CONFERENCE The Hitler-kussolini conference is not at all illuminated by the official communique issued as the two dictators parted company. 14*s the usual meaningless nothing - merely stating that the heads of the two nations discussed all problems in a spirit of complete gagntiaii cordiality.J^That1 s the way it has been hitherto when Hitler, and Mussolini have met - offleial secrecy. More informative, if not a hundred per cent authoritative - is Mussolini’s editor, Gayda, called the Duce’s mouthpiece. He gives a whole series of things discussed for winning the war - incluaing Spain. Franco doesn’t seem to be joining up as readily as spokesmen of the axis have been predicting. And.&agui* Gayda also included - the Dnited States. Hitler and Mussolini, says he, discussed* the American policy of aiding Great Britain, also - the American attitude toward the new military alliance between the uix axis powers and Japan. That sounds reasonable enough. The U.S.A. must be much in the thoughts of the two dictators. CONFERENCE - 2 Gayda apparently implies, however, that their conference was not directed against the United States. Mussolini^ editor puts it in these v/ords:- wIt must be said above all, that the meeting doet. not imply any plot against the jul peace and tranquility of countries not participating in the war.n Berlin^ is using louder words' than Rome, including the exceedingly loud word - cataclysmicJ Nazi spokesmen point out that this is the third time that Hitler and Mussolini have met this year. The first was in March, just before the over- xkxll whelming blitzkrieg was launched. The second was in June, as France was m collapsing. Now the third - v/hich the “ “ ■■ ■""—* ~ ™-' The Brenner Pass meeting, they say, will have cataclysmic results] for Great Britain. They add that Hitler and Mussolini agreed on final plans for the much-talked of invasion of Britain and for the Italian drive against Egypt - which has not continued as rapidly as it began. Well, we’ll have to wait and see how cataclysmic it all will be. London has a different idea, and suspects that in their talks the two dictators made fjs frequent use of the word CONFERENCE - 3 peace. The London Star tonight gives the opinion that the result of the Brenner Pass conference will be - a peace offensive KING George the Sixth of Great Britain had a narrow escape today. He was nearly bombed. JThe Monarch of the British Empire was inspecting London wreck^e, his incessant task nowadays. There was an air raid alarm, but that didn*t deter the King at all. In one place a Nazi screamer-bomb crashed down, one of those high / explosive missiles th^t emit a shrieking sound - to terrify. It exploded with shattering violence,and just as it d id the Royal / automobile drove up. In it - George the Sixth, coming to inspect the area. You cafi imagine the war reception the Sovereign got / from his subjects who were taking the bombing with plenty of English I grit. Save for this incident, today*s bombing story is the same \ n a as usual — terrioly the same. ROOSEVELT Today the White House took official cognizance of that burning question:- "Whom does Hitler want elected in November? ’..uich candidate does the Nazi-Hascist Axis favor? Some old-fashioned ^onericans might growl - who cares? But these are not old-fasnioned /jnarican days. Some people, in / fact, make Hitler the number one figure in that peculiarly domestic concern of ours - the election. Today at the White House Press Conference, Presiaent Roosevelt drew attention to a New York Times dispatch from Rome which stated that the Nazi-Fascist powers are cut to beat Roosevelt. The article in fact hinted that Hitler and Mussolini are likely to do something that wem I would be i^iiove in the Presidential campaign over here. One of the paragraphs the President read to the Washington oorresi ondents went as follows:- "The Axis", it says, "is out to in teat President Roosevelt, not as a measure xjnerican internal politics but because of interference A the President’s RQQSZTILT - ii ---------- # 1oreign policy and because of everything for which he stands in the eyes of Italians and Germans. "This election," the Times dispatch continues, "is realized to be of vtst importance to the zvxis. Therefore," the paragraph concludes, ’it is normal strategy to do something before November Fifth, wnich would somehow h ve a gre^.t effect on the electoral campaign*" One wonders just what the a.xis powers might do thut could have a great effect on the electoral campaign, x.iss a few babies? ^fter reading the article aloud, the President was aii> ashed whether he was referring to trhe charge made by his running mate, Vice-presiaentail candidate Wallace? The charge tnat Germany and Italy would welcome the election of Willkie. Tne President did not answer directly. He said he was merelv drawing the attention oi tue stur^ to the newspaper men, and added that they might draw their own conclusions . iLA The United States got some more advice today from distinguished Englishman - H. G. Velles, author and philosopher. \,elles sajd todey the^t the great world hope consisted of a combination of Great Britain, the United States and Soviet Russia. Strange bedfellows, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. But H. G. belles doesn't think it strange at all. He says the Soviets would be a nice partner for Great Britain and the‘United States. He described the Soviets as, in a state of - "Liberal Evolution.” It may be a little hard for mere Americans to detect th< liberalism in Stalin's Red dictatorship, and as for J5y</lution - r « the Moscow Communists usually spell with an "R". As for A the pact with Hitler and the Soviet grabbing of territory, Uelles says it's all - self-defense. Even Finland, the Red attack on Finland being just so much Soviet self-defense. H. G. Uelles amplifies on his theme that the United States h should stay out of the present war - all because of .jaerican politics. He told the newspaper men that a Nation to go into war should be united - "A condition, he added, ''which as you know does not prevail here today." He said the European situation was badly enough muddled as it is without the introduction of rjnericen politics, which \elles described as "terrifying politics." a , vi : ts . Word i'rom ^ondon indicates that Great Fritain is making an approach to Soviet uussia Vvith reference to the Far Gest. ^llore than that, London reports it as a three-cornered set of negotiations, both Great Britain and the United States conftabulating with the Soviets.