FAR EAST L.T. SUNOCO. TUKBDAY. OCTOBER8, 1940 GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY: Herefs a late dispatc^ from the Far East. It reads: ’’United States Consular Officials worked late tonight perfecting plans to evacuate more than twelve thousand Americans / from the Orient, where a major crisis was fast developing^ fn that Shanghai bulletin we have this nation’s nearest approach to war thus far. Earlier in the day the State Department in Washington announced that American Consuls in the Far East had been ordered to advise American citizens to leave. This applies to ikE all women and children — and all men who have not important reasons for staying. They’re <T^ailed to'take upon their departure from Japan, Manchukuo, China, Korea, Hongkong and French lndo*China. There are varied numbers of Americans in all these places. For example, eight thousand in Japan, se\en thousand in China, fifteen hundred in French Endo-China. The State Department order for evacuation was reported from Shanghai — last night. It was then denied in Washington, but hours later was made public — today. FAR EAST - 2 If that sounds like a peril of war, add to it this second piece of news -- a companion piece. The British Embassy in Washington today announced that British Ambassador Lord Lothian has cancelled his departure for London. ECT* Lothian has been scheduled to fly by clipper today. --T3|it no. Tfc* Herefs the statement the British Ambassador himself makes: nThey think there may be a general crisis in the Far East." He said: toteSk, n Under those circumstances they told me I!d better stay on the job." This story too was rumored last night, but was denied. The British Embassy said — nothing to it. Then today the formal announcement was made. Here^ a late reaction from Tokyo — about the American evacuation. The Japanese comment is mild — "There’s nothing to be excited about,"says Tokyo, "since the United States^ customary^ acts rrrr^t caution to protecti&B nationals abroad." Still later — A /i reac tion from Nationalist China. Chinese government circles are quoted as interpreting the evacuation order in these terms "A prelude to the forthcoming Japanese-American war." From Rome There’s defiance with* a threat that the Axis powers and Japan will FRR EAST - 3 fight. This is printed in Mussolini’s own newspaper. One sentence reads: "Why isn’t the United States satisfied with seeking vital space on the North American Continet without meddling in the vital space of the Axis and Japan?" A suggestion that the U. S. grab something in the Western Hemisphere. Then the threat: "If the WashiAgton government," says the Muss >lini newspaper, "prefers to place its soldidrity with Britain then Berlin, Home and Tokyo are ready to accppt the challenge and fightl" What from London? CHURCHILL In the House of Commons today, Prime Minister Churchill made an announcement - and this is the main thing behind the crisis in the Far East. Great Britain is going to reopen the Burma Road - as a route for war supplies to Nationaiist China in its fight against ^apan.; Vinston Churchill gave an explanation of why Great Britain had agreed to close that highway in July.The purpose was to give the Japanese and Chinese a chance to make peace. That’s why London closed the Burma Road to Chinese war supplies^Jtipuii■ said Winston Churchill. Then he continued with these words nInstead of reaching an agreement with China, the Japanese government entered a three power pact with Germany and Italy.11 He described the Japanese-Axis military alliance by saying:- "It binds Japan to attack the United States, if the United States comes into the war now proceeding against the dictators." The British Prime Minister added that the treaty was also directed against Soviet Russia. He gave utterance to certain suspicions, made the surmise that there might be more to the Nazi-Fascist-Japanese alliance than appears in the published terms, /fere are the measured Churchill words:- "This bargain appears so unfavorable to the Japanese that we are wonder whether there not some secret clauses CHURCHILL, - 2 he reasoned, "to see in what way Germany and Italy could come to the aid of Japan, wniie the British and tjhe United States navies are in being.n Arc friifre any acu'et-ciouseo in tho - a " the» Wv.nrehill Tnere have been rumors that the alliance promises Japan, French-Indo China and the Dutch East Indies. frirrytraa Churchill spoke of Great Britain and the United States as being more or less in unison, and made reference to the American- Japanese crises. Again - itTs well to scan his words. He said:- nNeither of the breaches of the English-speaking race is accustomed to react to threats of violence by submission.