L.T. SUNOCO. TUESDAY « APRIL 16, 1940 GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY: Today brought a series of Allied claims about the losses the Germans h^ve suffered in the Norway fight. In Paris Premier Reynaud used these words:- "The French Admiralty informed me an hour ag, that the German flefet has been really mutilated.,, He listed the Hitler losses like this. The Nazis have lost tvventyper cent of their dsjLfcXByisxx crusier strength, twenty-five per cent of their destroyers have been sunk. Fifteen per cent of their remaining destroyers have been damaged. And they’ve lost seventy-eight thousand tons of merchant ships - all this since the beginning of the Norway drive. Today brings still another Swedish report jne moi 0 u 1 n> naval engagement in the Skaggerak. One gets the impression that some of these Swedish battle stories are on the order of the NORWAY Premier Reynaud declared today that the Allies have captured and occupied Narvik, that far northern Norwegian port for the shipment of iron ore. declared ■thij in tne mufct puDitiire ter«»^ Berlin.\ The Germans ciaim that the Al a, denied by r —' - -i-, ^ . . __ elr expeditionary force still holds tne harbor ies have not taken Narvik. and issue a further bulletin stating that ttazl troops in the ^ A Narvik area had driven across to the frontier of Sweden. Norway is very narrow at that point, only a few iniles^ 3 cr<j#si Reports from Sweden confirm the fact that German troops from Narvik V\JZ-OtX£_ have cut across tne narrow of Norway. along-the * A 1-i.ne—of- SwedenW-faraous-i-ron minefc .> ehi^JLQ^- . The^news bulletin that I #vc*b. /not J) fsNindicated definitely whether the Germans were attempting to escape from Narvik or were broadening their grip have here states;^- *It on that district.n In other places, further south, the Nazi troops are cutting across to the Swedish frontier. This is particularly the case in the area of the important port of Trondheim. Tfcat^ * A somewhat tothe south of the middle of Norway, at the latitude where narrow Norway begins to broaden out for its more ample southern & extension. From Trondheim the German regiments have driven across almost to Sweden. They made it by rail- train. AIR RAID The British report a spectacular air raid. The Germans confirm it - and add a sinister note to the story. Royal Air Force planes bombarded the airport at the Nazi occupied port of Stavanger. London tells how the British air'-'men rained bombs on the military flying field, set great hangars on fire and raised havoc generally. Berlin puts it this way, and mark the words - nopen city.” ^British planes,” it says, "dropped a number of incendiary and high explosive bombs on the open city of Stavanger as well as on the nearby airport.” That reminds us of the loud Nazi complaint the other day, the charge that the British had bombed a small railroad station in Germany. This was accompanied by the threat that if such a thing occurred again, the Germans would retaliate with raids on British , vw W k -kLe aXr~L centers of communication, mil llurTMi »r mr limits would be off, the limits that have restricted bombing to ships and sea bases. The menace was - to begin the much dreaded bombing of cities So you see the significance of the ttazi statement today - that R.A.F. planes bombed what it called "the open City of Stavanger." AIK RAID - 2 The Berlin report goes on with these words:- "Unfortunately, several private houses were hit and a number of Norwegian civilians were killed." All of which points to that sinister possibility which is always threatening - retaliation of one side —-—* against the other of indiscriminate bombing. A CRUISER The Germans claim to have sunk a heavy British cruiser. The name of the ship is not given, but it is described as a ten thousand tonner, which is top tonnage for cruisers. The Berlin dispatch tells how the warship was hit by bombs, turned & over on its side, and s^nk. This report was tauten to the London Admiralty with a query^^V# Admiralty refused to make any comment. But the British deny that one of their Sunderland flying boats was sunk. The Sunderlands are monster bombers, British versions of flying fortresses. They*re the pride of Britain. Berlin announces that ~ts Nazi attack-planes shot down a Sunderland. But^this London ChA..