-~T------ SiMOCO,—THDHSDAY. MDVFJJRE r | iQ-^o. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY: Last Thursday I said that in the question of the two Thanksgiving Days, I»d be neutral and celebrate both - eat turkey on the day the President proclaimed and also on the traditional day, which much of the country is observing - today. I remarked that on both occasions I’d make a customary reflection, giving thanks. Last Thursday I said that we Americans had reason to be thankful that we did not figure in the new^I then proceeded to read — the war news. This was the usual assortment of ships being sunk, fights in the air, and sundry other hostilities. Today it*s difficult to repeat that giving of thanks quite so heartily. Of course we don’t want to be in any war. But today the news tells of the Soviet invasion of Finland, and I suppose that most Americans have a feeling of regret that we cannot do anythi effective to aid that brave little republic of the north. FINLAND VvThe S°Viet lnVa£lon struck *=»*■ frightfully^ through the sky,,: a swift bombing raid against the Finnish capital - Helsingfors it was called in the older Swedish fashion - Helsinki, as the Finns call it. city was altogether unprepared. There had been a couple of previous air raid warnings, which didnft amount to anything. So the people didn*t take much notice, when the sirens shrieked again. In fact, the air raid warning was given only a minute before the iiv bombs began to fall. The rain of .g>w*roi> was all the more unexpected, A A : m because it was cloudy, the Red army planes could not be seen. The A 1 B: I 1 fearful crash of the bombs was the first indication. People stood stock still in the streets — too amazed and shocked to move and go hurrying to the air raid shelters. The Soviet war planes dived down through the clouds and unloaded their high explosive.^ Bomb after bomb rained down, killing, wounding, maiming - blowing buildings to pieces.^Air torpedoes smashed down into apartment houses, and^bl* n linn 1 -v i i I of the bombs were incendiary, and set fire. The Hed army planes I I I H I Some may have been aiming at strategic objectives. like the airfield or railroad station, but in actua^. fact they bombed the heart of ; city with murderous results. FINLAND _ 2 Tonight Helsinki is like a city of black doom. There *s a tagout necessity. The bombs burst the electric power connections, let therefs light- froin burning buildings. Most of the fires set by the incendiary bombs were Quickly put out, tout at last reports several of the city* s large structures were in flame. The dark railroad station is crowded, women and children, trying to get to the country - for fear of another air raid tomorrow. But the evacuation is slow, because of the shortage of trains - and so many refugees to move. As the Soviets struck through the sky, they also attached by land, crossing the frontier. The Red army is reported to toe invading all along the extended above the Arctic Circle ;F st to the Gulf of Finland^j The principal thrust is across the^ nearest to the Russian City of Leningrad, old St.Petersburg of the a ggm Czars. There, the land is what is called an isthmus. £ "^^^betwien the Gulf of Finland, which is a long arm of the neck of, A /» sea, and Lake Ladoga, a great Inland body of water. Late reports tell that the Finnish army is resisting \ 0 bravely, with heavy artillery fire.J The Reds have occupied some I ; _ jfji . FINLAND bits of territory, from Brilch the Film£ withdrew t0 stro r lines. So begins another war, and one of the most tragic./^ It 1 remains to be seen how long the tiny military force of Finland can resist the huge hordes of the Red army.^ We^ve been informed that the Finnish regiments are well equipped with modern mechanism of war, machine guns and artillery — though they would seem to have no great fleets of tanks or flHffinrrtug squadrons of the sky. Their land is defensible, with thousands of lakes that form a natural barrier and with vast expanses of gloomy northern forest' impassible to motorized equipment. And, the Finns are determined fighting men, resolved to defend their independence against the -* * liosts of Bolshevism. They bore up with amazing courage during the period of Soviet threats and brow-beating. And they can be counted upon now to put up a stout fight. But still — what chance have they against the Red g^^anrmtTafTganmmiixmtx tfollossjs of Communism? The Soviet army is said to be not so good, but it out-numbers the Finnish battalions by perhaps as much as f^fty to one. No, the Soviets did not declare war. In fact, this for Stalin were denying that they knew IJ is 1 1 i afternoon in Moscow spokesmen FIALAISD anything about m the invasion of Finland. They only admitted it at Midnight Moscow time* The hed comrades might want to keep up the fiction that they*re at peace. But war has been declared — little iinland declared it. Today, as soon as the country was invaded, the Finnish Premier proclaimed t a state of war. ultima-bium demanding complete possession of Finland - under threat of utter destruction. Another rumor: the Finns asking for an armistice. Another!