MEETING IN THE ATLANTIC

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23412, 20 August 1941, Page 7

MEETING IN THE ATLANTIC

CHURCHILL TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT

BROADCAST ON SUNDAY (Received August 19, 11 p.m.) (l ir ß 4*L LONDON, August 19. Next Sunday Mr Churchill will broadcast to the people of Britain and the Empire a full, personal account of his talks with Mr Roosevelt. Soon after his return to London Mr Churchill presided at a meeting of the War Cabinet, which was attended by & 11 "® Minister of New Zealand (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser). . When Mr Churchill visited Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, on his return journey, he spoke to cheering, crpwds outside Parliament House. He' said: We came here to keep the Germans away from Iceland. We will tro , ub }e your life as little as possible Tr n nlfJ U cw ntee li. to £ether with the United States, that after the war your culture will be linked with a free mture.

Mr Churchill began his journey by tram from London to a British port, where he .boarded a destroyer. Naval personnel and others at the port were sworn to secrecy, None of them knew tbe Prime Minister was going. Mr Churchill stood on the bridge of the destroyer when she put to sea. and there he transferred to the flagship King George V, where he was received by the Commander-In-Chief of the Home Fleet (Admiral Sir John Tovey), The Prime Minister lunched on the flagship and afterwards transferred to the Prince of Wales for the voyage across the Atlantic. Destroyers , e Nome Fleet escorted the Prince of Wales outward, and other destroyers went out to escort her jjomeward. Secrecy of Arrangements The arrangements for the voyage were kept so secret that the officers and ships’ companies in many units of the Home Fleet had no idea who was aboard.

Ten distinguished persons journeyed to- America with Mr Churchill, including his personal assistant, Lord Cherwell.

Only Mr Roosevelt and Mr Churchill were present when the eight-point declaration was worked out on the American cruiser Augusta. The homecoming of Mr Churchill coincided with news from the other side of the Atlantic that Mr Roosevelt was conferring with Congress leaders at the White House.

Senator A. W. Barkley, the Democrat leader in the Senate, told reporters that the question of a further lease and lend appropriation has been raised during the talks between the two democratic leaders. He added that the Japanese situation was mentioned only casually. "I don’t believe that any commitments were made at the conference between Mr Roosevelt and Mr Churchill which will alter the United States’ position towards I don’t believe that we have drifted any closer to actual involvement.” . This statement was made by the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Senator Tom Connally) after a conference at which Mr Roosevelt fully outlined what took place at his meeting 'with Mr Churchill. Lease-Lend Aid Senator. Connally added that speculation regarding additional lend and lease aid was wide of the.mark. Actually it would be nearer four billion dollars than ten billions. Not all the money the United States would spend on the lend and lease programme would be tossed into a hole or well. She would get some of it back. The need for' better relations between the White House and the Capitol is generally realised in informed quarters in Washington. The recent Congressional developments have shown clearly that the Legislature, if not exactly in' a mood for revolt, is suspicious of Mr Roosevelt’s moves. _ This makes a dangerous situation m time of emergency, and the President is the only man who can mend matters. He will need to persuade the American people and Congress that he is pursuing the course best calculated to preserve the United States from the danger that exists and grows greater. Observers believe that a fireside chat could do a great deal to accomplish such ends.

Strain on man-

power

HEAVY DEMANDS IN BRITAIN LABOUR OFFICIAL SPEAKS OF DIFFICULTIES

(B;0.W.) RUGBY. August 18. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour (Mr R. Assheton), speaking in London, said: “I think that the country is beginning to realise the very great difficulties of the manpower situation. As the war develops, the strain upon our manpower and womanpower increases, and we have not only reached the point when there is no surplus manpower available, but we have reached the point where it is becoming very difficult to satisfy all our important needs. “We must remember that there are many demands in this war which we did not have to meet in the last war. There is, to begin with, a vast new demand for men for the Royal Air Force and for the great aircraft industry which supports it. There is also an entirely new demand for the civil defence service and the fire service, because we meet the war in our own homes as well as in the battlefronts overseas. “As more and more men are called up, the demand for women - to take their places grows, and at the present time the services are badly in need of women to do work which previously was done by men who are thus released for duties which women cannot undertake. Although there is np conscription for women for the forces in the normally accepted use of that word, there certainly is compulsion for war work and compulsion will be applied in cases where this is necessary. “Our experience so far in dealing with the call-up of women has been very favourable. Girls, generally, are ready and willing to do what is wanted, and . I need hardly say that they are most anxious to help their country.”. BRITISH MARKETS BENEFIT TURKISH-GERMAN TRADE , BREAKS DOW& (Received August 19, 9.50 p.fh.) i LONDON, August 19. The Ankara correspondent ©f the “Daily Telegraph” says that Britain and the Empire are benefiting from the breakdown of transport between Germany and Turkey, which is upsetting Turkish-German trade. British purchases in Turkish markets in the last 12 months totalled about £4,4Q0,00Q. Turkish pnfcrsfrom Britain Juplude 23,WQ tons of steel and 10.0QO tpns <4 sugar. Grade Field* on Tour .—Oracle Fields, has left England by air on the first stage of an American and Empire tour including Australia and New Zealand. The proceeds will be devoted to patriotic; funds.—London, August 18,