GREECE The British announce tihs^ theyfve made a further retirement in Greece, a withdrawal toward Athens. The Germans declare that they’ve captured Thermopylae/ They made their first claim to this effect %*** day before yesterday - wer1* a bit premature*ab^ofcr±fcr It is evident that the British and Greeks put up a strong resistance at that historic pass, a resistance successful in accomplishing its purpose. T 'oft^purp os e^beinfr - delay. The Nazi blitzkrieg was he^d up for three days at Thermopylae, and today’s Berlin dispatch states that the legended strong point was taken, not by direct attack, but by a flanking operation. Once more echoes of classic Greece are heard, this time in the Berlin bulletin - which says that the Nazi armored forces seized Thermopylae by the same maneuver which Xerxes, King of the Persians, used twenty-five hundred years ago. The ancient and heroic story tells how the Greeks, defending the famous pass, beat back tfa* frontal assaults by the numberless hosts of Xerxes. &jt the Persians found a way to get around Thermopylae, by a rugged mountain trail - and outflanked the defenders. Whereupon, rather than retreat, Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans, fought to the end - surrounded. r,RSECE_- 2 Berlin has rumors that the Panzer units idcxx are approaching Athens, an i that the city may fall at any time. But, as for clear facts, it is impossible to say tonight just *here the Hitler forces are in their advance along the narrow strip of land leading to Athens. However, it seem p*9aibim that a strong rear guard fa (J resistance^«»y=^i^ the British a good deal of success in removing troops and armament from Greece British army may have already embarked and got^away - large numbers of soldiers and quantities of equipment. The German story is that the British go* numbers of heavy tanks aooard - De.ore^te«*y A bombing disrupted the port facilities. The Geiuuuiu renew th*+i- of cinkIng-and- a^-hugo Here's the latest - the first admission from the illied side that the British are evacuating. A dispatch from i' Berlin sources intimate that a considerable portion of the _ . have been marching to ships it hens which tells how: the Empir £l^efarav1^r/are#ell. The British are sailing for frith Greek crowds .shouting A. •hhp Greek Government has establibhtrd /he Island of Crete, where the Greek oo itself. GRhii.CE _ 3 ----- — cj> --------- - In the aerial battle over Britain, London reports that during the present month a hundred Nazi planes have been shot down in the night raiding - which would indicate that defense against ttim bombing-after-dark is improving. However, it is still a long way from being really effective - as is testified by the frightful havoc wrought by the air raiders of late, especially at the much blasted port of Plymouth. In the war at sea, Berlin announces two U-boats have failed to return to port. Doubtless many others have been lost by British attack, but these two are particularly important. They were commanded by top-ranking U-boat captains. Some while aS°j London reported that Lieutenant-Commander Kretschmer had been taken prisoner. Ithis is confirmed today by Berlin, which relates that this particular submarine commander had piled up a record of sinking three hundred and thirteen thousand tons of British shipping - an ace of aces of the undersea. The commander of the second U-boat that failed to show up was *««*** credited by the Nazis with having destroyed two hundred and forty th-usan- 1 . 0 ns another ace. It is being pointed out that the U-boat campaign depends to a large extent upon the ability of the commanders. In the last war, a great percentage of the submarine destruction was accomplished by a few U-boat aces. The bold and daring commander of the craft that prowls the sea depths is an exception, not easy to acquire. The loss of an ace commander is an especial blow to the U-boat forces. With the Battle of Greece virtually over, new attention turns to the Battle of the Atlantic. And in this the headline developments will be found today in the United States. ROO o ^^T The V»hite Hnuse press conference today was keenly interesting - interesting in what the President said and in the inferences that we may derive, or try to derive. Newspapermen -&L A refer^ett to the vigorous addresses made last night by Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox. Th© head of the St.ateDepartment declared in positive terms that all aid must be given to Britain^and^that some way must be found to get that aid to Britain. Secretary Knox was still stronger in his phraseology. nWe cannot allow our goods to be sunk in the i : Atlantic,” he cried. fTWe can no longer occupy the immoral and craven position of asking others to make all the sacrifice for this victory which we recognize to be essential to us,” he declared. Th© declarations made by the two cabinet members xxmEdis immediately raised the surmise - convoys. Th©y were taken as a possible preliminary preparing public opinion for the use of American warships to protect cargoes of armament sent to Britain. So no wonder that the White H0use correspondents today promptly asked President Roosevelt - What about the Hull and Knox addresses? ROOSEVELT - 2 The ^resident replied tnat the two cabinet officers spoke for themselves in clear terms — and they spoke for him as well. He agreed with them a hundred percent. Did the speeches indicate - convoys? Did they mean that American warships would be used to get aid to Britain across the ocean safely? He was asked. The President intimated — no convoys. Such a measure was not being planned. Whereupon he went into a discussion of the American neutrality patrol. He said the patrol is being extended - might reach out include the seven seas if necessary. xhe President was asked — would the patrols far out to sea establish safe lanes through which aid to Britain coula pass immune from attack? Would the patrol system be in effect — convoying? To that the presidential answer was a quip. He said you couldn t turn a cow into a horse by simply calling it a hOj.se. He was asked to specify the difference betwee n patrols and convoys, and replied that convoying Was the use of warships to vessels from attack. Patrols, on the to find out whether ships bent protect a group of merchant other hand, meant a reconnaissance Oh attack were entering westernrentrality waters. Scouting, that-s what is is - detecting th* presence of Nazi U-boats, surface raiders, finnSEVELTL- 3 or warplanes “‘’he questioning at the press conference continued. What instructions have been issued to the boats of the neutrality patrol if they should see a British convoy being attacked? The President refrained from answering that one. He avoided a discussion of orders given to the patrol. Now, trying to draw some inferences from all ol this youM suepect that an alternative is being sought for convoying. It 'night be a nay around that much debated point. Maybe the alternative is to be round in some sort of operation of the neutrality patrol — scouting the sea lanes for German attacking units, and giving word of these, information that might be useful to British convoys in foiling attack. A reconnoitering service of this sort might have an effect, without actually engaging us in hostilities. In all of this we may perhaps find the key to the next step in enabling aid to Britain to get across. Th. declarations «.