DECISIVE DAY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 September 1941, Page 6

DECISIVE DAY

» PRESIDENT’S DECLARATION AXIS ANGRY. WORLD-WIDE REPERCUSSIONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.40 p.m.) LONDON, September 12. President Roosevelt’s speech and its developments, including a report that 000 United States naval units already are carrying out. the President's order, overshadow all else in the news today. The British views of the importance of the speech are supported, by the anger of Axis radios, which hurled abuse at the President throughout the night. Verbatim translations of the speech were broadcast in all European transmissions. i

The “Express” says: “The President’s declaration is an immense step in the business of getting American arms to Britain. Today is a big day for the Democratic cause —and a decisive day of the war.”

The “Chronicle” says: “The United States is definitely nearer open war. President Roosevelt’s order means that four-fifths of the Atlantic is closed to Axis operations, except at a direct invited risk of being shot at by American warships and planes.” The “Standard” says: “The torpedo fired at the Greer changed the whole face of the war. President Roosevelt leads America with great audacity and our response must be more audacity.” According to a Rome message the Stefani News Agency stated that the world had learned of the details of the speech with stupor. President Roosevelt pretends to extend the limits of American protective waters wherever he thinks fit, even into the zones already proclaimed war zones by the Axis.

The Berlin radio gave a most abbreviated version of the speech, interladen with bitter comment, saying President Roosevelt has the insolence to demand that the xAxis permit the United States to supply England and Russia with war material. He is making the United States people ripe for war. The official spokesman in Berlin refused to discuss President Roosevelt's broadcast.

Comment in Cairo emphasises the significance of the speech in the Middle East operations. The opinion is expressed that the declaration will release more units of the Royal Navy from the Atlantic and, facilitate the flow of supplies to the Middle East. Well-informed circles in Zurich interpret the speech as implying that President Roosevelt is reassured about Japan.

SHOOT AT SIGHT IN PACIFIC AS WELL AS • 'ATLANTIC. VIRTUAL DECLARATION OF WAR. (Received This Day, 1 p.m.) NEW YORK, September 12. An ex-chief of the United States naval operations, Rear-Admiral Stirling, considers President Roosevelt’s order to the fleet to shoot at sight covers the Pacific as well as the Atlantic and the border would' probably involve a limited patrol of the routes from America to Australia, and from Australia to Singapore, India and Africa. American forces would work in very close co-operation with Britain and her allies, which meant that United States ships could use British and Allied bases. The general opinion in the United States is that the President's speech was virtually a declaration of war. The “New York Post,” in an editorial, while praising the speech and admiring its restraint and correctness, nevertheless contends that the President should go farther. “We ask for instant action to destroy the Nazi menace once and for all,” it states, “if remains for the people, if they share the moral judgment against the Nazi system, to impress their views upon the President. We urge them to do this, so we can free the President to act as we want him to act, by arming him with an expressed majority will.” The White House announced that of 1,600 messages received overnight on the President’s speech only 150 were critical.