WORLD REACTION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 310, 31 December 1940, Page 7

WORLD REACTION

COMMENT ON SPEECH. Most Powerful Indictment Of Nazi-ism. Bri-.ii-h Official Wireless. (Rood, jjnon.) RCGBY, Dec 30. President. Koo-sevelt's speech ttss warmly -welcomed in official circles in London and rejrarded as iurther proof of the conracre and realism of America's altitude towards the dangers confronting democracy no less in lhe western hemisphere than in Europe and Asia. The speech was one of tbe most powerful an 1 10-ical indictments of Xazi-i»jn c\cr t-jxApn. and Mr. Koom:--velt's recognition of the futility of any attempt u> j].jn';i>e the forves of t-i jl is "'•ltd Willi fjKt-ial saii-fa-ction. lli< definition ( .f America V role as the ".irsciiiil of democracy." and hi* f'.nini.'la .-\; n-s-i.T. of iVjjt-f in the ultimate defeat of th<- Axis Powers will 1-e a H'Un-e of iivpii.ilion and couta<?»> to tha le.idcrs ind jx-ople of Britain. American prodvrill and the provision of America's mat. rial assistance in a patherinji \'>lumc and with ILp utmost ppced an- of no tiian vital importance to tbe I'ropie of tl i= country, win aro determined to con'inue the var no i matter at what com tmiil the danjrcrß \»]iich now denv-craoy are linally ovcmimc. ! i A passage in President Roosevelt "s , 1 n.H.lca-t which ntirn.n-d attention hero jr« that in which he ,-i"'V;e of the ]«ositii>n ><{ Miinller Male-. He made it cjpar lli.it noihinp- in the lesion provided !•> the t:ito ui Au-tria. Cwvhoslovak ia. Norway. Denmark. Holland sin(3 Bcl^iuuj j lukl hvi-n lost np'iii lhe While House. The White Hou>e Secretary amifiuni'dl that Mr. Hooscvelt was irvmendoush j>leaeed )>y the reception <,f his spfech. osj>ecia!ly the fact that it was approved by some Republican lender*, says a cable message from Washington. A hijrli Canadian Government official said: "It mifrht. be the turning point in tlie world struggle nfrainst Hatlerism. It was an epochal speech." It is learned in Berlin that the Foreijm Minister, von Ribbentrop. impersonally siudyinp Mr. Roosi?vcllV speech. In the meanwhile, pending ofiicial reaction, non-officia] J>olitsc-a] persons arc of :he opinion that the "speech, is hardly sensational, and follows the jreneral lines of what Mr. Roosevelt has eaid on many previous oceaMons." Mussolini's Press spokesman. Vlrpinin Gay da, writing editorially in the Kanu-newf-paper "Giomale d'llalia."' a.ssailMr. J{oose\Tlt. saying: "Roosevelt Jβ a man of undeclared war ajrainst the A\'n and Japan, lie stands side by side with Englaud. T '