«.«. •» !»*»»> Official comment was in Britain — an tfc enthusiastic respo u. ail the White House lacking. It was pointed out that, a statement was tairly indelinite - vague. But the British peoole at large took it as another indication that there is to be American action in getting the aid across. This same British response had been made earlier in the day to reports of the speeches by Secretaries Hull and Knox last night. London expects American convoys — or some other measure, to thwart the toazi sea campaign. In Germany and Italy the reaction to the presidential statement was angry — threats that American convoying wou}.d be met with torpedoes. ROOSEVELT - 4 ROOSEVELT - 5 about Greenland. He suggested that Greenland, now under an American protectorate, may be occupied in part by Nazi forces. He he T^asn t certain that there any Germans in A s* Greenland, but .there ^might be. There was nothing positive about it. ?he President took a fling at Lindbergh. Me attacked the Lindbergh contention that Great Britain is going to be defeated, and repeated his own belief - that the British will win. He said that Lindbergh and other similar-minded people were only a minority in this country - a defeatest minority, he compared them to those Americans who in the Revolutionary War thought Washington ought to by give up the fight - when things were going so bad^at Valley Forge. The President also referred to the Copperheads of the Civil war era. He said that Lindbergh and other isolationists were like Vallandigham. Now therefs a name that brings back Civil War memories - Vallandigham, the Ohio Congressman who was the head of the Peace Party in the North. He thought the Norun couldn t «in, and advocated a compromise - peace. He and his followers were called Copperheads. They were reviled by the Northern War Party which advocated war to the bitter end, and pressed the utter defeat of the South. The President was asked why the army had not ordered Lindbergh into active service. He replied he wasn't sure whether or not the Lone Eagle had resigned his reserve commission as an army officer. Later, the newspapermen made a check at the War Department, where it was revealed that Lindbergh is still a colonel in the Air Corps Reserve. President Roosevelt completed his excoriation of Lindbergh by saying he was sorry that there were people who thought like that and were in high places where they could write and talk. TAXES Last night, in the news about the tax increase proposed by the administration, Ae heard that Congress had a plan of its own - an alternate proposal. The word was that this involved a less drastic boost of income taxes — something milder^ Vwvd—-^n thtr All which is borne out today. We are given a scheme of new taxation prepared by experts of the Ways and Means Committee of the H0use of Representatives. According to the administration schedule, national defense and aid to Britain call for us to pay additional taxes to the extent of three and a half billion dollars. Of this sum, more than a billion and a half would be levied by an increase of income tax. The congressional plan agrees that three and a half billion dollars1 worth of extra taxes shall be imposed, but puts the income boost at a lower figure, one billion,one hundred million. A cut of more than four hundred million dollars - that much less than the administration proposes. The congressional idea agree* with the administration reasoning that a surtax shall be imposed, in addition to the TAXKb - 2 regular scale of income taxes that we've already been paying. The administration says - a surtax beginning at eleven per cent on all taxable income, and increasing as income goes up. Congress suggests a surtax beginning at six per cent and increasing thereafter• So^^^^^^question stands - Are we to pay income surtaxes beginning at eleven per cent or at six per cent? Today, the tax expert for the Ways and means Committee put the argument in these terms: "To have the individual income taxes in the lower groups too high," said he, "may result in severely handicapping many individuals - in the discharge of debts already incurred and in the meeting of their ordinary expenses of subsistence." Of course, the npai±±«xxi»M smaller increase of income tax would have to be made up in other ways. How.'’ The congressional plan provides for a larger boost'of the excess profits tax placed on corporations. Also new and increased levies on articles that we use. Here are some examples: Five dollars a year on each automobile that we have; a federal tax of two cents a gallon on TAXIS - 3 gasoline; a one cent tax on each electric light bulb; five cents a pound on coffee and cocoa; ten cents a pound on tea; a cent a pound on sugar. The T*hole thing is causing plenty of anxious discussion in Congress. Theiold question how to boost the taxes without antagonizing the voters. A PROTEST There's an uprising against taxation - in Oklahoma. Down there in the southwest, the legislature is considering a proposal to put a state levy on chewing tobacco and snuff, *es, they chev. tobacco and liijs still dip snuff down there in t^e old-fashioned way - they know the joys of taking a big bite out of a plug of tobacco - and then the mastication and expectoration! And then therefs the.delight of snuff, a wSad of the brown powder ssnoja A mouth, a twig of the sweet gum tree. Every once in a while you dig the twig down into the snuff and stir it up - thatTs the dipping, and commonly, a stream of brown snuff juice drips down each corner ^ of the mouth, adding to the decorative effect of the face. Today in the Oklahoma Legislature up rose State Congressman Paul Webb - same name as Paul Webb the well known artist who specializes in hill-billy cartoons. Maybe it's the same guy. Anyway, Lawmaker Paul Y.'pbb today voiced a protest /J q . XAftTO against the tax on dipping snuff and chewing tibacco.-^speaking. PROTEST - 2 Tki&S+-*t*e Gwig’C ■an-artiot a^ dipping -s»uffs pleaded in affecting words: ’’Visualize these grandmothers of ours,” he cried, wjust a-rockinT and a-dippinf and a-paying1 taxes on snuff I” It almost broke his heart, and it almost breaks mine, and probably Hugh £ma&z£s> heart is breaking too.