NAZI PROMISE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24136, 1 December 1941, Page 7

NAZI PROMISE

| MILITARY AID TO JAPAN ; —:— INDO-CHINA'S ROLE "ACCEPT VICHY ORDERS" NEW YORK, Nov. 29 A Washington message states that Senator G. M. Gillette has learned from a reliable but not official source that Hitler has promised Japan substantial military aid by February. By January, the Vichy Government will be forced to turn over the French fleet to German control. Senator Gillette expressed the opinion that 110 agreement, except possibly a delaying truce, could he reached with Japan. He said he understood Mr. Ktirtisu had heen sent to Washington at the request of Hitler to delay the negotiations until Germany could aid Japan in invading Thailand and attacking the Burma Road. French Indo-China's role in the event of war in the Pacific would be directed solely from Vichy, said Admiral Decoux, the Governor, in an interview with an agency correspondent at Hanoi. Asked whether areas or bases would be placed at Japan's disposal in the event of war, Decoux said Indo-China was part of the French Empire and therefore must conform strictly to instructions from the French Government. The Japan Times Advertiser said that events have justified fully Japan's expeditionary force in Indo-China. It added that a defence expedition was necessary and timely, as shown by the increasing encirclement operations ofthe A.B.C.D. Powers and by the Do Gaul list activities, which if left to themselves would have menaced the rights of the French and Japanese Governments. An agency message from Manila says authoritative sources at Nanking disclosed that Nazi agents were making determined attempts to bring about a negotiated peace between Japan and China. At the same time, an authorised Chinese source declared that anyj-Jes-sening of United States aid to Chi'rfa might force the Chungking Government to accept peace terms. BRILLIANT FLYING FEAT DAMAGED MACHINE SAVED NEW ZEALANDER ASSISTS ,■ (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 29 A flight-lieutenant and a sergeantobserver have brought off the remarkable feat of flying a Beaufighter 300 miles with three feet knocked off the starboard wing, and then landing safely at their base in the "Western Desert. The pilot of another Beaufighter who comes from New Plymouth, New Zealand, shared the triumph by leading the damaged aeroplane home. The flight-lieutenant said: "I was strafing lorries west of Cyrenaica when I saw I was heading for telegraph wires, but did not notice a telegraph pole until their was a grinding crash which took off a slab of the wing. The New Zealand pilot saw I was in difficulties and led me home. It would have been impossible to navigate-in addition to flying the aeroplane." The New Zealander said: "I did not think it possible they would get the aeroplane home, but hung around thinking its crew might need me to go down and pick them up. 3 ' SETTLING STRIKES AMERICAN LEGISLATION PROPOSALS FOR CONGRESS (Reed. 5.5 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Not.' 29 The Labour Committers of the Senate and House of. Representatives have approved separate bills which would empower the Government to take over defence plants when strikes impede production. The bill introduced in the Senate by Mr. Tom Connally also seeks power to freeze open or closed shop status in plants so taken over'. The acting-chairman of the Labour Committee of the House, Mr. R. Ramspeck, said his was a middle-of-the-road bill, which sought the settlement of disputes on a voluntary basis. If that 'ailed the Government could take ov£r the plant concerned after a 60-day cooling off period. Apparently yielding to objections by the Congress of Industrial Organisations, the American Federation of Labour ana the National Association of Manufacturers, and with the Administration's approval, provision for compulsory arbitration has not been included. ONLY ONE HOLIDAY APPEAL TO WAR WORKERS (Reed. 7.15 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 29 The Government has appealed to all war workers to take only one day as a holiday, either Christmas Day or New Year's Day, because of the urgent need for maintaining production. Six girls who, between them, have just completed 82,944 working hours at filling bombs and shells in the north and south Midlands, were the guests of Lord Beaverbrook in London .for tliu week-end. This was arranged in recognition of tlicir first-class work and excellent timekeeping. The achievement of., these six girls epitomises British women's work for victory. INDIRECT TRIBUTE BRITISH BOMBERS' SUCCESS (Reed. 0.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 29 Confirmation of the success of British raids on Germany is provided by the Volkischer Beobachter, which bitterly complains: "There are grumblers throughout Germany who dare to say our anti-aircraft batteries mostly miss the target, thus giving insufficient'.protection to the population. "We feel ashamed that it should ba necessary to give an assurance that everything is done for the protection of the population against the Royal Air Force. The population has every reason for gratitude, as our anti-aircraft successes could not bo better." VICTORIA CROSS WON (Reed. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 29 The King has approved the award of the Victoria Cross to Lieutenant A. R. Cutler, of the Australian Military Forces, says the British official wireless. The award is made for most conspicuous and sustained gallantry; during the Syrian campaign in June and July, and outstanding bravery during the fighting at Merjivuh. Lieutenant Cutler is a member of a New South Wales'family known as the "Shooting Cutlers." His father won the King's Prize as a rifleman on tyro occasions. The new Victoria Cross winner went overseas as an artilleryman,-