* 1' Then, referring to the Japanese-Axis alliance, he added: "Certainly the reception of this ill-balanced, strange declaration in the United States - has not been at all encouraging to its authors." I!ve mane it a point of broadcast policy to pay close attention to the declarations of Winston Churchill in Parliament. It is part of the British political system that a Prime Minister is required to talk with a good deal of factual realism to the Commons, Moreover, HBSSE* Churchill is bold and often bruskly forthright, saying things that another Prime Minister might hesitate CHURCHILL - 3 to say. Today he gave the Commons a report on various aspects of the war. So letfs examine what he had to say about Dakar, Italy, Spain, the danger of invasion, and London bombings. Dakar -- a ticklish subject for Churchill. He had explaining to do to reconcile Parliament to that fiasco. Churchill enemies have related Dakar to other Churchill enterprises in times gone by — the Antwerp and Gallipoli failures of the World War. And in the Norwegian disaster of last spring, Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty. Today he admitted that the Dakar affair had resulted in more damage to Britain than London had previously declared. Churchill stated that a British battleship and a big British cruiser had been badly hit by the fire of the French guns. nWe &ad two ships,” said the Prime Minister, ”one a battleship and one a large cruiser, that suffered damage.” He added that the British squadron had sunk and damaged various French ships. But why did the Dakar fiasco happen? Today Churchill said: ”b0me errors were made.” The principal error, he cited, concerned the French warships that steamed through the British controlled CHURCHILL - 4 Striitj of Gi oral tar and went to the French V*est African coast o oopose the British there. The Prime Minister stated that the Frenci squadron got past Gibraltar before the London Admiralty was Informed of what was happening. Then hasty orders were given to eaten the French warships. But two of them could not be caught, and Churchill said that their arrival at Dakar cuased the British failure. As for Spain, the Prime Minister referred clearly to the possibility that Franco^ country might join Germany and Italy - Gibraltar in the foreground. He spoke in terms of offering inducements to Spain. "We look forward,” he declared, "to seeing Spain take her place as a great Mediterranean power." Which sounds like a promise of Spanish aggrandizement in the event of a British victory. Churchill indicated that Great Britain is prepared to make concessions to Spain even in the sacrosanct matter of the British blockade. nAll we need, " said he, "is that she shall not become a channel of supply to our mortal loes. Subject to tnis essential condition,” he promised, ”there is no problem of the blockade that we won*t study in a sincere desire to aid Spanish interests and revival.” The head of the British government today con CHURCHILL - 6 wain that the British must not believe the long threatened invasion is off. Hg stated that Nazi Germany has forces massed for a formidable attempt to land on the British coast, ^ere is specifically what he said:- "The enemy has enough shipping and barges to throw a million men on the salt water.n To this he added the menace that Hitler might throw his men - into the salt water as well as on it. Churchill gave Great Britain an account of the bombing of London, the one month of sustained and intensive air raiding. He stated that eight thousand, five hundred persons had been killed and thirteen thousand wounded. This, he said, was % much smaller f^grrrq than the British government had anticipated, and the figure is declining — as air-raid shelters become better• In tht first week of bombing, the killed and wounded amounted to six thousand; the second week, five thousand; the third weext, four thousand, the fourth week, three thousand. He told London 4!llr% not to believe ^lAinter and bad weather would stop the air raiding. , )itr that the present rate of bombing would not grow worse. "We are doubtful,n said he CHURCHILL - 7 nwnether this rate of sustained attack can greatly be exceeded.” At the present rate, he reckoned, it would take the Germans nearly ten years to destroy half of London^ houses. And Winston Churchill apoke a line of thought we*ve been hearing from Britishers — that maybe some good would come out of the bombings, out of tne destruction of slum sections and areas of wretched housing. ”We will rebuild our cities,” declared the Prime Minister, nmore to our credit than some of them were