SPAIN AND MIDDLE EAST

Evening Star, Issue 23702, 9 October 1940, Page 8

SPAIN AND MIDDLE EAST

REFERENCES BY MR CHURCHILL GOODWILL TOWARDS SPANISH PEOPLE FORCES IN DESERT READY TO MEET ITALIANS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 8. (Received October 9, at 11.15 a.m.) The main part of Mr Churchill’s speech was devoted to the balance of advantage in the struggle for air mastery, but he had also something to say about Spain. Referring to the hesitations which had been apparent for some months past, he said: “ We hove always wished well to the Spanish people, and in the glorious period of her history we have stood between Spain and foreign domination. There is no country in the world more in need of peace than this Spain, which has been torn and tormented by the devastation of the civil war into which the Spanish people were thrown by a series of incidents and misunderstandings, and from the ruins of which they must rebuild their united national life in dignity, mercy, and honour,’’ There was a passing reference, too, to the shape of events in the Middle East. After assuring the House that despite the continued imminence of invasion, the Government had not failed to reinforce the British forces in the Middle East or elsewhere, Mr Churchill said: “ I shall certainly not make any prophecies of what will happen when the British, Australian, New Zealand, and Indian troops come to close grips with thq Italian invaders who are now making their way across the desert to them. All 1 will say is that we are doing our best there as here, and we are doing a good deal better than we were some time ago.” FOREIGN HOLDINGS IN U.S.A. POWER TO WITHHOLD PAYMENT WASHINGTON, October 7. The Senate unanimously passed and sent to the House a Bill giving the Secretary of State power to withhold the payment of 2,600,000,000 dollars of foreign gold and cash deposited in the United States before the Fmropean nations had been conquered. The Bill permits the banks to turn over the money only to representatives of a foreign Government recognised by the United States. The Senate voted in favour of an investigation into the degree of foreign interest in American defence industries. This action is linked with a recent report showing substantial foreign holdings in several vital industries, and investigations showing the existence of foreign patents either restricting or increasing the cost of rearmament. The resolution authorises the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee in cooperation with the Justice Department, to investigate stock holdings of American corporations essential to defence. COUNCIL OF CIVIL LIBERTIES REPRESENTATIONS TO MINISTER (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 7. A deputation from the National Council of Civil Liberties complained to Mr Duff Cooper that newspaper articles published in Britain are drastically censored before despatch to Umpire and foreign countries. The secretary, Mr Ronald Kidd, declared that editors in Canada, South Africa, and elsewhere protested against the mutilation of despatches from Britain, and alleged that the deletions were not made because the opinions were harmful to the successful prosecution of the war, but because of the political opinions in them. The deputation urged Mr Duff Cooper to obtain a revision of the “ drastic powers,’’ under which the Minister of Home Security is able to ban journals considered harmful to the successful prosecution of the war. Mr Duff Cooper promised to consider the points, but said it must be conceded that emergency powers were necessary in war time.