- The Finnish cabinet resigning. The latest: the rumor that the Soviets have sent an -- N report that the Soviets h will demand territory - Arctic ports, from Norway Athe most immediate ^ A wae"~iJ> the Sc and inavian countries gr>fc.£<»>^sUaey--^oo -a r » menaced by the spread of Red imperialism. At Stockholm today, when the news came of the bombing of Helsingfors - there was a swarming of young men to the Finnish legation, Swedish volunteers wanting to enlist for the defense of Finland. The Scandinavian governments and press are taking the gravest view,of the Soviet Xri assault on the^ But what can Sweden, Norway and Denmark do, about it - they themselves are so weak? L c?w -ifhe Soviet invasion was called - an indefensible act of A t unprovoked aggression. And in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Chamberlain spoke official British opinion. ’’The attitude of the Finnish Government was lInprovocative,,’ declared ^Chamberlain, njt is known,” he continued, ’’that the Finnish note delivered to Moscow was most conciliatory in character.” Chamte rlain added that the Finns proposed that the dispute be arbitrated and offered^ to withdraw their troops frcn the border facing Leningrad, ehamberiwft. lllB^ 4- T nHn.ro irMnti the Red-army-agsawl» s tf uood these wawds?-- "necessary—to—protect today was neoessary> REACTIONS - 2 fioTrI%=%—CfTninot- r. — j ctj iiimill aD Sinlmi&w* Britain is indignant, Britain stands in opposition to the use of force and brute aggression, but what can Britain do about it? Vinland is a Baltic country, and the Baltic Sea is in German control. Moreover, it»s Allied policy to go easy with Soviet Russia. The Allies did nothing when the Red army invaded Poland, even Justified it - although they had guaranteed Poland. So Finland can expect^nothing more from London and Paris than expressions of sympathy. uo. ^ v>X-«— >c£%\ * In Rome grave misgivings are being expressed tonight. \ The Italians regard today* s even as x another example of the a menacing spread of Bolshevism in Europe. And the Italian response is scheduled to be - an intensification of the propaganda camjaign against Communism. At the Vaticanf^aSiety for Finland. A The official Vatican newspaper describes the aim of the Soviets in these words:- "to impose Bolshevism on a peaceful, inoffensive country." And the papal editor makes this statement:- "the fate of northern Europe is bound in Finland*s fate." Finland is a REACTIONS - 3 Protestant country. the Vatican its downfall will mean a blew to Christianity in general, and Rome expects that Pope Pius the Twelfth will ask the Catholics of the world to offer prayers for the preservation of Finland from atheism. Church circles are increasingly alarmed by the threatening spread of Red Communism. WASHINGTON Of all the nations in the world, the one that is showing the most activity on behalf of the little northern republic, is our own. And of course we can only make diplomatic moves. Finlaid is far from New York and San Francisco, and our*interest in the n region of the Gulf of Botthnfa It if xu is nothing but high regard for Finland that animates the United States* ^Qf course, it may seem to put excessive emphasis on money matters to say -"well, Finland always paid, on its war debt.,, A But the fact does remain that great empires repudiated their debts to the United States while Finland honored its obligation. So there1 s irony in the fact that we’re J giving to the Allies what may turn out to be decisive economic aid in their war against Germany, although they defaulted - whilea we can do nothing effective for Finland. ^ All ajong our government has displayed'its solicitude over the demands the Soviets were making on the Finns. President Roosevelt put In a plea to Moscow, asking Stalin's government to .? *_ This was rebuffed with ridicule, commit no aggression, inis was reuu And Yesterday, at the last minute, Washington sent to both government^ offer to mediate. The Finns immediately accepted. The Bolsheviks 2 rejected American mediation coldlyy There*s one report that the I • j There onia nrt-r»+ +-Uo + 4>'U^ I United States informed both nations that if one accepted mediation and the other rejected, the rejecting nation would be considered as the aggressor. Today*s invasion would leave no doubt who the II aggressor is. lAj&rxdJl |l When the news of the attack reached Washington, there I | was instant activity. President Koosevelt went into conference 1 with Secretary of State Hull. There was talk that the Red army aggression might lead to sjbreak between Washington and Moscow, severance of diplomatic relations. Prominent congressional figures spoke their minds. Democratic Senator King of Utah, for example. **Soviet Russia," he said, "is a brutal, semi-barbarous land governed by tyrants." Finland he described as "a liberal, democratic, Christian nation." And Senator King called for a diplomatic break between the United States and the Soviets. "I hope," said he, "that my country no longer will grasp the 1 bloody hand of Stalin.