- f t ________ _ Ae. INTRODUCTION Lowell and X are not only old friends - we’re rival captains of the two strangest ball teams in the world, his Nine Old Men and my Oysters of Oyster Bay- So we have two principal interests in common, expeditions to remote parts of the world and our annual ball games. But I suppose tonight he wants me to look at the news through the eyes of a world traveler and not through the eyes of the worlds worst ball player. That is, I am supposed to be the worlds worst when Lowell Thomas is on the Pacific Coast LONDON The Chamberlain government seems to be quite irritated by the latest rumors of a new appeasement program. A question^ in the House of Commons asiced the Prime Minister whether he*d give Parliament an assurance that he had no intention of starting any discussions which might look like bribing Hitler to buy peace. Chamberlain1s reply was short but positive. He denied positively that he was planning mm # another Munich. He also read a statement explaining the conversations between the British Secretary for Trade .O^ofck Overseas^ He said they have nothing to do with any suggestion of a British loan to Germany. He replied that those talks with the Nazi representative were merely routine, nothing unusual. At the same time. Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax, was making the same explanation in the House of Lords. He said that German official had made several visits to London in recent years and w met a number of British officials and other men of affairs. In Berlin, however, German government people were telling a different story. They said those conversations that aroused such an uproar .ere initiated by the British government. JAPAN FOLLOW LONDON This was Prime Minister Chamberlain's busy day for denying things. In addition to that appeasement rumor, he also repudiated the claim that his government had backed down before Japanese aggression. But diplomats at Shanghai say that the British agreement is decidedly a concession to Tokyo. And it's pointed out that the fall in the value of Chinese currency *£• hcrr/3 distinct 1 y—means that Britain has withdrawn her support of Chiang Kai-shek. The text of the agreement ate admits that the Chamberlain government recognizes the actual situation inChina, recognizes the fact that hostilities on a large scale are in progress. Consequently, Japanese forces have to take special precaution to protect themselves.and maintain order in the regions under their control. It adds further that, "His Majesty's government have no intention of countenancing any acts or measures prejudicial to settlement of the above-mentioned objects by the Japanese forces." The opposition in the British Parliament looked askance at this. The Labor leader asked Chamberlain whether he was not actually recognizing Japanese sovereignty in all of J a PMI FOLLOW LONDON - 2 China that's under the Japanese foot. The Prime Minister denied it, and when he was asked whether his government was not now definitely taking the side of Japan against China, he answered. ^Certainly notl" CHINA Chiang Kai-shek, who is still Generalissimo of the Chinese armies, had something to say about the Chamberlain statement. Great Britain ought to be warned, said the Chinese chief, that Japan is a mad dog ready to destroy everything belonging to the British in the Far East. As for that agreement between Great Britain and ?apan, Chiang Kai-shek will not recognize it. He says it is not valid without the consent of his government. HULL The latest beating of an American by Japanese soldiery has disturbed even the usually smooth temper of Secretary of State Hull, issued a statement today that this government is becoming more and more concerned over the increasing number of such incidents. Our Consul General at Shanghai reports that the Japanese high command disciplined one Japanese sentry and his commanding officer for slapping an American woman and a young boy ten days ago. But now there*s a report that two American missionaries were manhandled by a Japanese cohsullar police officer at Hanchow. I«R> A» f U ' uo v One time when I was in England X heard a curious bit of historic doggerel —— it ran sonething like this* ,TPlease to remember The Firth of November Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason Why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.” That is the way English school children memorize one rrf the dat#S—in. Di 1 Ittli hilPlui'y, the gunpowder plot of Guy Fawkes in Sixteen Hundred and Fitfe. It was a conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament, but the authorities got wind of it, the plot was squelched, and several heads fell into the basket. All that comes to mind through a bit of news from London today. Sir Samuel Hoare,the Home Secretary, told an astounding fact to the House of Commons. The London police had discovered a huge store of explosives. It included sixteen hundred sticks of gelignite — a compound of nitro—glycerin— , one thousand detonators, two tons of potassium chlorate, with a lot of other stuff. J-t was to be used to blow up not only 2 I.H»A. - Parliament but bridges, railway workshops, munitions dumps, airdromes. That store of explosives, said the Home Secretary, was enough to cause damage to the extent of millions of Pounds and kill at least a thousand people. And who is supposed to have been at the bottom of this modern Guy