a US’'6*-' ^ . / 27 ‘ - ■ . ^'3 ,• :BJlsiSiii:iJ L.. T. - SU,HOCO- TUESDAY. DEC.lg, 19S9 (Engineer failed to show up in Utica» so following broadcast was given by Hugh James.) Tonight Lowell Thomas is in Utica, lew York --- and substituting for him is the familiar radio personality who usually announces Mr. Thomas -- Hugh James* FINLAND Good Evening Everybody. ■ Here1s the latest. ^Soviet Russia has just turned down the League of Nations demand that the Red army stop its Invasion of Finland, the League plea that a peaceful settlement!^ be negotiated,^ That message to Moscow, sent yesterday, re­ quired an answer within twenty-four hours. The twenty-four hour limit passed today, and that in itself implied rejection. Just to make it official, Stalin*s Foreign Commissar, Molotov, now chips in with an open declaration of refusal, a Red ver­ sion of - nothing doing. No League mediation, no peaceful settlement - Stalin is determined to push the conquest of the little country FIMLAUB But the expulsion of the Soviets is not “believed to be likely• It required a unanimous vote and various League members are not anxious to offend the Soviets ~ the neighbors of Red Russia, for example. Some of them are under Soviet domination, like Esthonia, Latvia and Lithuania, And then there's China. Tonight's war bulletins' from Finland claim a smashing victory for the Finns. Helsinki reports what it \ calls a crushing defeat of the Soviet forces - and that in a place where it counts the most, on the eastern front, Finland's long extended borderline. On the narrow front, a short distance across the Karelian Isthmus, tonight's Finnish report is as usual - heavy attacks by the Red army all day long, attacks repelled with, heavy losses. However, the Karelian Isthmus, the powerful Manner-helm Line, is not the critical point just now. The Red army is making powerful efforts to outflank it, launching drives to get them behind the Mannerheim Line and force the FINLAND _ s Finns to give it up. These efforts are along Finland*s extended eastern border. There are two main Soviet thrusts on the east. One is designed to cut Finland in two by cutting across the country where it is the narrowest, the shortest distance to the Gulf of Bothnia. And there were reports from Stockholm today that the Red army was pushing ahead rapidly in that area. It is, however, pretty far to the north, only a short distance below the Arctic Circle. And cutting Finland in two might not be fatal. It*s a region of Arctic wilderness, far from the main seat of operations to the south. Tonight*s communique from Helsinki states that the Red army battalions have been checked away up in the north. ^ The most critical section for the Finns is just north of Lake Lodoga. That*s the southernmost part of the Eastern front. There the Bed army is trying to drive around the up ';er end of the huge lake and then swing down to the rear of the Mannerheim Line. If they should break through, FINlA’riD - 3 the Finnish defense positions in the Karelian Isthmus will be hopelessly outfranked. So therethe critical point. And ltfs in this aran that Helsinki tonight makes its claim of a smashing victory. The communique makes this statement. Heavy fighting ended in crushing defeat for the Russians.^Three Soviet bat­ talions were annhilated. So say the bulletins, and the esti­ mates are that three battalions would amount to about two •thousand men - annhilated, say the Finns. And they claim that in their victory today they captured large amounts of war ma­ terial and say they destroyed some more tanks FIJ^LAKD DAY Kext Sunday will be Finland Day — at least in flew York State. Today Governor Lehman proclaimed Sunday as a day for prayer in behalf of the small Republic menaced by the havoc of the Reds* This Governor Lehman has done at the re­ quest of Ex-President Hoover who has asked Governors and Mayors throughout the nation to set aside a day of prayer for the Finns BREMEN |^The BREMEN is back in Germany, returned safely to her home port today^ This is officially announced by the German government news agency. It states:- f,The steamer BREMEN of the North German Lloyd. Line safely entered German waters today.n ^The two million dollar luxury liner, which has pro­ vided one of the most extraordinary episodes of the present war, made its way from the Russian port of Murmansk down into the North Sea - and right through the British blockade.y An a mazing last chapter of a story that has been amazing all along. It seemed rather incredible when the first hint came flashing through today - a rather vague statement by the ^ British Admiraltydeclared that a British submarine to­ day sighted the BREMEN, and could have torpedoed the famous liner, but refrained from doing so - because that would have been contrary to international law.