-:££RLArN PrLne Minister Chamberlain, in a war declaration today, touched upon a point rather more interesting than the scathing rebukes he administered to Nazi Germany. In addition to saying how deplorably bad the Nazis were, and how indubitably tne Allies would win the war, he referred to the question of how long heTd remain Prime Minister of Great Britain. There have been persistent rumors that the Chamberlain Government would not last long, that the aged Prime Minister would retire in favor of some other political chieftain. Today, in an address before the National Free Church Council at London,^Neville Chamberlain jspoke as follows:- "The press," said he, "is continually reminding you and me that I’ve passed three score years and ten." He’s seventy-one. "Nevertheless," he added, "my eyes are undimmed, my natural forces unabated." has no idea of resigning as Prime Minister . Quite to the contrary, he indicated that he intended to stay in X A office for the duration of the war. "I feel encouraged," said he. "to carry on the task in which I am engaged - until our purpose has been achieved.w SOVIET The Soviet Navy manoeuvring in the Black Sea;and that A ' has started talk of possible moves by Moscow. Another xxsk subject of rumor is Rumania. In fact. there^B A a wild one circulating today ggyiHg that Nazi Germany had invaded Rumania. This was denied all around. Bucharest meanwhile was denying that Rumania, has put an embargo on supplies bound for Germany, bl ± grain and eil. yjrplaliiud somo-, reotri^lluirs' on future ohipmwfcs, whioh rnay^oe needed fur-duiiiba tl^ ime Hull nt + hP-trty filled qo wg II— js uuusibl-er^ NAVY The united States Navy made a series of statemtments today, and these are decidedly interesting in the lightof the progress of the war in Europe, read by Admiral Stark before the Senate Naval Committee. Admiral Stark read a navy statement expressing the belief that the battleship still holds its foremost place. He admitted that the news developmeut of air powr is having a great effect on war on the ocean. nThe manner of employment of naval vessels,Tt said the Admiral, "has been effected by the comparatively new form of attack from the air." As for the continuing predominance of the battleship, the argument made by the Navy reads this way:- "The heavy bomb, with its restricted ability to penetrate armor plate, is certainly less potent than the heavy shell." Meaning - that the bomb which is dropped, has less penetrating power than the armor piercing shell fired at high velocity from a giant cannon. What about the performance of American built planes in the □resent war? nCertain American fighting planes," said the Admiral, "nave in actual combat abroad, demonstr'ted t.ieir superiority over comparable European types." And that obvious!? includes the German NAVY - 2 types - tne 'nuch vaunted Heinkels and Messerechrnitts. Moreover, the American planes sentto fight in the war across the ocean are not as good as t.-e latest models built recently for our own armed forces over here. And, it is to be noted, these latest types, of ours , will also be sold to the Allies. But not the bomb sight, not that famous but darkly secret device for aiming high explosive a from above. Admiral Stark stated that our mystery bomb sight will not be sold to anybody. Allies or otherwise. We keep it for ourselves. Another them of Admiral Stark’s discourse was the Japanese Navy. How does it compare with our own? Since the scrapping of the navy treaties started all sorts of shipbuilding we’ve been given AO clear idea of the extent to which the Mikado has been expanding his fleet. Admiral Stark said that if we keep our own Navy at its present size, Japan will cath up with us in two years. If we want to restore the old five-three ratio - five for us and three for them - we’ll have to expand our fleet by twenty-five per cent. However, the present program calls ior MVY - J an increase of only eleven per cent. That will bring about a ratio of five to four and three-tenths. The Admiral said the Navy was content with the eleven per cent idea, because our present shipbuilding facilities are not up to a bigger program not enough shipyards to increase the fleet more than eleven per cent. He stated that at this present moment Japan may be close to the United States in warship strength. ^Uncomfortably close, in my opinion,n SI said GREENLAND The case of Greenland received some enlightment today - from the British Ambassador to Washington, Lord Lothian. lie a poke lit' yeeponae to pwor* frhat the-Gaftftdian ftavammcafco payed t"© t ake pogsessicrrr-of*4ihat - noreland, it a —•■ureles? fields pf ic e~» Across the Atiantic, the Bfitish Navy today took active control of the .Faroe Islands, the axchipelago which lies sxsixjLa A considerably to the nortti of Scotland. The Fai o^s-are a- Danish** posiifiooi"iH"; v>no bftfttt a»4 aftd LondoT^ cuuldii 1 take anr-^^ance of tig Nazis getting held-r^f theee bit» ef far northern land* The analogy of the Faroes applies forcibly to Greenland, also a Danish possession. So word was that the Canadians would move in. To that Lord Lothian says - "No." He states that nsfcl neither Britain nor Canada has any intention of occupying Greenland - unless, of course, Germany should try to reach in that direction. If the Nazis try to establish naval or air bases in Greenland, it would certainly be a threat to Canada. GRLENLAND - 2 But Jie British Ambassador said he very much doubted that Germany would try any such thing. He thought there was no danger. And so, therefll be no British or Canadian action concerning Greenland. There has been