*1 The irrTTrr is that President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Hull 1 I conferring with the Finish Minister to Washington, discussing the plight of Finland. 1 li WASHINGTON - 3 And therers a late report from Washington that the President may call in the congressional leaders and asE for their advice in deciding what course to take toward the Red government of the Soviets. DIES c Today Mra. Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the meeting of the Dies Committee in Washington. The reason - the hearing / was getting around to the subject of the American Youth CongressL which has been accused of being controlled by Communists. The First Lady of the Land has on occasion addressed the YouthCongress, entertained its leaders at the White House, and defended them against the charge of being an outfit under vRed domination/^ Indeed, the statement has been made that in these Youth Congress doings, Mrs. Roosevelt has unwittingly b^en used by the for their own propaganda* rivid testimony had been giverk A negro witness testified that a Resolution by ^the Communist Pa\ty in Hineteen^Thirty propose< to establish a ne^o republic in t!\e south* The directed agitation a^mong negroes in Detroit - agitat: plan toVturn the souttR into a blacky— disillusioned with it alV, and today he stated that the Cd^unist Party was Ast using the\roes for ^ o\ purpose ** -\o promote a pro; starian revoluhpn in the United Spates. He said^the DIES only hurt th© negroes. imitation’ of the Mrs, Roosevelt entered wac -rig-ht the Committee room. She was immediately asked to sit with the Committee, but she declined. She said she was there only as a spectator and wanted to see how the Youth group got along at the hearing. And she sat down between tVro leaders of the Youth organization. . At noon recess she took six of them to the White Hoi for luncheon.^ When the Committee resumed the hearing, those six J } were half an hour late. The First Lady herself returne^fto the session at four o’clock. !! ./|i a KUHN ^ The German-American Bund Feuhrer, Fritz Ktihn, vidll be ^ sentenced — next Tuesday. This is announced by Judge Wallace. Conviction on all counts leaves Kuhn liable to a maximum prison term of thirty years, but he wonft get that much.^ He has no previous convictions, and that normally means a sentence much lighter than the maximum. When the jury announced the v erdlct on all five counts, the Bund Fuehrer took it stoically. But he was pale and grim of face as they took him off to the Tombs DEYvEY Y/^ This evening we have the prognostication of an important politica.1 event, said to be scheduled for tomorrow. The NEW fORK WORLD TELEGRAM declares it has word that tomorrow fiistriet Attorney Thomas E. Dewey will be formally asked to get into the race for the presidential nomination. And the asking will be done in large and imposing style. To the District Attorney1 s office will go a Iftrgw delegation of New York Republican leaders, headed by Kenneth Simpson, member of the National RepublicanCommittee, and William S. Murray, New York State Chairman* And among the delegates will be kfe nearly every county chairman in the New Yo^fe Republican organization - thatf s the expectation • ^The -hgads of the Dewey—for--PreStdent Committee say it will be the most-impressive demonstrationof support for a candidate since Eighteen Ninety-Six r rafeCTa*_theyear William Jennings Bryan stirred the^deacwracy^ flaming fervor* The imposing delegation will wait upon District Attorney Dewey and ask him to xfc make a formal entrance into the race for the Republican nomination. What will Tom Dewey reply when that question is popped to him? The word is that heUl say - Tes. «*Athe Dewey boom will be on. FOOTBALL So far as this broadcast is concerned, there haven’t been any football games this year. For months now the war in Europe has overshadowed everything else, and I don’t believe I *ve mentioned a single game. Well, here it is rathe: Thanksgiving, or is it? At any rate, here are a tm rather A A important end-of-the-season scores Texas A. & M. has been riding rough-shod over teams Fall^ ’This mea tightens up at the end of the season, and takes it on the chin. in the Southwest this Fall^ 1 This means that a team often Well, this afternoon Texas A. & M. collided with the University of Texas, and the champions ddn’t get licked. Instead they U. hammered Texas ^txtXMXXkk? ^ vwv\h- to the tune of 20 to 0. So Texas a leading candidate for one of the big Bowl games. How about Tennessee? They played their old rivals from Kentucky today. And Tennessee came out on top 19 to 0. They still have another game on their schedule, and if they win it, in the eyes of many they will be considered the Number One candidate for the Hose Bowl. FOOTBALL - 2 And now talk about a bowl of Thanksgiving i ><2 cranbdrr^r sauce, or, Hugh, would you rather talk turkey?