^ The British sub couldn*t | stop the speedy liner, for the BREMEN could race twice as fast as any submarine# (TfiB British undersea craft were not doing any restricted torpedoing,^they were obeying the international BREMEN - 2 law which requires that a vessel must he stopped and a crew given a chance to get off, before the craft is sunk. So says London. From Berlin comes a very different story. This declares that the BREMEN - on its way home, was indeed sighted by a British submarine, but the sub didn't attack the liner because just then a Nazi airplane happened to show up - a German scouting plane happened to appear on the scene. The British sub was afraid of being attacked by bombs from the plane, and took a dive and went its v/ay. Such is the Nazi account. Tonight the Germans are saying jubilantly that the return of the BREMEN shows that the British blockade is weak - ships can get through it. And it does seem amazing that the great liner could have made its way through the British blockade line across the upper reaches of the North Sea. Where were the British cruisers? Anyway - so ends the story of the BREMEN. Q sea. when the war broke out, eluded the British sea power 'V by making a dash to far northern waters and reaching the Russian BREMEN - 3 port of Mur: :an s k. All this shrouded in prolonged secrecy and mystery, Now - down through the British blockade and back to Germanyl FISH Another candidate for the Republican nomination entered the arena today - Representative J. Hamilton Fish of Rew York,j In Chicago he made the announcement that hefll go into the Republican primaries in Illinois and Wisconsin - if necessary. HeMl do it if such action is needed to give the people a chance to vote directly on the Hamilton Fish policy of 11 keep America out of war.11 ( hg represents the extreme of anti-war opinion. A TRADE TREATIES President Roosevelt made a statement today that has its bearing on next year*s residential campaign. It con­ cerns the trade treaties with various nations with which Secretary Hull has been negotiating. These trade treaties have been attacked by Republicans on the grounds of bringing in foreign goods to compete with American industry and agricul­ ture. Republicans have been saying they will make an issue of this next fall. So, what now has the President to say? He announced today that he will ask Congress to extend the trade treaties act. That act of Congress to which the commercial pacts have been made expires next June. The Administration will ask Congress to renew it thereby giving outright defiance to the Republicans on the trade treaty issue. LABOR BOARD Today the congressional Investigation of the National Labor Relations Board brought forward testimony about a dispute between the N.L.R.B. and a newspaper publisher out in Seattle. That publisher happens to be President Roosevelt1s son-in-law, John Boettiger, Husband of the PresidentTs daughter, Anna. John Boettiger is publisher of a Hearst newspaper in Seattle. Today's testimony was that he yielded to a Labor Board decision against his own judgment - because he didn't want to embarrass the Roosevelt administration. The presidential son-in-law was involved in a labor dispute which brought an N.L.R.B. decision against him. Today, a confidential memorandum was read, which stated that Boettiger had declared himself in favor of the Labor Relations Act but that it was administered in such fashion that he didn't blame employers for complaining. The confidential memorandum continued this way:— ,THe stated that the Board's order was based on a distortion of facts and on Illogical in- LABOR BOARD -S- ferences - that he personally resented the decision very much and was only complying so as not to embarrass the ad­ ministration. FAIRBANKS In a oeach home at Santa llonica tney had a prooXem today, a problem in the shape of a huge bulldog. The canine with the tough face and grim expression, vreighs a hundred and twenty pounds - and thatfs big for a