Fawkes conspiracy? The Irish Republican Army, as part of the campaign to compel the union of the north of Ireland with Eire. But that isnft all of it. The Home Secretary made a solemn declaration in the House that the government had been informed that the Irish Republicans had the backing of a foreigi power or powers. The way he put it is:- "The Irish Republican Army campaign is being closely watched and actively stimulated by a foreign organization." And he added further:- "The Mouse must take my word for it that these are not unchecked suspisions founded upon gossip but definite conclusions reached upon the basis of reliable data." Which, translated into everyday English, means that the government has the low-down on the conspirators. DANZIG In Danzig the iMazi chiefs are making no bones about their military preparations. Anti-tank guns were paraded through the streets of the Free City. And the leader of the Danzig Nazis made a public statement freely admitting warlike preparations UusT while at the same time he said, "We don t want war." ^e also made a confident prophecy of a triumphant entry by Hitler into Danzig at an early date KIDMAPI^G That American missionary kidnapped by Arabs is reported to have been released* A late dispatch from Jerusalem has it that the Bedouins who captured him turned him over to the monks of a Greek monastery somewhere /between Bethlehem and Hebron. A messenger for the Arab kidnapers is said to have left Bethlehem, taking with him the ransom money, twenty-five hundred dollars in silver. Thatfs a reduction from the five thousand originally demanded. The Arab messenger left his son as hostage in Bethlehem. So it looks as though the Reverend Gerauld Goldner will shortly be restored to^the bosom ofj his family. He has been passing the time quite cheerfully and comforably playing cards with the men who held him captive. ^ tuu^hy /!rta,\.c )U aj FARLEY A traveler voyaging up the Hudson River as far as Hyde Park would have found today an eager host of newspaper men surrounding two celebrities. President Roosevelt and his Postmaster General, 9mm£> National Chairman Jim Farley. It was that long expected confer enc e^ Pg*«ei.dont ■ Roosevelt -and Pustimi lui Far ley. Some people entertained the -Gontit hope that after their qo^ftrTnn- was over, either or both of them might say something about that third term business. But, as the President remarked Jim Farley's visit produced no excitement. Re said it was Just a run-of-the-mill nonfdrenre such as he frequently holds with SSe Postmaster General and National Chairman. Some of the boys sic tOLch.<i Ife&feLed Jimand tried to get something a bit more illuminating at out of him. And all Jim would say was, T,You'll have to ask the boss." Not a word about politics, not a word about a third term. Ve-Uik Tlwy «■ f:(r( the President did point out one interesting TrvnTH circumstance about trip to Europe, tohen he sails Wednesday, his shipmates will include John D. Hamilton, Republican National Chairman, Representative Hamilton Fish, the champion President heckler of Dutchess County, Jewett Shouse, former head of fee FARLEY -2 Liberty League, and Senator 0’Maiioney of Wyoming who has throv.n monkey wrench into more than one piece of administration legislation. The President remarked that all these shipmates Twt-T.S ought to make trip interesting. (Maybe somebody will be thrown overboard in mid-Atlantic. But it won1! be Jim, says the President. bridges There ^as startling testimony today in the hearing at San Francisco over the deportation of Harry Bridges. A witness for the government testified that Communists had wormed their way into the Havy. In fact, he said that they have units on board the U.S.S* OKLAHOMA, also in the navy yard at Bremerton. All this seemetf* to have nothing to do with the question o whether Bridges is or is not a member of the Communist Party.^7^ bo The object of the government -wars to show what Communists are doing to overthrow the •United States government. This witness said, in his own words, nWe were taught that the capitalist system controls the press, radio and ballot and tnat we will have to use armed force to obtain our objectives. lending Tne monster lending bill of President Roosevelt is now up to the Senate. It was put before upp^-^se today by Senator Barkley, the majority leader, who calls it a plan to bring together idle men, idle equipment, and savings that are not being used. The idea, you may remember, is to hand out two billions, four hundred and ninety millions in the shape of loans, bonds guaranteed, by the government. This wonft show on the books as a part of the national debt. The President, as you will recall, expects that this huge sum will be issued in loans for projects which he says will be self-liquidating. There has already been a good deal of argument on that score. And now the fight begins in earnest. The Roosevelt followers in the Senate are quite hopeful about it. Senator Barkley said he hoped to get the bill through by Wednesday night, and then put it up to the House. And hereTs a late dispatch that just came off the wire;- President Roosevelt's new Two billion, four hundred and ninety million dollar lending program suffered its first defeat in Congress today, when the House Rules Committee failed to give a green light to the Senate-approved eight hundred million dollar U.S.Housing a i Authority project.