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__•_ I Dedicated to the m. ■ IAIA Served by Leased Wire of the j.rOGRESS TUp UuC associated press Qf Wilmington and I I I ■ H ^B With Complete Coverage Southeastern N. C. -— - ■■■■ ——; _ _ — -----» State and National News ___ ^TME (gflTV @(P (^©©ffiti^S &&3B) [ftlLliAgy•Kgjgg' - '^TUnoTlL WILMINGTON. N. C.. SUNDAY. FEBRUARY 2, 1941 PRICE FIVE CENTS VO* - ----—-A Weygand Urges Soldiers Not To Join De Gaulle; Tripoli Bombed By RAF * Bengasi’s Airfield Bombed 'By The Associated Press) CAIRO, Egypt, Feb. 1.—A vio lent step-up in the tempo of Brit ish air attacks in Libya was an nounced today in the prelude to another grand assault — aimed this time at Bengasi. The area to Bengal from fal len Derna and far beyond—TOO miles within Libya to Tripoli— was the theater of this new aerial offensive, intended to clear the way for British mechanized troops striking westward in their cars of steel and to disorganize the Italians far behind their lines. “Several” Tons The Royal Air Force an nounced that “several” tons of bombs had been loosed upon Tri poli, the capital of western Libya and a vital communications cen ter, and that “hundreds” of bombs had fallen upon Bengasi’s air center, the long-punished air drome at Barce. Supporting the British advance, the RAF also attacked the Italian air base of El Gubba on the plateau 25 miles southwest of Derna where pi lots reported a large number of fas cist vehicles were assembled. All through the British march, this kind of assault from the skies has preced ed the general attacks by ground troops — at Bardia, at Tobruk, at Derna. Barce lies 120 miles west of Derna. Tripoli is not only a major city in all Libya — having a population of about 100,000 — but stands near to (Continued on Page Five; Col. 6) 3,000 ITALIANS ESCAPE BRITISH Derna Garrison Is First In Libya To Achieve Or derly Retreat By EDWARD KENNEDY WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN DERNA, Libya, Feb. 1.—(A5)—The withdrawal of some 3,000 Italian soldiers under cover of night from Derna, the “Pearl of Cirenaica.” was the first orderly organized re treat the Italians have achieved since the British began their desert offensive last December. It was the first time, also, that the Fascists had kept much war materials from the British hands. Tne British found few men to be taken prisoners when they entered the city after the battle for Derna. Some of these were members of guns crews which covered the evacuation of the main force, which headed toward the Akdar moun tains. There the Italians apparent ly hope to make a new stand. The garrison departed after hold ing out six days against the British with the aid of strong forts, favor able terrain and much heavy artil lery. (The British announced the cap ture of Derna Thursday after four days of heavy fighting.) Through the final night, the Ital ian cannon fired almost steadily and even as they moved out in a big mo tor convoy taking everything they (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) ^ ry ry 7* nr*. 'K 'K ?<( « 7* Knox Fears Aid May Be Too Late _ - , fie Pleads | For Quick ktionHere Navy Secretary Is Certain Attack On Americas Will follow Nazi Win HE CITES DANGERS Cost Of Aid To Britain, He Declares, Will Be Good Investment WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.—® Pleading for speed in '.id to Eng land Secretary Knox said today hevas “positive” there would be jn Axis attack on the Western Hemisphere in event Britain fell, and declared "the odds would be against” United States success in repelling it. •■We'd have to strain every nerve,“ the navy secretary told the ; foreign relation committee in response to a question from Senat.-r Nye (D-ND) as to whether hemisphere defense would be “hopeless.” “I Don’t Know” "Can we act in time to save Britain if this awful crisis predict ed for the near future comes to pass?” Nye asked at another pout. Knox- and others have pre dicted a crisis within 69 to 90 days. "Frankly. I don’t know.” Knox replied. “I'm tremendously wor ried.” In his lengthy testimony, Knox returned time and again to the contention that the administra tion's aid-Brittin bill was a self defense measure. The "primary objective.” he said earnestly, was helping Eng land because "the British navy and British Isles” were the “first line of defense” for the United States. As for repayment for aid given the British. Knox asserted this was a matter of secondary considera tion. It will be a saving and a good (Continued on I’.ige Two; Col. 3) TWO AXIS PLANES DOWNED AT MALTA Meanwhile, Sicilian Strait Islands Are Declared ‘In War Zone’ VALLETTA. Malta, Feb. 1.