L.T. SUNOCO. MONTHi:. APRIL 7, 1941 GOOD EVENING EVERXBODX: Tonight in the Balkans tl up on a front of seven-hundred and fifty miles. But few details of the great battle are coming through. S The Nazi high command is giving out no information Jr JT Likewise the British. AS for the Greeks, they a re enthusiast but vague. The latest bulletin from Athens reports that the Nazis on the Btruma Valley front — the Bulgarian frontier — are attacking in force with fierce tanks assaults. Helping the Greeks face the “azi blitzkrieg are scores of thousands of British troops. Also it isannminced from London that the British forces on the Balkan front are under the command of General Sir Archibald Wavell, who led the army of the Nile Qgainst the Italians in Libya. But even the British decline to let the world know exactly how big is that army they have in Greece. The guessing runs anywhere from LEAD - 2 one hundred to hundred thousand. The official communique declares that the size of the British iorce in Greece was agreed upon between the Greek and British general staifs. The communique goes on to hint that it will be increased later. According to military experts in London, the British, Greek and Jugoslav soldiers now engaged in that Balkan War are as numberous as the Germans and Italians, perhaps even more numerous. However, the British commentators are warning the country that the Axis forces are far better equipped and have more guns and war materials. The British army in the Balkans have plenty of equipment but the Greeks and Jugoslavs are weak in modern machinery. So the British commenatatori are warning the world to expect set-backs in the opening of this Balkan War, especially for Jugoslavia. The report from Athens declares that the British and Greeks in the Struma Valley hurled back one German attack after another. Meanwhile, squadrons of R.^.F. planes raided deep into Bulgaria, shootinj down Nazi planes and bombing Sofia. Fron Ankara, capital of Turkey, comes a radio report that Jugoslav troops hare crossed their frontiers to attack the flank of the Italian forces in Albania. LEAD - 3 The Fascist official news agency in Rome proclaims that the Fascists in Albania shattered an attempt by the Greeks to establish contact with the Jugoslavs, The agency goes on to say that three Greek regiments were annihilated and an entire Greek division driven to the rightabout. However, there*s on e objection to that Italian claim. Any reasonable attempt by the Greeks to join up with the Jugoslavs would be made along the frontier between Greece and Jugoslavia, far behind the Greek lines and a long way removed from the Italians. The official Nazi news agency claims that Hitler1s army has now advanced some twenty-five miles down the Struma Valley; that Panke/r divisions have smashed through stubborn resistance and passed by forty-five places — driving a spearhead both into Greece and / Jugoslavia. The D.N.B. agency claims further that huge fleets of bombing and fighting planes are raiding the Greek, Jugoslav and British positions, smashing down fortifications and blasting a road for steady advance. This is denied in Athens. In fact the Allies claim that the Nazi attack is at a standstill along the entire seven hundred and fifty mile front. HUNGARY The position of Hungary The Magyars appear to be in the war but not of it. A Minister of the Jugoslav governu'ient still is in Budapest and he was made use of today, when the Hungarian Government called him in and made a protest against attacks by Jugoslav pilots on Hungarian railroad stations and airports. At least, that’s^the Hungarian story. The official newspaper of Budapest reported that all in all, ten Jugoslav warplanes were shot down 2 over Hungarian soil. The Hungarian government pointed out to the Jugoslav Minister that it is doing everything it* possible to prevent any war-making incidents. ' Of course, it has been assumed all along that Hitler would make free use of Hungary as a basis for attacks on the Jugoslavs. It was explicitly on that account that the late Count Teleki, the highly popular Magyar Premier, committed suicide last week. Then again the British are in a peculiar relation toward the Hungarians. Tv^ey recalled their Minister and his entire staff 4 A from Budapest. 0n the other hand. Downing Street did not offer the Hungarian Minister to London his passports. HUNGARY - 2 But there is no doubt about there being war once more between Britain and Hungary, British planes have been making raids over Magyar soil and British bombers have been shot down. course these incidents are mere minor incidents. SOVIETS Here*s the Washington angle on that treaty between Jugoslavis and Russia. It comes from the Secretary of State who declaies that the signing of that pact on the eve of the invasion of Jugoslavia, is encouraging. Secretary Hull implied that this is an omen, that Stalin is getting more and more irritated about the Axis rampagings in The Balkans. I t shows that more and more nations are becoming aware that the Axis is aiming at world domination, said Secretary Hull. Words of approval to the Soviet Union — the second in the last few’ days. Only last week under-Secretary Sumner Welles welcomed the declaration made by Moscow, reaffirming the friendship of the Soviet Union for Turkey. AFRICA The German radio announces today that Nazi and Italian troops have now advanced as far as Tokra, a point on the Libyan coast forty mi.es east of Benghazi. Also that another column has reached a •o place called ^eledin, forty-five miles southeast of Benghazi, in the interior. The British military spokesman admits that the forces of the Army of the Mile iiave withdrawn a distance of one hundred and seventy miles in the last few days; since the Gerraan-Italian advance began. However, the British spokesman declares this was not a retreat under pressur- , but a well planned orderly withdrawal. That there was one clash with the enemy in the desert near Gebel Akhdar. But with that exception, the British merely’ retired from one point to another in advance of a strong enemy force. In Eritrea the British have the help of a detachment of Free Frenchmen who have just fought an engagement with Italian troops outside | Massawa, the last Italian stronghold in that colony. And further west the British are continuing with their occupation of, ifesiaailx.Ethiopia. bBITISh BUDGET In Grea^ Britain today learned what their 4 &. new income tax is to be. Tfcff figure will sound quite startling x x to &f>me n# us: ten shillings on the pound, fifty cents on the