CHURCHILL SPEAKS

Evening Star, Issue 24079, 27 December 1941, Page 8

CHURCHILL SPEAKS

CHEERED BY U.S. SENATE HANDS ACROSS THE SEA UNITY SPELLS DOOM FOR GANGSTERS (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright (ißec. 1 p.m.) RUGBY. Dec. 2G. Listeners throughout Britain have Leen thrilled, not only at the inspiring message delivered by Mr Churchill to the joint se.won at Washington of the Senate and the House, but also by tho warmth of the welcome he was given. The cheers which greeted him throughout his speech arc felt here to demonstrate a friendship of tho two peoples which guaYantces complete .sympathy, understanding, and support of the joint struggle. After reference to Ids American forbears, Mr Churchill said; “ L have been in full harmony all my life with tho ' tides which flowed on both sides of tho Atlantic against privilege and monopoly, and 1 have steered confidently towards the Gettysburg ideal of government of the people by the people. In my country as in yours public men are proud to be servants of the State, and would be ashamed to be its masters. On any day, if they thought the people wanted it, the House of Commons could on a simple vote remove me from office, but 1 am not worrying about it at all. As a matter of fact, I am assured that they will approve very highly of my journey here, for which I obtained the King’s permission, to meet Mr Roosevelt and arrange with him for all that mapping out of our military plans, and for all those intimate meetings of high officers of the services in both countries that are indispensable for tho prosecution of the war. “ I would like to say first of all how much I have been encouraged by the breadth of view and the sense of proportion thfUt" I* have found in all quarters over here to which I have had access. Anyone who did not understand the size and solidarity of the United States might have expected to find an excited, disturbed, and self-centred atmosphere, with all minds fixed upon the startling, painful buffets of sudden war as they hit America. I OLYMPIAN FORTITUDE. “After all the United States has been attacked and set upon by three of the most powerful armed Dictator States, and a quarrel opened that can only end in their overthrow or yours. “ Here in Washington in these memorable days I found an Olympian fortitude whidh, far from being based upon complacency, has only masked an inflexible purpose, and is proof of sure will and confidence in the final outcome. We in Britain had the same feeling in our darkest days. We, too, were sure that in the end all would be well. RUTHLESS ENEMY. “ You do not underrate tho severity of the ordeal to which you and wo will still be subjected. The forces ranged against us are enormous. These ruthless, wicked men and factions who have launched their pedples on the path of war and conquest know that they will be called to a terrible account if they cannot beat down by force the peoples they have assaulted. “ They will stop at nothing. They have a vast accumulation of war weapons of all kinds, highlytrained armies, navies, and air services. They will stop at nothing that violence or treachery can suggest. It is true that on our side the resources in man power and material are far greater than theirs, but only a portion of you are mobilised and developed, and we, both of us, have much to learn In the cruel art of war.” Mr Churchill added that, provided every effort was made, nothing kept back, the whole man power, brain power, virility, valour, and virtue of the English-speaking world, with all its galaxy of loyal friends, were associated in the common effort, it was reasonable to hope that the end of 1942 would see us definitely in a better position than now, and 1943 would enable us to assume the initiative upon an ample scale. MASTERS OF OUR FATE. “I am sure this day that now we are masters of our fate, the task which has been set us is not above our strength. The pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance, As long as we have faith in our cause, and unconquerable willpower, salvation will not be denied us. Not all the tidings will bo evil. Mighty strokes have already been dealt against the enemy. The glorious defence by i the Russian armies and people inflicted defeats upon Nazi tyranny, and boastful Mussolini has crumpled already, stripped of his African empire. For many months we have devoted ourselves to preparing an offensive in Libya. For the first time we have fought the enemy with equal weapons; and for the first time we have made them feel the sharp edge of those tools with which they enslaved Europe. General Auchinleck set out to totally destroy an enemy force of 150,000. I have every • reason to believe that his aim will be accomplished.” NEVER AGAIN. “ Do wo not owe it to ourselves, to our children, and to tormented mankind to see that these catastrophes do not engulf us a third time? Five or six years ago it would have been easy without bloodshed for the United States and Britain to have insisted on fulfilment of disarmament. “ The chance has departed. Prodigious hammer strokes have been needed to bring us together to-day. He must indeed be a blind soul who cannot see some great purpose being worked out here below, for which reason we have the honour to be faithful servants. It is not given us to peer, into the.future. Yet in the days to come the British and American peoples will for their own safety and for the good of all walk together in majesty, justice, and peace.” (By Radio.) OTHER POINTS OF SPEECH. There was a time of great tribulation before us, Mr ( Imrehiil said. For the best part of 20 years the people of Germany ami Japan had been taught tho most noble art was war, They i

had planned for nothing but war. Wo had. indeed, to be thankful that so much time had been granted n.s. K Germany laid decided to invade Groat Britain after the collapse of .Franco, no one could say what agony wo might have had to endure. Speaking of the preparations for the Libyan offensive, he .said this was the first time we had been able to fight the enemy with his own weapons. “ We are about to beat tbe life out of the savage Nazi,” he said. “ What we have given him in Libya is sample and a foretaste of what ho will get later in every theatre of war.” Many people thought that the British Empire was broken 18 months ago. but it was growing incomparably stronger ,and now that the United States of America, never before .so united, had drawn the sword, the position was brighter still. Now that w’e were linked in unity and as comrades in arms a new scene had opened. Mr Churchill also spoke of the Japanese offensives in the Pacific. He had been asked why insufficient equipment had not been sent to Malaya and the Far East generally, and in reply he could only point to Libya, for it had been impossible to supply both points at the one time. Many people might wonder how the Japanese could plunge into a war with America and Great Britain, for they must know that the stakes for which they threw were mortal. It was difficult to reconcile Japanese action with prudent thought. However, they would be taught a lesson which they and the world would not forget. MR NORMAN DAVIS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN ABSENTIA LONDON, Doc, 25. The German News Agency reports that after a 50-day trial, which is a. record lor Bulgarin, a special court sitting in Sofia sentenced to death in absentia Air Norman Davis, formerly Press attache to the British Legation; AI. Dimitrov, general .eeretary of the Communist International; and AI. Ret-

kovic. former secretary of the Yugoslav Legation, on charges of preparing a revolt in Bulgaria, beginning in 1911. Eleven accused who appeared were also sentenced to death. Tho accused allegedly aimed to “ change Bulgaria’s political and sot ml regime with the assistance of foreign Powers.” ACTIVITIES BEYOND SUSPICION (Rec. 11.10 a.m.) LONDON, December 26. Router’s learned that Air Norman Davis cabled last night that he left Bulgaria before the severance of Brilisli-Bnlgnrian relations. His activities in Bulgaria’were beyond suspicion.