a good deal of speculation as to whether or not Greenland would come within the scope of the Monroe Doctrine Sundry American experts have been saying they doubt that it does. Lord Lothian today added his comment. said he thought that Greenland does come within the scope of the Monroe Doctrine. A'fcl of which iWves the Greenland question in t realm, not of politf&s - but of philanthropy. NPresidenthbosevelt s pointed out that the Arctic people up there areNaot sje self-sbpporting, an\depend onNiheir motherland, DenmarK^. for ipplies. These now may be stopped/vand somebodyNelse qjay haVe to provision the Grehpianders. r^at 1 s mostNLikely to begone by the\ have the Greapiand questi\n to handle as Politics Xbut as philanthrope United Stath<^. We’ll KEYNOTE The Republicans have selected their keynoter. And what could be more majestic and oratorical than keynoting at a national convention? One might also ask what could be longer^ I will say, without fear of successful contradiction (talking like a keynoter) — that no institution in the worlds history has caused fcfifc outoouring of millions of words as the American A habit of keynoting. Ordinarily, it's the ordeal of a lifetime to sit and listen for hours while the political spell-binder gets all keyed up in the most noted style of long-winded declamation. However, there's hope for those of Us who will be at h!Today the Republican National Committee selected Governor Harold E. Etassen, Governor of Minnesota. He's a young state executive, only thirty-^three. He's not of the excessively majestic and oracular sort. one of the best speakers in the Republica n A party, and understands the value of brevity. Although — maybe it would be too much to expect any keynoter to be really brief. f1 Governor Stassen has the added advantage of not being a presidential aspirant at least not for this year. He is mentioned far and KEYNOTE - 2 v.ide as a likely possibility for Nineteen Forty-Four, But in tais year of Nineteen Forty he’ll go to^efc^eteg^ as nothing more than a keynoter lATt^c-^. -■ l-^<y^JisL^T BASEBALL President Roosevelt* didn’t have such a good arm today. Maybe it was because of his presidential preoccupation with inter­ national affairs- He tossed out the first ball ia at the opening game in Washington, but it wasn‘t one of those mighty throws from the deep outfield all the way into the catcher*s mitt. Maybe the President was too depply engrossed with the problems of curbing aggression and dictatorship in this troubled world. Anyway, from the presidential box he tooic what looked liKe a lusty eno igh heave, but he didn*t succeed in propelling the sphere as far as the ball players. It went looping in the air and fell so short that a policeman caught it and relayed it to the Washington pitcher. i The name of the pitcher for the President!s home team was Dutch Leonard. No, not Franco-British Leonard -- Dutch Leenard. j And the President*s home team lost the game. Lefty Grove of the Boston Red Sox beat Dutch Leonard by a score of one to nothing. A close margin — not such a blitz-kreig. Low scores everywhere:- Cininatti Reds beat Cnicago 2tol. The Dodgers UcUed the Bess 5 to 0. The St. Louis Browns beat the Tigers 5 to 1. And look at Blue Sunoco flory in Philadelphia where the Phillies beat the Giants ? to 1. And the Athletics smacked the Yankees £ to 1. 2 is A L. £ A j _ i j _ i but sensation of the dc*y iftiiS yuuri^ Bob Feller of tile Cxevexand Indiana who pitched a no-hit ^ame against the Waite Sox - one to nothing. STRIP TEASE His Gracer the Earl of Clarendon, Lord Chamberlain of the British Court, issued a decree today, clothed in stately language. Not only is t te decree clothed — the girls will have to be, the strip teasers around whom the controvery is raging in war-time London. -Ln fact, they only thing they have around them at the end of their act — is the controversy. This morning. His Grace, the Earl of Clarendon, Lord Chamberlain of the Court of England — called a conference at St. James* Palace, in Queen Anne*s dsawing room. Queen Anne wasn*t | there, norwore any of the strip teasers. The gatherings consisted of British theatrical producers, who have been exhibiting the kind of war-time theatrical art which has cuased plenty of protest, not so refined, in fact, beastly shocking, don't chu know. His Grace discussed with them the strip tease problem. They pointed out that this particular form of art was graceful, and His Grace didn't deny it. But grace or disgrace, something wo uld have to be done about it — said His Grace. The conference agreed on the general thesis that too few clothes on the stage was undesirable. evenin a black-out. Later on, came tne decree. STRIP TEASE - 2 Prompt measures be t&xcen to cheak the vogue °f lndecency 0ii tne war-time London stage. The strip teasers are not in the good graces of His Grace, the Earl of Clarendon, Lord ChamberUin of the British Court - and no* - Hugh James. LTP.1940.04.16 LTP.1940.04.16ii