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Show vcy. two 'Lease-Lend' Bill Would Give President Broad Powers in'Aid-to-Britain Plans; Greeks Continue to Push Back Italians As British Speed Up Campaign in Libya - --:--LV:::::i5w f.IOYS: C. , -r.--i kri.-w 'h'jt w;i c"min8 v , ,..','n. H.o-v.-lt n.eiv. "i tl.e I. w.i r,;,n.l.-l Ui.-rn, but it was a J,!,, k ri..n the l , e i. i, .,'1 nl....-k one tv.m when ,:,. k,,,,. 'in advance all about tl.' in S.-v.-r.i.-.Ti anil a half billions. Mr, re tjillions (unrn.-ntioned and fxua.hu.l.-tary) wl,.-n the lend-Ir lend-Ir a it; plan K'"-s into struct. A d-l,t limit probably up to 60 billions. Hoary -headed congressmen barked back to the days when they worried about awarding a mere pittance pit-tance of a billion and a half to World war veterans for the soldier bonus. Yet the temper of the congress was such that even while being shot back on their heels by the magnitude magni-tude of the thing, they agreed it would pass, and the lend-lease measures along with it. And as to the "all-out" aid to Britain, Brit-ain, the congress and the adminis-tiation adminis-tiation were seeing eye to eye, or lit least nearly so. The budget and the presidential message were received in kind arro-s the ocean. The Nazi and veil, trim British commander 01 me top-flight colonials in Africa. Learning their lesson in Flanders that shock, surprise and speed are the primary qualifications of a successful suc-cessful attack, the British have kept go.ng, even at the cost of getting hundreds of dangerous miles away from their sources of supply. The despairing cry of Tommy Atkins At-kins in Flanders fields and on the road to Dunqerque was "give us planes!" General Wavell was not holding back the planes in the African Afri-can offensive. Indeed inside information infor-mation was that of the RAF pilots the banner men were in the Mediterranean Mediter-ranean offensive, operating both on the Albanian front and in Africa. Sidi Barrani fell to the Italians without resistance. There they bogged down, never reaching the next stop, Marsa Matruh. Graziani halted and prepared, and waited for supplies that never came. Suddenly the British struck. Sidi Barrani fell, then in quick succession Salum and Bardia. Then Tobruk was cut off, and the spearhead spear-head of the attack split in one direction direc-tion toward Bengasi, the capital, and toward Derna, the only remaining remain-ing coastal town of importance. Fireside critics and editorialists were warning Wavell of "overreaching" "over-reaching" but Wavell's answer to' these was to move faster and farther. far-ther. After Bardia, the British announced an-nounced 44,000 officers and men killed or captured. Rendered ineffective in-effective since the campaign started, start-ed, the estimate was around 100,000, or half Graziani's army. Australian forces are being given much of the credit for the successful success-ful drive by the force of the British empire. Famous for their courage and ability in the war of 1914-18. the Aussies had their first major test in the battle for Bardia and they lived up to expectations. When the time came to attack the city there was no stopping them. , FIRE: And the Reply As Germany continued its newest policy of raining 100 fire bombs to one explosive on Britain's more or less inflammable cities and towns, especially including London, the British found two replies, each (they hoped) more or less effective. Basic defense against this warfare war-fare has been the naming of a new corps of volunteer roof-top fire-watchers, fire-watchers, who have been showing extraordinary bravery in quenching blazes as soon as started, even during dur-ing the heaviest bombing raids. Second reply has been an increased in-creased tempo of British bombing attack on invasion ports and German Ger-man cities, Bremen having been given a going over that lasted three days, and this was followed by an invasion port attack in which more than 550 British planes took part, more than 100 of them bombers and the rest machine-gunning fighters who held the Nazis on the ground. 7 : s : GREEKS: Near Victory Even if the Germans stage a "movie show" rescue act, and come rushing in at the last moment to knock out Greece, the Greeks have had their hour. They stood on the verge of a complete com-plete victory with the fall of Klisura. Around Klisura, the Italians had made a determined stand. Regi- S'nulor Albeit If. llurkley of Kentucky, Ken-tucky, xentite majority lender, and Senator Sen-ator II alter F. George oj Georgia, chairman oj the Senate Foreiiin Relations Rela-tions committee, are pictured as they looked ocer the "lease-lend" bill before presenting it to congress. the Fascist press were vocal in their distaste of the whole proceeding, while the Russian press was relatively rela-tively silent. Britain, not counting its chickens before hatching, nor its ships before receipt, was quietly appreciative, but seemed to feel her fate was safe in the hands of the President and congress. Whatever aid can be given giv-en will be given, the British felt sure, so why whoop it up? JUNK: Dealers 'Told' Leon