CAN AND WILL BE STOPPED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 29 October 1941, Page 5

CAN AND WILL BE STOPPED

FORWARD MARCH OF HITLERISM Broadcast by F resident Roosevelt AMERICAN SH'.PS MUST BE ARMED Goods to Allies to be Delivered

Washington* Oct. 27. l ive months ago 1 proclaimed the existence of a slate of unlimited emergency,” said President Roosevelt in a Navy Day broadcast Since then much bas happened. Our army and navy are tern porarily in Iceland in dei'ence of the Western Hemisphere. 1 iitier has attacked shipping in areas close to the Americas. Throughout the Atlantic, many American-owned merchant ships have been sunk on the high seas. One American destroyer was attacked on 4th September. Another was attacked and hit on 1 7th October. Eleven brcvve, loyal men of our navy were killed by the We have wish*ed to avoid shooting, but the shooting has started and history has recorded who fired the first shot. In the long run. however, all that w,H matter is who fired the last shot. America has been attacked. Ihe Kearny is not just the navy. Nie belongs to evw.-ry man. woman and child in this nation. Hitler’s torpedo was directed at every American, whether he lives on our sea roast or in the iu.nermost part of the nation, far from the seas and far from the gurus and tanks of the marching hordes of the would-be conquerors of tfi.e world. The purpose of Hitler’s attack was to frighten the American people off the iugh seas, to force us to make a trembling retreat. 1 his is not the firs*: time he has misjudged the American spirit. That spirit is now a roused.

"Il our natue nal policy were to be dominated by the fear of shooting, I then all our ships and those of our I sister republics would have to be tied i ur. in their borne harbours. Our Navy i would have, to remain respectfully and abjectly bdiind any line that Hitler might deerf_>e. “Naturally. we reject that absurd and insult ing suggestion. We reject ;t because of our own self-interest, our own self-respect and our own good faith. Tb e freedom of the seas is now. a.- it aiv/avs has been, the fundamental policy »>f this Government. ■'Hitlin- has often protested that his plans f or conquest do not extend across the AJ lantic, but I have in my posses- I Sion a secret map made in Germany by liitle; ’s Government, by the planners ot a new world order. It is a map of South America, nad part of Central AriM-rica as Hitler proposes to reorganise it. CONTROL OF CANAL “To-day in this area there are 14 separate countries. The geographical ■txperts in Berlin, however, have ruthlessly obliterated all existing boundaries and have divided South America into five vassal States, bringing the whole continent under their domination. and they also so arranged it tnat the territory of one of these new puppet States includes the Republic of Panama and our great lifeline—the Tanama Canal. “This map makes is clear that the Nazi design is not only against South America, but against th? United States itself. “Your Government has in its posses--B'on another document made by Hitler’s Government. It is a detailed plan which for obvious reasons the Nazis do rot wish to publicise just yet, but which they are ready to impose on a dominated world—if Hitler wins. It is r- plan to abolish all existing religions. I Protestant. Catholic, Mohammedan, j Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish alike. The property of all the churches will be seized by the Reich. The Cross and all other symbols are to be forbidden. The clergy are to be forever silenced under penalty of the concentration camps, where now so many fearless n-en are being tortured because they placed God above Hitler. NAZI CHURCH “In piace of the churches in our civi - lisation there is to be set up an international Nazi church, a church which will be served by orators sent out by the Nazi Government. In place of the Bible, the words of “Mein Kampf” will b- imposed and enforced as holy writ, and in place of the Cross of Christ will be put two symbols, the swastika and a naked sword. “These grim truths of the present and future plans of Hitlerism will, of course, be hotly denied to-morrow in the controlled press and radio of the Axis Powers and some Americans will continue to insist that Hitler’s plans r eed not worry U s and that we should not concern outselves with anything that goes on beyond rifle shot of our shores. The protestations of these American citizens—few in number—will as usual be paraded with applause through the Axis press and radio during the next few days in an effort to convince the world that the majority cr Americans are opposed to their duly chosen Government and in reality are only waiting to jump on Hitler’s band wagon when it comes this way. “T’ 2 motive of such Americans is not the point at issue. The fact is that Naz : propaganda continues in desperation to seize upon such isolated statements as proof of American disunity. AMERICANS’ CHOICE “Americans of all opinions are faced with the choice between the kind of world we want to live in and the kind of world Hitler and his hordes would, impose upon us. None of us wants to fcurrow underground and live in totaL 1 darkness like a comfortable mole. “The forward march of Hitlerism can be stopped and will be stopped. Very simply and very bluntly, we are pledged to pull onr own oar in the destruction «4 Hitlerism, and when we have helped to end the curse of Hitlerism we shall help to establish, a new peace which will give to decent people everywhere a boiler chance to live and prosper in security, in freedom and in fa : Ath. “Each day that passes we are producing and providing more aiid more aims for the men who are ngjbting on the actual battlefronts. Tha-t is our primary task, and it is the nation’s will that these vital arms and supplies of all kinds shall neither be locked up in American nor font to the bot' m of th sea. "It is - the nation’s will tljKit America shall deliver the goods. kn open defiance of that will our have been sunk and cur sailors have, been killed. We do not propose to trike this lying down. Our determination not to lake It lying down has been expressed in orders to the American Navy to shoot cu sight. AMENDING NEUTRALITY ACT “Furthermore, the House of Repre sentatives has already voted to amend part of the Neutralifiy Act of J 937. foray outmoded bv the force of violent circumstances. The Senate Committee

