CREDULOUS LAXITY

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21042, 19 February 1940, Page 7

CREDULOUS LAXITY

NORWEGIAN HOSTS DECEIVED SIR ROGER KEYES’ OPINION (United Press Assn.—Eicc. Tel. CopyrlgDtj LONDON Feb. 18 Admiral Sir Roger Keyes said in an interview: “ Norway should be grateful that the Cossack enabled her to escape the shocking stigma of condemning 300 British seamen to imprisonment in Germany, owing to the credulous laxity of her officials at Bergen. “According to international law, a belligerent person is a free man if his captor enters a neutral port.” Sir Roger added that the captain of the Altmarck had deceived his Norwegian hosts, and would have escaped but for the British Admiralty’s refreshing acceptance of responsibility in sending in the Cossack, whose exploit was reminiscent of the cutting-out enterprises of olden days. Channel For Unneutral Act It is authoritatively stated in London that if the British Navy had not intervened against the Altmarck Norwegian territorial waters would have been made a channel for an unneutral act—the conveying of British prisoners of war to Germany. Britain is confident that Norway would not have permitted such prisoners to be taken over Norwegian territory. The British action resulted from the failure of Norway to secure the neutrality of its waters. Germany has continually used Norwegian waters to escape British pursuit and also to perform acts of war against Britain and the other States.

Torpedoed Without Warning

German warships torpedoed without warning the steamer Thomas Walton off Narvik on December 7 with the loss of 16 lives, the Greek steamer Garoufalia off Folden on December 11 with the loss of four lives, the British steamer Deptford only a mile off the Norwegian shore on December 13, 25 of her crew being still missing. All these sinkings occurred within Norwegian waters.