MR. EDEN'S TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 99, 23 October 1940, Page 9

MR. EDEN'S TOUR

MIDDLE EAST COMMAND

HEARTENING EFFECT

DIPLOMATIC TALKS

(British Official Wireless.) (Received October 23, 10.50 a.m.) RUGBY, October 22. The tour of the Middle East Command made by the Secretary of War has given Mr. Eden the fullest opportunity of inspecting military units and assessing the needs of the forces in this theatre of war.

In Egypt, where the visit had a most heartening effect, Mr. Eden met King Farouk and leading Egyptians, as well as high British officers.

The Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Archibald Wavell, accompanied Mr. Eden on his visit to Palestine, where units of the garrison were inspected. Crossing into the Transjordan, Mr. Eden was received by the Emir Abdulla and was the guest at a dinner at Amman.

' There is no truth in a report that 1 Mr. Eden intends to travel to Istanbul j ■ for the purpose of conferring with Sir j ; Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, the British Ambassador. During Sir Hughe KnatchbullHugessen's stay in Istanbul he was visited by Mr. G. W. Rendel, the ■ British Minister in Bulgaria, who has now returned to Sofia. The British ; Minister in Yugoslavia, Mr. Ronald Campbell, is at present the guest of | Si- Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, having arrived after Mr. Renders departure. Mr. Campbell's visit will be restricted to two days. At its conclusion he will return to his post m Belgrade and the British Ambassador in Turkey will leave for Ankara. While advantage, no doubt, has been taken of these visits for an exchange of views upon matters of interest te them in their respective missions, they were primarily of a private and personal character. The fact that these visiting Ministers were not present at Ankara at the same time disposes of a report that they attended for the purpose of a conference, and it may be added that no instructions for any such conference have been issued from London. FIELD ACTIVITY R.A.F. SUCCESSES CAIRO'S FIRST AIR RAID (Received October 23, 9 a.m.) LONDON, October 22. A Royal Air Force communique issued in Cairo stated that Tobruk was successfully raided on October 20, bombs falling on the waterfront between barracks and naval fuel tanks. One explosion was so violent that it lit up the cabin of one of the raiding aircraft. Gura was successfully attacked, and two large buildings were directly hit, other bombs causing large fires Tnree grounded enemy aircraft at Asmara aerodrome were bombed, and Agordat was also raided, but the damage could not be observed. Bombs were also dropped close to the main hangars at Diredawa. All the British planes returned. I A naval communique issued at Alexandria states that several enemy aircraft bombed the vicinity of Alexandria in the early hours yesterday. There were no casualties. and no damage was done. A Nairobi communique states: One of our ground patrols encountered an enemy post at Walgaris, on the frontier of Kenya and Somaliland. Our casualties were very slight. Enemy planes dropped many bombs at Habaswem and Garissa. No material damage was done, but four persons were injured.' One person was killed and six injured, in the first air raid on Cairo on the night of October 20, when bombs were dropped on a farm on the outskirts of the city. . AIR ATTACK ON DIREDAWA (Received October 23, 11 a.m.) ADEN, October 22. The R.A.F. made a vigorous attack on the aerodrome and military encampment at Diredawa, considerable damage being done to hangars, barracks, and the railway. INSULTS TO ISLAM DUCE'S UNFORGIVABLE SIN KARACHI, October 21. Mir Talpur, Moslem Premier of the Indian Province of Sind, said that Mussolini had committed an unforgivable sin in allowing his airmen to fly over Mecca, specially during the holy month of Ramadan. The raid against Bahrein was a rape of neutrality and an insult to Islam and the East. "This act of Fascist vandalism," he said, "proves that Moslems and Indians must close their ranks and place everything they possess at Britain's disposal." U.S.A. TO PROTEST TO ITALY WASHINGTON, October 21. The Standard Oil Company has protested to the State Department against the Italian bombing of Bahrein. The company has been advised that the United States will protest to Italy after the facts have been officially received.