CONFLICTING REPORTS

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXXI, Issue 9639, 25 June 1941, Page 4

CONFLICTING REPORTS

[Am Mi;i ! S£EitfAN KOVES

JUST WHAT HITLER WANTS MASKING HIS REAL DESIGNS Those who are following the course of! the war, from whatever knowledge they can gei over the air or in Ike news, may well be excused a I the present time is' they feel like giving up (he task of understanding as a bad job. Conclusions drawn, definitely or provisionally, will differ widely, and hardly two persons could be found to agree precisely on moot points in the present situation and what is likely to occur next. It might be added that this is exactly the frame of mind that Hitler would like to create among his enemies. There is, for instance, the message from New York stating that the "New York Daily News" "learns ex-

clusively that German troops are poising for a drive across Persia and Syria to Egypt and are already moving across the Clack sea and Russian Georgia." Further, this newspaper adds, "this step signals the completion of a deal between Japan. Russia and Germany under which tiie Reich has bought her entrance to the Near East and Africa for a promise to construct a giant new system of railways in southern Russia."- This sounds fantastic enough, but there is more. "The details of this secret tripartite agreement, which gives Sweden to Germany, and Finland and Manchu-

Imio to Russia." according to the "Daily News," "were submitted lo the spokesman of the Department of Slate, who said it was in harmony

with the department's own report and he authorised its publication."

HOW MUCH TRUTH?

Now what is one to make of this? Apart from the last statement, which seems to imply a censorship which, does not exist in the U.S., and suggests that the "spokesman" (not identified by name) may lie anybody not above having a joke on the paper, the story—even in these chaotic days —does not make sense. For instance. Persia and Syria are live hundred miles apart, and that is a long way to move an army where there are no railways and roads to speak of. Furthermore, would any Russian consent to a German army passing across more than a thousand miles of the best of Russian territory to an at tad; on/or seizure of oilfields Russia might want for herself? Then the price—the construction of a ".giant new system of railways" in southern Russia? Surely the Russians could do the job without the help of Germany. Lastly, the handing of Sweden to Germany and of Finland and Manchukuo to Russia! What are Sweden and Finland going to say? And Japan giving up Manchukuo at a time when joint Soviet-Japanese boundary commissions are working on the Siberian-Manchukuo frontier!

PART OF PROPAGANDA

What must be recognised is that certain organs of publicity —newspaper aud radio —in the United States.have been lending tbemselvos all along, quite unconsciously, perhaps, to German propaganda for the sake of sensationalism. It would be a different matter altogether if the "New York Times" or the London "Times" published such statements, riien a serious reader would have to mice notice. All that can be safely said about Germany and Russia and Turk-.y is that Germany has massed troops on the Soviet frontier and is putting pressure on Russia and Turkey for concessions under threat of attack. The diplomatic correspondent of the London "Daily Telegraph," which is a reputable paper, suggests that Germany is demanding from

Russia full control of the Ukraine and passage for German troops to Transcaucasia, from which to dominate the Russian oilfields and refiner-

ies and menace Irak and Iran. This, of course, bears a resemblance to the New York paper's story, with the vital exception that the latter departs that the Germans are already on their way. This may be true, of course, but it does seem incredible that Stalin should consent in this way to the betrayal of all that the Russia of the Revolution stands for. But it is admitted that Russia is afraid of Germany and that Germany is not afraid of Russia. A correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian," who has travelled through Kuropo, says I hat the German view is that with two million men Germany could shatter (he Red Army ill a matter of months. But lhe Germans are by no means equally confident of winning the war.

HALF A MILLION' IN LIBYA!

[lore is another story from New York, also in last week's news, in which the "New York Post's" Lisbon correspondent is ([noted to the effect that "Germany lias massed an army of 500,000 in Libya for a major offensive against Suez," with a great deal more about "25 tnotorised divisions," "five panzer divisions," with "2000 heavy and light tanks," and "(he chief lesson of the blitzkriegs" thai "a cniinlor-al lack with equally heavily armoured'columns is the only effective defence." This may he designed to impress American opinion, hut the actual news from this theatre of war indicates rather thai a British imperial offensive is opening on Ihe Libyan front. No such easy victories may be expected in Libya as I hose of the lightning campaign of December, January and February last, bui the harder the lighting'at theslarl now, the easier if may be later.