before. London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham,” he siad, ”may have much more to suffer — but they will rise from the ruins healthier and more beautfll.” While these statements were being made in the House of Commons, they were punctuated by the bursting of bombs. Both London and Berlin were today, and tonight having their most savage ordeals of air raiding. London has been under incessant bombing for twenty-four hours, almost without let-up. This, while the Royal Air Force was giving Berlin the heaviest blasting of highexplosive that Hitler*s capital has had thus far. EIr«£S . The Hines case appears to be finally closed. The Hew York Court of Appeals today upheld the conviction of the former powerful Tammany leader. He was convicted on charges of giving political aid to the policy racket in New York. Tne Court of Appeals was Jimmy Hines’s last resort, and rejection of his appeal means that the famous political figure, once so powerful and dominant, must serve his prison sentence of from four to eight years. ADVENTURE There’s a sort of duty I feel I owe - an obligation to a number of people here, there and the next place. I feel I ought to sit down and mail them each a book. It’s this way. I’ve just XiA got out a volume called PAGEANT OF ADVENTURE, — A It consists of two hundred stories, the best two hundred out of some ten thousand that I have been gathering for years. In ten years on the radio, I’ve tried to feature the thrilling accounts that come in the news - and so I’ve collected a lot. The best are in the book, and they concern all sorts of people, celebrated personalities and folks everywhere, who had exciting things happen to them. So I feel I ought to send a copy to everyone who figured in one of the thrills in the PAGEANT OF ADVENTURE. However, the news dispatches, while giving names, seldom mention addresses. And I don’t know where to send the books. So here’s an idea. If you happen to see a copy thrtt* irfrui iess, ^ and if you know anybody who figures in any of the adventures - drop me a note. And I’ll send that person. It may be you, yourself - If you've ever had any kind of exciting experiences. RObJiLhY And now we have what might seem to be a simple question. But it gets a complicated answer. iwi »Why does a robber A break into a house and steal a lady* s purse?** ^ Berkeley, California, today Richard ^ Rudolf faced the court on a charge of climbing to a second floor window, getting in and swiping the purse of Miss Georgia Forbes, a nurse. The culprit is a graduate of the University of California, holds a degree of master of arts, and taught in the University for three years. He had a scholarship from the American Council of the Learned Societies of Oriental Languages. All that academic distinction accounts for what he said when the judge asked him:- "Why did you do it?*1 "I’ve not yet crystalized in my own mind,*1 quoth the erudite burglar, "the motives that impelled me to this rash and CC unconventional act. Perhaps," he added psychologically," it might have been the Tarzan compl lary mechanical and biological 9 ) ^ ~ impulsion, however, 1 think I ceji clearly lay to the release of savage impulses through listening to a football broadcast - heightened by the wire I was drinking." HQBbEKY - 2 So there you have a scholastic explanation^ It was trie Tarzan complex, or a football broadcast, or a few bottles of wine. It must have been the football. BASBBKLL xhe outcome of the World Series ended on a characteristic theme -- pitching, a pitcher1s battle, -- and victory for the Reds! T *e two teams went into the Series presenting an always interesting contrast -- a pitching team versus a slugging team. The Tigers in three of the games lived up to their reputation for having bats packed with dynamite. And the Reds lived up to their reputation for having hurlers on the mound. Of the three Cincinnati stars two did their share of the brilliant starring. Bucky Walters and Paul Derringer. So, aptly, enough the classic ended today with ace hurling nn both sides, a duel of Derringer and Newsom. The big bats of the mighty hitters were reduced to the size of match-sticks. Buck Newsom had only one day’s rest — but then he’s an iron man. He should have been arm-weary, after winning a shut out only the day before yesterday. But today again he allowed only seven hits and two ruhs. But Derringer was still better. He allowed the same number of hits as Newsom - seven! But, only* one run . No use talking about batting thrills -- there weren’t any. And the Powel Crosley Cincinnati Reds won the classic. The First World*§ Series the National League has won in a long long time. And so Long Long UNTIL TOMORROW'.