—UP)— attac hi- planes were shot ‘f'"’n l00a>' in a raid on this Brit rh mid-Mediterranean island base. r the downed planes were j 111 01 Italian was not estab Sheii. lintnbetl in a raid last bombs were dropped - - ‘.I’) —The official lished an order today in •" Italian islands between (Continued on Page Five; Col. 8) WEATHER w FORECAST tvi! M.i,Light to moderate iiimljv''“‘stunlng iti west portion :rni iH.rii ‘ 11 -v armor east and cen Ws l-iftiit to moderate "if-in nrro and Monday begin !.'■ portion Suday. slight Mr Sunday. oiei.™ 1 s "rather Bureau) • :■■■■ - 'lata for hte 24 hours ' ' P; yesterday.) ! ^ . J'mperature ' :;'i ,, ’ ‘ , :i- m- *&; 1 :30 p. m. *% 5|., " maximum 51; mini moan 11; Tiurtnal 47 I Humidilr 8l:“■ 69:1:30 p- m , Total f,.,. . Precipitation 1 -4 hours ending 7:30 p. m. .Hi nM, . . "tat since first of the t,pr*i! i l or T««i»y ■! a,,,, .. ,.. Pnhlished hv 0. S. 1 "«(•'if Survey.) si,,,, High Low - 1:45a 9:0ia sont,»ro - :ll!)n 0:20p lnlei -11:47a 5:30a ^..hnrise 7;0Su 11:59p 5:55p ■,Ja: np.e v.'.,' jju*Vop* 5:43p: moonrise ^ a|)p ». - 'iIlp—u.s fee"'“r *•■** at layette """l "" '’age Three; Col. I!) IT’S A GOOD TRICK IF IT WORKS /aW NEA Service, Inc. Two New Strikes Called; Copper Plant Row Ended DEFENSE PLEA MADE Selective Service Official Urges Labor And Capital To Stop Wrangling By The Associated Press A Selective Service official called last night for an end to defense production delays arising from man agement’s quibbling over profits or labor’s controversies over wages, working conditions or union juris dictions. Brig. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, dep uty director of Selective Service, made this plea in an address at New Haven, Conn., at the close of a day which saw development of two new strikes and the settlement of an other. AFL Truck Drivers The new disputes were a strike of 1,500 AFL truck drivers in Day ton, Ohio, who asked a ten-cent-an hour wage increase, and a walkout of some CIO workers due to an un disclosed grievance at the Bridge viile, (Pa.) plant of the Universal Cyclops Steel Corp., makers of tool steel. A company spokesman said the Bridgeville plant had over $4.000,00C in orders for steel to be used di rectly or indirectly for national de (Continued on Page Three; Col. 5) JAPS REPORTED - LEAVING ISLANDS Exodus Of Japanese From Philippines Is Puzzling Manila Newspaper MANILA, Feb. 1—Uft—’The Tri bune said today Philippine officials were puzzled over the exodus ot Japanese from the commonwealth. More than 2,000 Japanese weye reported to have left the islands within the past six months. Under the new Philippine immi gration law, all nations are limit ed to 500 immigrants each annual ly. Authorities expected a heavy increase in Japanese arrivals dur ing the last half of 1940, before the new law became operative, but only 580 entered from that coun try. Previously, about 2,500 Japanese entered the Philippines annually and around 500 departed. “RECOVERED” PRINCETON, Ky„ Feb. 1.—OP)— During a coughing spell, Miss Isa bella Pilaut, 25, recovered a small gold-plated pin she said she “swal lowed” accidently when she was 9. William G. McAdoo Dies At 77OfHeartAttack WASHINGTON, Feb. 1. — (&> — William Gibbs McAdoo, World war cabinet officer, former senator, and distinguished in law, finance, and shipping, died today after a heart attack. At 77 still the tall, straight, active figure that lie was at 50 when lie entered public life as President Wil son’s secretary of the Treasury, Mc Adoo had come to Washington from his California home to attend Pres ident Roosevelt’s third inaugura tion. He had had two warnings of a weak heart, one a minor attack suf fered in Honolulu about a month ago, but he appeared to be in per: | feet health last night. He became ill about 2 a. m. and died at 10:15 a. m. (E. S. T.) in a hospital to which he was removed from his hotel. Mrs. Doris Cross McAdoo, his third wife r a daughter, Mrs. Brice ClageV, by . his first wife, and a doc tor and a nurse were with him. Funeral services will be held Mon day morning at Epiphany Episcopal church here, with the chaplain of the Senate, Rev. Zebarney T. Phil lips, conducting the services. Burial will be at Arlington cemetery. A provision was made sometime after (Continued on Page Three; fid. .1) WHEELER FLAYS F. R. STATEMENT Isolationist Denies He Ever Said Nazi Domination Inevitable WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.