in mind that surprises
may be expected, perhaps very un
pleasant surprises. Nobody here
believes there will be any surprise
about the final outcome, but there
may be developments of far-reach
ing importance which no one now
envisions.
This skepticism applies to sup
posedly well-informed intelligence
services of the army and navy aa
well as the man in the street, who
knows only what he reads and can
figure by looking at maps.
For instance: Within a few days
after the attack on Russia by Ger
many a man in close touch with our
army intelligence, a man whose busi
1 ness requires him to have contact
there daily, was having dinner with
some friends. He made a bet that
night that the war between Germany
and Russia would be over by Sep
tember 1. After the bet was ir
revocable, he smilingly informed
the person he thought he had taken
advantage of that he was betting on
the best information in the world—
the opinion of military experts in the
army intelligence!
It would seem to the casual ob
server that the army should have
been better informed both as to the
strength of the Soviet and the
morale of its people and troops. It
was a great military mistake. Wars
have been lost because of less grave
errors than that.
Soon after Munich the editor of
Aviation magazine, following a visit
to Germany, wrote a story for the
Saturday Evening Post, entitled:
“Hitler Wasn’t Bluffing." This
backed up the much-maligned in
formation given by Charles A. Lind
bergh to the effect that the German
air force was terrific. Lindbergh
had added that the Russian air
force was not very good.
This Lindbergh report was well in
advance of the opening of the pres
ent war, in September, 1939. So,
having laughed at Lindbergh in 1939,
and seen his information confirmed
in 1940, it would seem that the “ex
perts” then accepted everything he
had said in 1939 as still being true
in 1941. In short there apparently
was no information in the places in
Washington where it should have
I been in June, 1941, that the Russian
| air force was strong enough to make
I some trouble for the Germans.
Other information about Russia
seems to have been as cockeyed as
the army’s estimate that it could
not fight more than four weeks. It
may be that the government is about
to make the same mistake in esti>- ;;
mating the future.