SHIP DISASTERS iHE brinish admiralty today reports two of the greatest ship disaster^ the present war. The first and the worst occurred t ivo weeks ago - was concealed that lone: by British censor- hi p. One of the world*? best known liners was sunk* the Lancastria of the Cunard ^hite Star Tina. The catvastroohe occurred while th^ iiHHKSxtrxi Lancastria was taking part 1n the final British evacuation from Fr*nee, the time when the French armies w^re in collapse and the French government sought an armistice and surrendered. At the port of St. Lazarre, the sixteen thousand ton Lancastria took aboard five thousand three hundred oersons, soldiers tfx of the British expeditionary force and civilian refugees- some of whom were women and children. The liner was about to sail, but still at anchor, when r- squadron of German and Italian plane? roared overhead. They bombed the ship with repeated salvos, and scored hits that spelled utter destruction. One air bomb plunged down into the smokestack of the Lnncastria. Then occurred a scene of infernal horror. Thousands SHIP EOC DISASTERS - 2 'n tne ''v::to’,> E,n^ the sinking shij discharged a huge quantity o. oil — -itl that maue it dVfT’1cu',t to swi'n. Th^ warplanes 'lacuine-gunned the survivors, --nd dropped incendiary bombs which set the oil on the water afire - such is the account given ny survivors. The shore was not far away, but the water was aflame. The bric’sh Admiralty today reports that out of ry*n?fY>5!<t fifty-three hundred oersons, two thousand four hundred and seventy-seven were rescued. The loss of life, however, may not be nearly as great as these figures indicate. London states the probability that many more were rescued and fell into German hands. How many is not known, bo the magnitude of the catastrophe cannot yet be measured. The second ‘'hip disaster occurred last night, when a German motor torpedo boat sank a ship tr nsporting French sailors *ind officers. These were ten from French warshi s seized by thrt British. They were elected to return to France, :nd were being sent aboard a French steamer. The British statement declares that the ship displayed French flags and was brilliantly lighted - so that it could not be mi s t'- ken . Nevertheless, in the English Channel a German SHIV DISASTERS - 5 motor torpedo boat rushed to the attack. The French boat, signalled, with blasts of its siren, to indicate its nationality. But that made no difference. The German motorboat launched a torpedo which struck and sank the ship. London announces that of thirteen hundred French officers and sailors aboard, more than a thousand are * known to have been saved. From Berlin co’ies a denial that any Nazi speed boat sank the French transport - sank any ship which was recognizably French. Kingdom Rumania has recalled its Arabassn-ioT RUMANIA s' to 1 on don. This ocours at a timo when Germ/.ny and Italy ar* say In,' t hat Rumania is owning up with the aY1 s powers and is ^oin^ break diplomatic relations with the British.j Maybe that accounts for the withdrawal of the Ambassador. But, another version states that the Rumanian Ambassador is be^n? recalled because his sentiments are pro-British. He has been urging his government to follow polities favorable to London. This version declares that relations will be continued, that another Ambassador will taxe the post in London. The recall of the Ambassador is decidedly significant, because soon after the news broite, another dispatch flashed across the wires from London, ft states that Great Britain has sent a formal notice to Bulgaria - a notice that Great Britain is sympathy with Bulgaria*s claims atf against Rumania. Bulgaria wants to get back the Province of Dobrudja, which it lost to Rumania some years ago. So now London openly supports Bulgaria in what would seem to be a reply to the withdrawal of the Rum: nian Amb- ssador. WEAPONS The news today brings reports axx of new weapons of war. A newspaper in Rome prints a statement from Berlin that the Oermans are now using midget submarines with soundproof motors. The importance lies in the sound proof part of it. Anti-submarine tactics nowadays depend largely on listening devices, which picK TLu. up the sound of engines and locate *c undersea craft. Today's A story relates that German technicians have found a wxyxt way to e^uip small submarines with soundless motors that cannot be detected by listening devices. Over here in the United States, we are told of a new kind of projectile which finds its mark by means of sound. * Inventor J. Robert Fish states