BRITAIN’S MAXIMUM EFFORT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20057, 2 October 1939, Page 8

BRITAIN’S MAXIMUM EFFORT

WINSTON CHURCHILL EMPHATIC Elimination Of Hitler “Gangsters DEFENDING CIVILISATION AND LIBERTY First Lord Reviews First Month of Conflict (Elec. Tel. Copyright.—United Press Assn.) (Reed. October 2, 1.15 p.m.) LONDON, October 1. In a broadcast address traversing the first month of the war, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Winston Churchill, said the Allies bad not reached the seventy of fighting that c;m be expected. There were three important events, however. First, there was the over-running of Poland, which, nevertheless, would emerge like a rock from a tidal wave, Russia’s assertion of her power in pursuit of a cold-blooded policy of self-interest, though by such action had been . created an Eastern Front which Germany dared not assail. The German Foreign Minister, Herr von Rihbentrop, was summoned to Moscow to accept the fact that the Nazi designs on the Baltic States and the Ukraine must stop. Russia’s future action was a riddle to which the possible key was her self-interest. It mis not in accordance wit i that self-interest that Germany should plant herself on the shores of the Black Sea, over-run the Balkans, or subjugate the Slavonic peoples of South-Eastern Europe. Russia s interest fell into the same channel as the British and brencji. None of these three could afford to see Rumania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria or Turkey under the heel ol: the Nazi buceaitecis. Hitler Warned Off Eastern Europe. “I proclaim, at the risk of being proved wrong, my conviction that the second great fact is that Herr Hitler and all he stands for, is being warned off the east and south-east of Europe,” continued Mr. Churchill. “The third event, on which .1. speak as First Lord of the Admiralty with especial caution, is that the U-boat attack on the life of the British Isles has not, so far, been successful. It is true that when we are conducting ordinary business with 2000 ships in constant movement daily they did serious damage, but the Royal. Navy immediately attacked them and is hunting them day and night—l will not say without mercy, because God forbid that we should over part company with that, but at any rate with zeal and not altogether without relish And it ' looks to-night very much as if: it is the U-boats who are feeling the weather and not the Royal Navy or world-wide commerce or Britain. “B is a week since a British ship, alone or convoyed, has been sunk or even molested on the high, seas, whereas we have captured, through the contraband control, 150,000 tons more of German merchandise—food, oil, minerals and other commodities for our benefit than we have lost by all the U-boat sinkings put together.”

“Wc have been told that all the Üboats have gone home to tell their master about their exploits and experiences,” continued Mr. Churchill. “It is not true, because daily we are attacking them on the approaches to the British Isles. “Some U-boats preferred to go off ancl slink unprotected Scandinavian neutral ships. I hope the day will come when the Admiralty can invite the ships of all nations to join the British convoys and insure them on voyages at a reasonable rate. “We must expect a renewal on a greater scale of the U-boat attack on the world’s seaborne commerce. We hope, however, that by the end of October we will have three-fold as many hunting craft working as at me beginning of the war. We hope that our means of suppressing this pest will grow continually, we are taking great care about that. “As to what is happening in our own island, 1 feel keenly the reproaches of those who wish to throw themselves into the fight, but for whom we cannot at present find full scope. All this will clear as we get into our stride. The Government will make the maximum effort of whico the nation is capable and will perservere, whatever may happen, until the decisive victory is gained. Parliament will be kept in session and all grievances, muddles and scandals freely ventilated. “A large army has already gone lo France and British armies on the scale of the Great War are being prepared. “The Government has given directions to prepare for at least three years of war. That does not mean that victory may not be gained in a shorter time. How soon depends on how long Herr Hitler and his group of gangsters, whose ha'nds are stained with blood and sticky with corruption, can keep their grip on the docile, unhappy German people. “It was for him to say when it will end. It began when he wanted it and will end only when we are convinced that he has had enough. “Now that we have begun, we are going on with the help of God and with the conviction that we arc the defenders of civilisation and freedom. Britain and France together are 85,000,000 even in their homelands alone, and are united in the cause and convinced of our duty. “Nazidom, with all its tyrannical power, controls no more than 85,000,000 people, of whom at least 10,000,000 newly-conquered Czechoslovaks and Austrians writhe under a cruel yoke held clown by main force. “We can 'bring the vast latent power of the British and French Empires to ■bear upon decisive points. We have freely been given the ardent support of 20,000,000 British citizens in Canada. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. We have the heart and moral convictions'of India on our side. “‘I believe that we -e entitled to the respect ancl goodwill of the world, particularly the United States of America.

“Here I am in the same post as 23 years ago. Rough times lie ahead, but how different is the scene from October of 1914. Then the French front seemed about to break under the terrific impact of German imperilism. Russia had been laid low at Tannenberg and the whole might of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was embattled against us. “The brave and warlike Turks were about to join our enemies. Wc had to be ready day and night to fight a

decisive battle with a formidable German fleet. “I do not under-rate what lies before us, but I have no doubt that we have the strength to carry the good cause forward.”