— (/P) — Senator W'heeler (D-Mont.) de nounced today as “a slanderous attack—attributed to a dead man” the story related by President Roosevelt that the late William E. Dodd once quoted Wheeler as say ing that Nazi domination of Europe was inevitable. The President, responding to a series of questions yesterday, told reporters he had been informed by Dodd, former ambassador to Ger many, that Wheeler expressed such a view at a dinner party in 1934 or 1935. Asked whether Wheeler favored Nazi domination of Europe, the chief executive answered that in evitable was a pretty comprehen sive word. Wheler, who is recuperating from influenza at the home of Ambas sador Joseph P. Kennedy at Palm Beach, Fla., said in a statement issued through his office that the accusation was “absolutely false.” he added: “This is a desperate attempt to discredit me because I stand un (Continueil on Page Three; Col. 3) BRITISH ESTIMATE NAZI AIR POWER Hitler Has 40,000 Planes But Could Use Only 9,000 At A Time LONDON, Feb. 1.—UP)—.An unof ficial but well-informed air obser ver tonight placed the number ot airplanes available to Germany for “full operation at any given time” at about 9,000 and said Ger many’s total air strength, includ ing all types of planes, is about 40,000. This observer said three Nazi air fleets were operating against Brit ain: Air fleet No. 2, under Field Mar shal General Albert Kesselring, (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) ITepeleni’s Fall Held , Likely Today Greek Occupation Of Base City On Road To Port j Expected Soon SUB SINKS TRANSPORT | .__ i French-Built Greek Craft [ [Torpedoes Vessel Near ’ i ■ A1_ _ - cupation of the Key Albanian town j of Tepeleni was said tonight to await only cleanlng-up operations and dispatches from the front re ported recent gains have put the Greeks on the threshold ol “new big victories.” Tepeleni, the dispatches said, has been enclosed on three sides, leaving open to the Italian defend ers only the road toward Valona and the Fascists were reported re treating toward that seaport, the next major goal of the Greek counter-invasion. Control Harbor Road Tepeleni and Klisura, which al-, I ready is in Greek hands, control ] southern Albanian roads leading to , the Italian-held harbor. Important gains were, .reported both north of Klisura and in the coastal sector, where counter-at tacks were said to have been crushed with heavy I.alian losses. “Despite repeated failures.” a Greek spokesman said, the Italians “attempted to launch two counter attacks in order to recapture posi- j tions lost in previous battles but were repelled with heavy losses.” | In some instances, he said. Fas- j cist units lost 'tu per cent 01 men forces.” Besides costly Italian los ses in dead and wounded, the spokesman said. 180 more Italian prisoners have been taken. The Greek submarine Papanico lis, recently listed as having sunk three Italian supply ships totalling 30.000 tons in a heavily-escorted convoy in the bay of Valona, was credited by the ministry of marine with having sunk another 10,000 ton, loaded vessel in the Brindisi area on the night of January 28. The ministry said “the enemy vessels” was escorted by a warship, when a torpedo from 'he French built Papanicolis found its mark. “Important” The high command described Italian mountain positions cap tured near Tepeleni as the best fortifications in Albania and of “great importance.” Besides per manent gun emplacements and machine-gun nests, they were said (Continued on Page Two; Col. 7) DUCE TUG SUNK BY BRITISH SUB Yugoslavian Reports Say Sinking Took Place In Territorial Waters SPLIT, Yugoslavia, Feb. 1—UR —The sinking yesterday of an Ital ian tug towing an armed barge by a British