tnat he has created a device which can be applied either to a rocket shot in the air or a torpedo which is otixwaaw discharged in the water. In the ease of the rocket, the missile would be shot to the approximate altitude of a flying plane, and then it would aim itself at the plane by means of sound. The sound tracking device would cause the rocket to speed to the nearest plane, strise it and explode, in much the same fashion, the water torpedo would have a sound tracking device which would guide it axi against WEAPONS—2 a shin for the destructive explosion. The inventor states that within several weeks, he is going to demonstrate the sound directed rocket and torpedo to officials of the government REFUGEES Taere were royal oeremonies at Annapolis today, with tne arrival Ox tne lirst royal family of an European ruling house < to take reiuge in this country. Luxembourg is a mighty small place, but it^e'^**aXK recognized as an independent state - its Grand Duchess a reigning sovereign. Today her family set foot on our shores, her consort, Prince Felix, and their six children. The Grand Duchess herself has remained at Lisbon for the time being^f^The royal refugees from Luxembourg crossed the ocean on a United xiatBX States cruiser - courtesy due to their rank. They were greeted at xxas ^nnapolis with a salute of Twenty-one guns - the number xixexix reserved for royalty. State Department representatives were there to greet them, and they were overwhelmed with flowers. Other royal xwxxMxiitit personalities, fleeing from Europe are expects., over here, and todayfs ceremony sets a precedent for he kind of reception they’ll get. Refugees of anotner sort were welcomed at Yale today - a hundred and twenty-seven wives and children of Oxford professors. They are guests of a committee of the Yale faculty - Yale offering hospitality to Oxford families that seek safety from the war. The academic children were delighted with the end REFUGEES—2 of a long ana trying voyage* They romped about and shouted with glee* Put one of them at least was highly academic. A little lad was asked how he enjoyed the trip, to which he replied severely:- "I^have been warned by my superiors," said he, "to dispel no information." The small boy was thereupon informed that dispelling information made no difference over here. He renlied solemnly, X&fexyH?* "Oh yes, but I am British first, and my loyalty is to my King*" Well, when that youngster grows up he ought to make one of the most austere of Oxford dons, professor of Caldeean archeology or sometning equally stxxf stuffy* i BLOCKADE i od'-/ s *.ct 1 on by the Tlnited Stater* Gpverrment roneernin^ the shipTient of oi ’ to Spain is two-fold. bir t, American tankers r^re forbidden to c'rry the oil to any ■ int outside the Western Hemisphere. Hitherto, Spain has been one of the few parts of Europe unaffected by the United States Neutrality Law, which keeps American ships out of the war rone*. Now, however, Spain is included in the new regulations - so far as oil tankers are concerned. The reason for the move is the British blockade, of late, American shipments of petroleum to Spain have been larger than nsrmi normal, ^nd the inevitable surmise has been that Spain was passing along the oil supplies to the The Germans and Italians.^British have been a good deal concerned about this. They donft want to antagonise Spain, but at the same time they want to make their fciisunufKtf blockade a? effective a? they con - especially with respect to oil, on which the German blitzkrieg must run. *-i to *4 fcto -today th^t-A^rier.zrrtftnice.-s BLOCKADE O Today s American move stopping tankers from going to Spain, is inevitably regarded as oeing linked with the British blockade - speciiicallyqwith the British attempt to shut off oil sup.olies from the Axis powers. - 3 or refuse to issue any such license - as thev thjnk best. So now o?HeT* ra kes It i'r^e'Mately feasible to embargo oil to Soain - no Tatter in what kind of vessels tbe shi aments might be carried. This has the appearance of being still more cooperation with whe Today’s license A order has still another ancle. It concerns not only oil but also scrap iron. And that imrediately ooints in the other direction - Japan. The ii<tik.acio! s empire is the number one xhfji purchaser of American scrap iron, it has been said cepe atedly that we, with our large sales, have been supplying Japan vd *~h the iron for conquest. There have been demands that the shipments be stopped - and today’s action in Hxshiwl*** Washington makes tMs entirely