Henderson, styled by his introducer in-troducer on the speaker's platform as the administration's "No. 1 Economist," Econ-omist," but officially titled "Defense Commissioner for Price Stabilization," Stabiliza-tion," talked turkey to the scrap-metal scrap-metal suppliers at their institute convention. con-vention. Briefly he said: "The government is not satisfied with the soaring price of scrap steel . ($16 a ton in October to $24 a ton). "We are giving you a last chance to handle this yourselves. "Otherwise we will handle you." Junk dealers and brokers looked solemn. Then he said:' "We've got to have a supply of scrap steel. We'll get it where we can. "As for me, I'd make a deal with the Devil to lick Hitler." Solemn faces broadened, broke into cheers. The convention broke up, the dealers resolved to "go home and be good boys." SHOCK: For Isolationists Those in favor of knitting our own socks whether Europe collapses or not got a shock that had nothing to do with the budget. Senator Nye of North Dakota declared de-clared there were between 30 and 35 positive votes (14 to 19 short of a majority) for the United States to declare war on Germany right away, with no more "beating around the bush." DICTATOR METAXAS His Greek forces 'pushed on ment after regiment of "crack" Roman Ro-man troops had been hurled into the defense. The battle was fought amid severest sever-est snowstorms, some of near-blizzard proportions. But finally the RUSSIA: Scouts Around The Soviet, acting on the heels of America's "all-out" effort to aid Britain and the democracies to win, announced a treaty with Nazi Germany Ger-many whereby "Russia would feed Nazis." Diplomatic rustlings and whisperings whisper-ings followed this report, all of which aimed at knowing "what next?" from Russia. Indignance in some quarters was followed by this from the Soviet: "The treaty with Germany on foodstuffs and supplies is not aimed at any other power. We are seeking similar alliances with other nations." na-tions." All of which seemed to boil down to more Muscovite fishing in troubled trou-bled waters this time for an export ex-port market with the seas boiling with torpedoes and mines, if not actually closed. Nye. a leader of the non-interventionist bloc, hasn't the faintest hope that the lend-lease bill (dubbed "blank check aid for England") will be defeated in either house. He, however, flatly calls this bill a "declaration of war." He gave the 30-35 positive vote figure in case President Roosevelt should, after passage of the unofficial declaration, ask the congress to "make it official" offi-cial" with a formal declaration. Nye's pessimistic (from his viewpoint! view-point! prediction of passage of the bill in some form was echoed by most of his colleagues in the nonintervention non-intervention bloc, and they seemed ready to center their fight on a basis of some form of revision of the (to them) more drastic provisions. President Roosevelt, admitting the bill gave him vast powers, sat back Quietly waiting for victory in the voting, saying "I know it, but somebody some-body had to have the power." BRITISH: Show Speed Rivaling even the blitzkrieg that swamped the low countries and knocked France out of the war was a swift attack on Libya put on by the forces of Gen. Sir Archibald Wa- Greeks had their way, and Klisura was abandoned. Stories of this abandonment show how vulnerable the retreating army is in modern warfare, especially when inferior in the air. The Italians, Ital-ians, according to the reports, hastened has-tened from the field of battle in long columns, winding along mountain passes and the rough Albanian roads. What a mark for British and Greek bombers, especially the eight-machine-gunned fighter craft of the Hurricane and Spitfire type. The British reported that their planes did devastating damage to the retreating re-treating Italian columns. Men so "strafed" during retreat find little stomach for turning and making a stand. Yet turn they had to, at Tepelini, or the roads to Va-lona Va-lona and Tirana would be wide open. The Greeks reached the outskirts of Tepelini and this, according to military men. is the most vital town of all Albania. , UNREST: Reports Grow Surveys of unrest in conquered democracies or semi-democracies in Europe showed increases in hostility to Germany and Italy, and the newspaper news-paper evidence that Italy was suffering suf-fering internal pains was growing. The latter stories were mostly centered around "uncensored" reports re-ports filtering back to the United States apparently from members of the Mazzini, Italian-American organization or-ganization opposed to Fascism One report, typical, said 500 of these men were on one Italy-bound ship, landed, dispersed through the country, and were spreading unrest Most of the other stories emanated emanat-ed from returning travelers who had been in France, Norway, or other occupied zones, and had managed to make a getaway. Tales of hunger, of the autocratic domineering of the soldiery, 0f financial sabotage, of purchases of goods for marks that practically amounted to theft on a super-whole-sale basis, were common. |