on Foreign Relations has also rccom- [ n ended the elimination of other ham - 1 stringing provisions in that Act. That j jis the course of honesty and realism. I i “American merchant ships must be , i armed to defend themselves against ' ’he rattlesnakes of the sea. Our merchant ships must be free to carry our , American goods into the harbours of our friends. Our merchant ships must j be protected by the American Navy. Tt can never be doubted that the goods will be delivered. Our nav\ believes ;n the tradition. 'Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead.' “Our national will must speak from v ery assembly line in our vast indus- ! tiial machine. Our factories and ship | yards are constantly expanding. Our I output must be multiplied. It cannot ' be hampered by the selfish obstruction ; o r a small but dangerous minority of industrial managers who hold out for I extra profits or for business as usual. ! It cannot be hampered by the obstruc- I t’.on of a small but dangerous minor- ! itv of labour leaders who are a menace ! to the true cause of labour itself, as well as the nation. DEFENCE LINES “Our essential defence lines." con- j tinued Mr Roosevelt, "now cover all seas and to meet the extraordinary demands of to-day and to-morrow our navy grows to unprecedented size. Our navy is ready for action; indeed units ' of the Atlantic patrol are in action. j *'Our soldiers, too. are worthy of the ; proudest traditions of the United States army, but traditions cannot ; shoot down dive-bombers or destroy j tanks. That is why we must and shall j provide for our soldiers equipment and ; weapons not merely as good as. but i better than those of any other army on ! earth. “For this is what we mean by total national defence. The first I objective of that defence is to stop Hitler. He can be stopped and be compelled to dig in and that will be the beginning of his downfall, because a dictatorship of the Hitler type can live only through continuing victories. The facts of 1918 are proof that the German army and tired German people can crumble and go to pieces rapidly when faced with successful resistance. “Nobody who admires the qualities j of courage and endurance can fail to i be stirred by the fully-fledged resis- | stance of the Russian people. Russia ] needs all kinds of help, planes, tanks, guns, medical supplies and other aids. From the United States and Britain she is getting great quantities of those essential supplies, but our help and British help will have to continue.” COLOSSAL TASK “Upon American production falls the colossal task of equipping our armed forces and helping to supply the Brit- j ish. Russians and Chinese in the per- 1 formance of defeating Hitler. We will not fail. "It has not been easy for Americans j to adjust themselves to the shocking realities of a world in which the prin- ! ciples orf common humanity and com- ; mon decency are being mowed down j b> the firing squads of the Gestapo. ! There are those who say our great good j fortune has betrayed us. that we have j grown fat. fi.abbv and lazy and arc doomed, but those who say that know nothing of America or American life. ' “Our country was first populated and • has been steadily developed by men and women in whom there burned the spirit ' of adventure and restlessness and indiv*dual independence which will not tolerate oppression. Ours has been the Wiry of vigorous challenges which have i [ been accepted and overcome. “To-day. in the face of this new- * | est and greatest challenge, we K Americans stand ready in the de- ’ j fence of our nation and the faith of 1 our nation and the faith of our fathers to do what God has given us the power to see as our full duty.”—UP.A. COMMENT IN BERLIN (Rec. 9.35 a.m.) London, Oct. 23. The Berlin news agency stated that Mr Roosevelt’s remarks would occasion great mirth but for the fact that there might be grave consequences.— U.P.A.