possible. Henceforth any iron shipment to Japan must have a government license, -nd the federal authorities can refuse the license as they see fit. THe nay for tlr s sort of move was prepared when the A United States denounced its trade treaty with Japan a year a,.o (i t that time it was thought that the government might of anbargo on Japanese purchases over kr here ___________________ y.OCKAPE Nothing hapn^ned, however, until now. One comment in Vi’eshington is that si today’s order is a reaction to the closing of the fcarxxn Burma road, Japan having used ore^sure to persuade Great Britain to sisE block that 1-important route along whi^h the Chinese hav^ been getting war supplies for tneir resistance to Japan. All American material for China went along that Burma road. MaJ to Japan on JftzzJSZf* -liSg-uvir -l^^trrn Brit: in vie /V A that oo int. So todav’s move may be a sort of tit-for-tat. If a? Japan ke^ns China from gettin'g the supplies we send. why we’ll Keep Japan from getting outr scrap iron. Such is the comment of one of the most important government acts H .in a long time. HAVANA The United 3tetes todey entered a proposal at the Pan Amfci'i ' n conference -- a proposal for Western Hemisphere jgiatsx protection against an economic drive by the totalitarian powers. It follows along the familiar line of a Pan American Economic Union -- the disposal of Surplus products to be made by a committee xkilkkx representirig the twenty-one republics* In other words -- the cartel plan. Such was the American proposal, but it wasn’t the only proposal. There was a whole flock of them today. They ranged all the way from anti-Fifth Column ideas to the mutual aid pledges, etc., etc. Pifty-si^C proposals in all are reported to have been entered. And that caused the Representative from the K m * Republic of Chile to say that the big Pan American get together had been "converted into a factory of pronosals." JOHNSON The White House explains the resignation of Assistant^ SCKKiaa Secretary of War Louis Johnson as something merely in the regultr course of things, a new Secretary of War has taken office, Henry L. Stimson, kxx and it is always the custom for an incoming chief of a bureau to pick his own % assistant. However, journalistic gossip inevitably harks back to the famous feud that had the War Department in a state of turmoil for a long time - the quarrel between the Assistant Secretary and his chief, Secretary Woodring. The story goes that Louis Johnson took the number two office expecting that he would presently get the post of Secretary of <.ar. foociring, however, showed no sign of stepping out of the Number One job. Hence the bitter rivalry which created a situation in which anything the chief v.as for, the assistant was against, and vice versa. Then at last Woodring resigned - he says he was forced out. However, Assistant Secretary Johnson did not get the post/ Henry L. Stimson was appointed Secretary of war in that sensational presidential move which put two Rpublicans in the JOHNSON—2 Cabinet. The new Secretary now has picked his own assistant, Robert Porter Patterson of New York, a Federal judge. So Louis Johnson is out of the tfar Department. Still - does not A leave the Government service. He becomes administrative secretary to President Roosevelt. One White House secretarial post in vacant, and he aefesfefc gets it. Louis Johnson becomes tf what was today called - the President * s progress-reporter- concerning-nationa I'd efense ~uf f airs.7* WALLACE xt appears now that Henry a * Wallace may not retain his r>ost in the Cabinet while campaigning for the vice-presidency of the United States, It has been pointed out that the secretary of Agriculture passes out a lot of money to the farmers of the KKtiaK nation, and might be in a position to take unfair advantage while going after votes in the election contest. Today, after talking thinge over with the President, Henry Wallace announced that he will remain as Secretary of Agriculture until nis formal notification. This will occur about August Twentieth. After that, heTll begin his active campaign. And he may resign rfs Secretary of Agriculture. His statement, however, left ooen the possibility that he might get a leave of absence, instead of resigning. ,TI intend to look up all the precedents,” said he, "and decide what is fair and just and right for the American people.” weather The weather man promises us relief, and says the heat wave is about to be broken by cooling breezes from the West. Well, itfs about time, Milton Cross isnft it? How do $ou