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Show Mmm Washington, D. C. NAZI SABOTAGE The man to watch in Europe todaynext to-daynext to Hitler is a suave and charming diplomat in Turkey named Franz von Papen. It is always al-ways a significant omen when Hitler sends Von Papen to a country. It means he has dire and potent intentions in-tentions regarding that area. It was Von Papen who went to Austria as ambassador to soften it in preparation for the Nazi occupation. oc-cupation. It was Von Papen who 26 years ago tried to do the same thing here. And now, with weather weath-er getting cold in Russia and Hitler running lower and lower on oil, a Nazi squeeze on Turkey becomes almost inevitable. To prepare for it, Ambassador Von Papen has been working overtime in Turkey. Almost forgotten is Von Papen's attempt to soften and sabotage the United States during the last war. But his operations here indicate the lengths to which he may go in Turkey Tur-key to bring that country into the Axis. In 1915, Von Papen was German military attache in Washington when Count Johann von Bernstorff returned from England with a satchel containing $150,000,000 in German treasury notes. Von Papen, then in Mexico City, hurried north, and immediately began organizing a network of spies. Invasion Via Canada. After selecting his agents carefully, care-fully, Von Papen laid the following plans: No. 1. To invade Canada through British Columbia with the aid of German warships in the Pacific and German reservists in the United States. This plan was vetoed by Von Bernstorff. No. 2. To blow up the Welland canal. This scheme likewise was abandoned, because the canal was too weD guarded. No. 3. To blow up Canadian railroads rail-roads in an effort to prevent transportation trans-portation of Japanese troops through Canada. (The Japanese were fighting with the Allies.) No. 4. To blow up the International Internation-al bridge at Vanceboro, Maine. This was accomplished through an agent named Werner Horn. Von Papen was so industrious and unscrupulous that he over-reached himself, and Wilson demanded his recall. But when he reached home, both he and Bernstorff were awarded award-ed decorations, and both promoted. Subsequently, Von Papen became chancellor of Germany and he took part in the conspiracies which brought Hitler into power. RUSSIAN REQUEST A DRIBLET Averell Harriman's confidential report on Russian requests for aid was vastly different from British requests' re-quests' after Dunkirk. In comparison compari-son with the British, the Russian orders seemed a mere driblet. After the Lowlands debacle, the British had to start from scratch, having lost practically all their armored equipment and most of their field artillery. The Russians have lost tremendous quantities of material, but judging from their relatively modest requests, they still must have a lot left. One of the chief things they asked for was 75 and 105 mm. guns, "which, luckily we can supply. Production Pro-duction figures are a military secret, but these cannon are now rolling off assembly lines in quantity. quan-tity. The Russians also asked for machine guns, which we can furnish also in large numbers, since machine ma-chine gun production is at a high level. One of the biggest, and pleasant-est pleasant-est surprises to Harriman was that the Russians do not need machine tools, at least for the present This took a big load off his mind, as both the U. S. and Britain have few tools to spare right now. Note: U. S. military experts consider con-sider lack of co-ordinatibn between the three Russian armies to be one of the principal reasons for the break through in the center against Moscow. Although there has been a shift of Russian generals, doubt still exists about the co-ordination of the three armies under a central cen-tral command. INFLATION CURE Here is the inside lowdown on Price Administrator Leon Henderson's Hender-son's own private preventive against inflation. He disclosed it to a group of Charlestown, W. Va., business men during a speech on the dangers of runaway prices. One of the audience asked Henderson how a business man could best protect himself against inflation. "Work like hell," was the prompt reply, "and go to church regularly." MERRY-GO-ROUND Introduced to a British production expert, who had just completed a survey of U. S. defense plants. OPM boss William Knudsen took him off his feet by inquiring "What impressed you least?" A sports commentator, sponsored by a shaving cream, called the duke of Windsor in Baltimore, inviting him to appear as guest star on the radio program, the money to be paid to British charity. The duke declined even before he was told the offer was only $100. |