submarine—an incident said authoritatively to have oc curred in Yugoslavian territorial waters—led to the belief in some circles today that Britain has be gun a campaign to break up Axis shipping from Yugoslavian ports to Italian Trieste. Subsequently the submarine was to have stopped and searched the Yugoslav merchant ship Kosovo. German freighters caught in Yugoslavian ports at the start ot the war have long been carrying bauxite, and other (materials vital to German airplane production through Yugoslav's territorial wa ters to Trieste, where cargoes are transported by rail to the Reich. The Italian barge sent to the bottom was made of concrete, similar to United States World war freighters, and carried two guns and one anti-aircraft gun. It was reported from Belgade that the Yugoslav government is greatly worried at increasing na val activity in the Adriatic and is considering supplementing its na val patrols. IE SUPPORTS PETAIN >00,000 French Soldiers In Africa Are Asked To ‘Obey Orders’ 7AISE RUMORS RAPPED ALGIERS, French North Africa, 'eb. i—(FP)— (Via Radio)—General laxime Weygand. the colonial mil iary cpmmander of the Vichy gov rnment, urged his French Afri an army of 500,000 men today to lay no heed to appeals that they nter the war against the Italians. Instead, he charged his men to upport the “national revolution” if Marshal Philippe Petain; to tay out of a fight which, he said, vas “ended” for France with the irmistice with Germany and Italy. Answers da Gaulle Weygand replied by radio to a iroadcast from London Friday light in which the “Free French” eader. General Charles de Gaulle, lad asked the French in Africa to ittack the Italians from the west and thus “help complete the con quest of Libya.” ‘ On order of Marshal Petain,” General Weygand said, “I have assumed the command of all French forces in Africa with the purpose of coordinating our colo nial efforts in the task of rebuild ing our national affairs. “Marshal Petain has undertaken the gigantic task of the national revolution. Already the short time that has elapsed since Petain took the helm shows great progress. “We have beg-un to reorganize our national life, to find work for our demilitarized soldiers. . . “I thank you all for your col laboration so far, but much must still be achieved in the general interest of France. . . “Today, I direct your attention to a special issue. . . You (havel heard an appeal to take part again in a struggle which was ended b> France with the conclusion of the armistice. “I appeal to you not to leave the path of order and discipline, which would only mean the de struction of France and peril for all who took part in this under taking.” Over Vichy Radio (Weygand spoke over a Vichy controlled station and the broad cast was picked up in the United States by CBS. (.Only today the British air force reported heavy aerial attacks in Libya as part of the preparation for the expected general assault on Bengasi. Air bombardments ex tended far west to Tripoli, a vital center near the border of French Tunisia. A decision by any con siderable number of French Tuni sia would imminently imperil the Italians in the whole of Libya and put their whole colonial empire in jeopardy.) WARNING ALGIERS, French North Africa (Via Vichy), Feb. 1—M—General Maxime Weygand in a broadcast today warned against “false ru mors and loose criticisms,” and said the authorities would take “extremely rigorous sanctions to put an end to lies.” In a talk addressed to the popu lation of North Africa he said that people who wanted to appear well informed, even though their pa triotism was unquestioned, were weaving a web of lies which might paralyze the national revolution of Chief of State Philippe Petain. He asserted the government (Continued on Page Two; Col. 5) Young Republicans Urge Congress To Aid Britain DES MOINES, Ia„ Feb. 1.