dollar. That’ 5 for those in the lower income tax brackets# ^11 I ... il l I ~ — A. far larger proportion of the British have to pay income taxes eighty pounds. than^ver here. The exemption for a single four hundred dollars a year; for a married man a hundred and forty pounds, seven hundred dollars. The surtaxes on some British incomes go up to as high as sbykr I jc ninety-seven and a half per cent. Thus a man who has a gross income of two hundred and sixty-four thousand dollars, will be able to use only twenty thousand dollars of it. All this was told to the British Parliament today by Sir Kingsley-Wood, th* Chancellor of the Exchequer. He presented to the H^use his new budget. It is estimated that the cost of the war to Britain is in the neighborhood of fifty-two millionjdollars a day. Fifty-two million dollars every day of the year! WHITAKER Have yoU been reading John Whitaker!s striking series of articles? Today he tells the inside story of Mussolini*s would-be conquest of Greece, and hov/ the great Duce double-crossed himselt. The story comes in an exclusive report sent to the New York Evening Post and the Chicago Daily News, by John Whitaker, the American correspondent who has been expelled from every Axis country, and who recently was chased out of Italy by the Germans* Whitaker writes that he and at least two embassies in Rome knew about Jffussolini's invasion of Greece three weeks in crossed advance, he says it all came about because the Duce was double-^ by Hitler. How? Well, Whitaker tells us that Mussolini had expected Savoy, Tunisia, Corsica, Nice and French Somaliland. All that he had been promised for jumping on the back of the French. Then, after Italy entered the war. Hitler was afraid that if he kept his promises to Mussolini, then the Frency navy and the French Colonies would go over to the side of the British, that is, to General de Gaulle. So what did Hitler do? What he stalled Mussolini off. Whereupon, the Duce, fed-up, decided he must have something to show his people by way of conquest. And that was when he picked on Greece, thinking Greece would be easy. Whitaker tells us that he put it up WHITAKER - 2 to son-in-law Count Ciano, to buy Greece, as he had bought Ethiopia previously by bribery. Ciano and a Fascist gorilla named Muti, had done q similar job in Albania, and they thought it would be a cinch to do the same in Greece. They offered bribe money to tai Greek generals, general officers in key positions. The generals promptly went to their chief, ^rime Minister Metaxas and exposed the whole plot. Metaxas told them to take the ^ucefsnDney, and pretend to be bought, but let him know everything that was going on. This the generals did, so Ciano assured his papa-in-law that the dirty work at the cross-roads had been done; that Greece was in the bag. That the Fascisti could have the country in forty-eight they hours. Ciano reported that the only active fighting would have to do would be to make a strong bombing attack to destroy communications and paralyze the resistance of the betrayed Greeks. Whitaker goes on to tell how according to a high Italian officer, the invasion was impossible from a military standpoint as the Fascists had only seven divisions in Albania. Of those, two had to be held in reserve. That would leave the Italians with only three divisions to attack a country which itself had an armhy of fifteen divisions. WHITAKER -S Hence the walkover did not occur. What did happen the whole world knows. The Duce sent three poorly equipped, unprepared divisions against fifteen divisions of Greeks who had been forewarned and who had excellent staff work, and lots of courage. Perhaps itTs a foregone conclusion that the Greeks will have a different job now fighting off the laboriously drilled and superbly equipped divisions of the ftazis. But John E. Whitaker declares thai even if the Axis hordes overrun Hellas, Fascism has already destroyed itself in the mountain passes between Albania and Greece LABOR ■^he steel strike set for tomorrow is off — unless a new and unforeseen contention breaks out. ihe company and the steel workers1 committee havenot come to terms yet, but, the men have decided not to walk out. Thfc dispute will be argued out, with the understanding that any raise in wages or other improvements in working conditions will be made retro-active to April forst. uo much for that. In Detroit the Government conciliator early today announced that he had expected to bring representatives of Henry Ford together with Union men tonight, ^nd that conference , it was hojied would bring about a settlement LABOR - 2 But that was before^h4» had met Fordfs representatives. After he td been with them a short time he rushed out of the conference room, jammed his hat on his head, and left the hotel where the conference had been taking place. All questions he answered with a sha^e of the head. Later this Jrttsx evening it was announced that the meeting between the Ford men and the Union representatives eair*'% be held /v * until tomorrow. The State conciliator says that the preliminaries have caused the negotiations to bog down. The National Labor Relations Board today ordered elections to be held at both the River Rouge and‘the Lincoln plahte of the Ford Company. At Milwaukee, Wisconsin the Autombile Workers Union held a meeting, and with a loud roar they ratified the settlement of the Allis-Chalmers walkout, the strike that has lasted ever iJldC since January twenty-second. They ratified settlement almost unanimously, with only a few scattered No?s of opposition, ___ ___________ * © -------------- --- _ At New York the conference between the soft coal operators and miners kxd adjourned until tomorrow. There still has LABOR - 3 been no action cn the proposed new contract. This probably iff /V due to the action of the Southern operators who refused to >- pay the wage increases that the United Mine United Mine Workers .want r-Thero *i 1 iji-i/. Xfc’ There has been considerable speculation about what ex-Republican Candidate Wendell Willkie will do. He hasnft given out any information about his intentions himself. But his brother announces today that Wpndell Willkie will practice law once more. His brother, H. F. Willkie, is Vice-President of the Seagrams Company at Louisville, Kentucky. He told reporters that his brother has been living off his fat, so to speak, and realizes itfs about time he started to earn money once again. He doesnft want to join any big firm or organization as he wants to feel free to speak his mind if the occasion arises.