building. Early this morning, the animal began barking furiously. He was at his masterTs bedside. He barked long and mournfully. He seemed to sense that his master had died. And then he would^t leave the bedside - they couldn’t get him away. The bulldog’s mas­ ter was Douglas Fairbanks. This dog story is a fittin' ritual for Doug, who rose to worldwide fame and fortune as the he-man of the movies. It would have been in the style of a Douglas Fairbanks picture for the hero to have as his chief mourner his own bulldog, fto need to expatiate on the career of Douglas Fairbanks, all knew it, so universal was his renown. So worldwide that today in London the v/ar nev s was overshadowed, the news vendors shouting the headline - ’’Doug is dead.” This evening we know sometning we never knev, oef^re - wnat does a bull do in a China—shop? Tnere was a bet oetween .jazz band leader Fred Waring and radio sports connentator Paul Dou­ glas. The terms of the wager were that the loser would lead a bull through a China-shop and pay for all the damage the bull might do. Fred Waring lost, and today he made good in a big way. The China-shop was Plummets on Fifth Avenue, an exclusive and fashio­ nable store, where you can buy plates for fifty dollars apiece, aid vases are priced up in the thousands. The bull was a prize-winning blue riobon Jersey from the Frelinghuysen breeding farm, one of the if I foremost. El Torro was brought by truck up Fifth Avenue and unloaded ; at the expensive China-shop. Fred Waring was there to receive him, and Fred was wearing evening clothes, including an opera hat. He said he chose formal attire to inspire the bull with for- (it | ) !} ij 1 I 1 si li it mal and sedate ideas of good behavior. Fred stood to pay for the damage the bull might do in the China-shop. Paul Douglas was there also. He was wearing a Spanish bull fighter's costume, including BULL -2 tils red Ccip to make trie bull more ferocious* Having won the bet, Paul didn't care how much havoc 11 Torro might cause. A crowd was gathered, and motion picture cameras were grinding away, as Fred Waring led the thousand pound bull into the Fifth Avenue China-shop. He led El Torro along an aisle lined with costly porcelain, fifty or seventy-five thousand dollar's worth. Fred groaned as he gazed upon the display, and cast timid glances back at the bull. Down the aisle danced Paul Douglas in his bull fighter's costume - waving his red cape. What about El Torro? He gazed about with a mild and timid eye. He looked at the Chinaware and seemed frighten­ ed. He stared at Bullfighter Douglas and seemed disgusted. Up one aisle, and down another, the bull went through the China-shop, and he almost did some damage when the swishing of his tail almost ioiocked over some cups and saucers* Fred Waring was so nervous that he bumped against a counter, and knocked off one piece. And the only other havoc uas done when Paul Douglas deliberately smashed a couple of the cheaper plates to incite the bull, give El Torro BULL - 3 an idea of what to do. It was no use. The result of today's experiment was to prove that when a bull gets into a China-shop the best behaved individual in the place is the bull. I wish I could say that I'll be the one to put the comment on the newsreel picture of the bull in the China-shop. It might be amusing. But I'm afraid that Movietone editors will give that one to my esteemed colleague. Lew Bull Fighter Lehr. LE?KE Tney found a Lepke witness today. Lepke tne racketeer lias made headlines - headlines that reached even the realm of nat­ ional poxitics. The hew York police and federal authorities hufcing for him in a prolonged search, and then quarreling about him wnen he surrendered - each wanting him, to put him on trial. The federal authorities xiave him, and are trying him on a nar­ cotics charge. And LepKe witnesses have made the leadlines - a whole string of tnem killed in gangland murders, underworld charac­ ters wanted for questioning. New York District Attorney Dewey declared that there was a systenunatic campaign to kill off possible witnesses who might give evidence against the racketeer whom Dewey calls - "the most desperate criminal alive." Today they found Irving mandel — wanted for a long time, hunted far and wide. Today they found Mand©i, but he won11 be of much use as a witness against Lepke. They discovered him in a morgue at Atlantic City, murdered.