MR ROOSEVELT’S APPEAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 143, 17 May 1940, Page 5

MR ROOSEVELT’S APPEAL.

relaxed.

GREEK PREPARATIONS. NEW YORK. May 16. Tim New York Times’s Washington correspondent says that, in consequence of disturbing reports concerning the increasing danger of Italian involvement in the war, President Roosevelt has again appealed to Signor Mussolini not to spread the war. The appeal was drafted at a midnight conference with Mr Cordell Hull and other advisers, and has been transmitted to the United States Ambassador in Rome. Officials in AVaslnngtor; will not comment, except to sav that the President is merely continuing his efforts to prevent the war from spreading. TROOPS ON FRONTIER. The correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain at Athens says Greece is reported to have rushed troops and reinforcements to the .Albanian frontier shortly after midnight (states a London report). A further report says the Greek Un-der-Secretary for War (M. Papademas) is personally supervising precautionary measures, which, it is understood, have been ordered throughout the frontier regions. It was announced from Budapest this morning that the telephone line between Budapest and Athens went dead during the night. In Yugoslavia unknown people have circulated a leaflet warning the people that every German in the country is more or less a spy, and that every German of military age was a certain member of the Fifth Column.

In Italy, some neivspapers joyfully foresee the end of Britain and the Empire, but one newspaper reminds Italians that German troops have not vet come against the main body of the Allies. This warning had a counterpart in Germany to-day, when the High Command told the public not to lay too much store by early successes. The sailing of the liner Comtesse di Savoia for New York to-day is taken for the present anyway as a reassuring sign.

BRITISH REPRESENT ATI ONS.

The British Ambassador in Rome (Sir Percy Loraine) has made representations to Count Ciano (Italian Foreign Minister) about the demonstrations. Troops still guard the British and French Embassies in Rome, and a guard was also sent to the Yugoslav Legation after some students, who tried to march there, were stopped by the police. Tlie secretary of the Fascist Party to-day ordered all Fascist local secretaries to appoint by next Monday deputies who could take charge in ease the secretaries were called to arms. A now law was tabled in the Italian Chamber yesterday extending the zone considered as Italian territorial waters for Customs purposes from six miles to 12 miles out to sea.