^ The news -;iveri out today tells of a conference held in London yesterday by secretary of Foreign ifi Affairs Butler and Stalin’s ambassador, Maisky. It is understood that the Butler-Maisky tall: at the foreign office concerned the Far Eastern situation - Japan, end the Japan Axis Alliance. The London aporoacn to the Sovie.ts, it was pointed cut, follows conversations in Moscow between United Gtates .jubassador steinhardt and Stalin’s Foreign Commissar, Molotov, Not only that, there have been recent conferences in Washington, the State Department - between under-secretary of state Sumner Uelles and Soviet ijnbassador Omansky. 11 of this leads informed sources in London to believe th&t the British and our own ^xuerioan selves are CQVIITS - £. acting in unison in sounding out the soviets about the new German-Italian-Japanese Military Alliance, TRI In France the trial of government figures connected with the war reduced its first verdict today. The former minister o 1 education, v/ho held office during the disastrous war rith Germany, was on trial. His name is Jean Zay. The ? ccusation against him was - desertion. Ke was an Army officer, and he fled X France when the armistice and surrender to Germany occurred. Ke was one of a number of prominent political figures who took a steamship and sailed across to French North ^frica. There they were all arrested. The issue of the trial in France today w s made the more doubtful by a trial held in North Africa yesterday. i.andel, one of tne ace political personalities of France, faced a colonial court martial on a war charge - and was acquitted. That, however, was not decisive, because Handel was thereupon ordered back to France to face a tribunal now sitting at the ^ity of riiom. lie was > nee a ^nief Aloe to Clemenceau, the tiger of v/orld v ar fame. i ^ years he . k . s been regarded as one of the major powers in French governmental IRX jx L - z circles. His acquittal by the African jourt Martial yesterday seemed highly significant. Then today came the proceedings at Riom against Jean Zay, the lormer Minister cf Education. His defense was that he, an officer, left France because he was informed that the French government had decided to go to Africa - and continue the ^ar from a colonial*base. This was confirmed by other officials, wno moreover testified that the former ministerTs military record was excellent. On the ether hand, stood the contention that a military officer had no right to leave his *».rray unless so ordered by his military superiors. The fact that he was informed that the Government intended to leave France gave him no such privilege. The Court deliberated, and returned a verdict of guilty. The former Minister of Education was convicted. The maximum legal penalty that can ' jq inilictec on o j m consists of military degradation from rank - and deportation. In . France hitherto the term "heportation" frequently meaht - -l i k.i-1 ~ • 0 exile to *>evils Islanc . But that iiHrdly seems likely in the case of the former i.inister of the Government. Tor one tning, they night have trouble deporting people to Devils Island - the war situation being what it is. The most sign ificant thing about today*s news is that the much publicized French trials on war charges has given them first verdict - guilty JAPAN The news in Japan today made frequent mention of the word ,,AmericaM. To begin with, a spokesman of the Japanese :oreign office made a radio address, in which he reckoned with the livelihood of the United States doubling its war aiil to Great Britain. He also reckoned with another possibility — that the United States might go XX into the war on the British side. He said that these contingencies had been a factor with Germany, Italy and Japan in negotiating 'their military alliance. A more important pronouncement was made by the Japanese premier. Prince Konoye. He spoke of the United States in terms of conciliation on the one hand and defiance on the other. He urged that Japan would like to come to an understanding with the Washington government, would like to adjust its relations with the United States. Also - with Soviet Russia, said the Premier. He urged the United States to collaborate in the task of establishing a new order in East Asia. That term Mnew order” doesnft sound so sweet to American ears, not with its implications of Japanese aggression. Prince Konoye*s idea of an understanding was put in these terms JAPAA a ’’Should the United States,M said he, "recognize the leadership of Japan, Germany and Italy respectively, in East Asia and Europe - the three powers would logically recognize the United States leadership on the American continents.n The threat he uttered employed the words - "fight to the finish". He said: "Should ,the United States deliberately refuse to understand the intentions of the three powers and consider the triple alliance as hostile to the United States and challenge the three powers, we are ready to accept such a challenge and fight to the finish." The Honorable Premier puts himself in the guise of waving an olive branch in the one hand and brandishing a bludgeon in the other. HULL Here are a couple of rumors, which are answered tonight. One from London states that United States Ambassador Joseph B. Kennedy is soon to resign - his place to be taken by William C. Bullitt, United States Ambassador to France, Mr. Bullitt is Ambassador to France all right, but hefs in the United States - without showing much sign of returning to the nation to which he is accredited. That nation being - conquered France. Secretary of State Hull today was asked about the story of Kennedy resignation. He dismissed it by saying - itfs just another report. The second peace of theoretical news more directly concerns the Secretary of State. It comes from Tokyo, which would seem a distant place for getting news about events in Washington. A Japanese newspaper today published a story that Secretary of State Hull is to resign from the Roosevelt Cabinet in January. Asked about that one, Cordell Hull repeated the phrase of off-hand denial - just another report, said he. The Secretary of State added the raumwix comment that in any HULL national crisis like the present one, he would be willing to serve his country in any capacity - from bookkeeper on up the line. mum The World Series? Haven’t you heard? Detroit won again - seven to four. Seven seems to be Cincinnati1s unlucky number. Last X year the Xanks beat them in the last two games for the World Series by scoring seven runs in each. The Tigers licked them in the first game this year with seven runs. And now again today - with the big Tiger rally in the seventh inning. Now Hugh, tell us about something that brings good luck