—UP>— Young Republicans in their national federation convention here today voted limited approval of “all-out” aid for Britain. A resolution, passed 205 to 165, called for “every possible military and economic aid to the democracies consistent with building our own na tional defense and our determination to stay out of war.” The convention asked that con gress take "such action as it downs necessary to achieve these ends, In cluding the granting of emergency executive powers with specific pro vision made for the return of any power granted as soon as the emer gency is ended/’ and that congress retain its constitutional powers over the purse ant' declaration of war. This provision is along the line of the address Friday by former ' iover nor Raymond E. Baldwin of Con necticut. In another resolution the federa tion declared its recognition of the right of labor to collective bargain ing, peaceful picketing and ‘‘to assert its right in a legal way.” The afternoon convention program, following the adoption of resolutions. (Continued on Page Three; Col- (i) 4 URGE COLLABORATION Full Working Agreement With Hitler Before He Wins Is Asked IS FORMED IN PARIS f By the Associated Press Formation oC a group opposed to Chief of S'tate Philippe Petain’s French “national union'' committee of 51 was announced by the radio in German-occupied Paris last night, with a violent attack on "the Men / of Vichy.” And a warning that ] France must collaborate quickly and fully with Germany before the Nazi “victory over England.” The pro-Nazi group of Frenchmen < flung its challenge to the Petain government by announcing forma tion of a "peoples committee" sup porting complete collaboration with Germany. Follows Weygand Speech The Paris announcement came sliortlv niter General Maxime Wev gand, commander of 500,000 regular French troops in North Africa, had —in a radio address—reaffirmed his loyalty to the Petain government and advised his men not to be sway ed from their loyalty to France as represented by the marshal. The waiting army of General Wey gand has been described as a pote t bargaining tool in the dealings of Chief of State Petain with the Ber lin government. General Weygand, it was said, was not unwilling to throw his forces into the balance if ■ too drastic German measures were imposed on France. The Paris challenge was accom panied by a belligerent attack on Foreign Minister Pierre-Etienne ! Fiandin, Interior Minister Marcel Peyrouton and the Vichy govern ment in general. It was voiced by Jean Fontenoy, French newspaper man, speaking over the Paris radio. Emphasizing that time was press- ; ing, Fontenoy issued a call for sup port by all Frenchmen. He praised former Vice-Premier Pierre Laval and said that Petain's committee of 51 was formed as a result of “the events of December 13“ when Laval resigned and was placed under technical arrest. Fontenoy said his committee was formed of newspaper editors, indus tralists, workers and others in the occupied zone to prepare a program from all France. No Direct Attack He made no direct attack on Mar shal Petain but emphasized that the Paris committee was in direct op- I position to the Vichy committee formed January 19 under direction of Marsha] Petain's office with the aim of developing a national organi (Continued on Page Three; Col- 6) NAI?S CLAIM SIX Big ships sunk Seventh Blown Up In Port During Mediterranean Raid, Berlin Says — BERLIN, Feb. 2.— (Sunday)—'k —Authorized sources said early to day that six ships totalling 36,000 J tons had been “successfully at tacked” in the Mediterranean by German bombers on Jan. 31. Another' announcement said a German bomber had blown up a ship “in a Mediterranean harbor.” (British reports said two invad ing planes were shot down Satur day in a raid on the British mid Mediterranean island base of Mal ta: Whether the planes were Ger- ■ man or Italian was not established. , They said bombs were dropped in a'raid Friday night but that none fell in the Saturday attack.! German sources did not disclose where the bombings occurred or whether all were in one operation. They stressed, however, that all were done in one day and said that of the total attacked, 26,000 tons of shipping could be reckoned as lost. Besides the ship blown up, Ger man bombers were said to have sunk two others, each of about 4, 000 tons, in the harbor. - Two others of about 5,000 tons each were reported “heavily dam aged or set afire,” another of 6, 000 tons was said to have shown a bad list and a J,000-ton mer (Continued on Page Nine; Col. J) "‘a
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Feb. 2, 1941, edition 1
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