CHINA MAIL Rebuilding London
--WINDSOR HOUSE
RUSSIA NEXT?
and battered.
London
don area have arisen
Was
of
the
Do
What “Luftwaffe" Has Done
they
As destruction by bombing goes the people of London' than it|tectural exercise. The story that fcrowded and more decent to live on, reconstruction is in the air would to provide for the entire Christopher Wren put in a grand in; and to see that streets are as well.
Sir John Reith has been population of most countries, if design which, was rejected is straighter and wider than made Minister of Works and attacked. The task has been dis- just a legend. Homeless London-were. Some of Hitler's most Building. A Cabinet Committee charged with fair efficiency, often ers were anxious to set up house the have is discussing the New Model Bri-(some neutral observers say) be- and go to work again, and striking successes
tain of after the war, while thecause of, rather than in spite of, elty's" rebuilding was simply the been gained by doing the
Government's Property Insur-the lack of centralisation among sum of the rehabilitation of many busi- unforeseen and the unex-ance Bill will supply the financial public services, among indepen-thousands of families and
This is not to say that the basis for projects of rebuilding.. dent electricity and gas works nesses. All the authorities would pected. He is the prime only a year ago, all the mem- and competing dairies and other do was influence the pattern
planners who have for long de- exponent of the doctrine bers of a Royal Commission were retail deliverers. There has been restoration by enforcing building spaired of London have no place The raids have improvisa-standards, by insisting upon brick in its mending. that surprise is the most agreed that some limit should be elasticity and lively
proved many of their points. It get to London's growth and tion. But the absolute dependence or stone in place of timber and
should never have been left to important element in the London holds the limelight now
of London's millions upon dis by banning overhanging houses
the Luftwaffe to tear down Lon big tant supplies, and upon a close and narrow streets. waging of war. Stalin's because the capital is both
don's slums; and It has criss-cross of countless roads and London is still the sum of its and
taken
a only
few obvious jumpiness
bombs Two hundred and seventy-four railways stretching wearily for citizens, their lives and their oc-
has movements of the Red years ago,
on traffic routes to show the crazy burnt scores of miles,
not been cupatlons. It exists for them, not inconvenience of a development Then, the city was built helpful in the defence of Britain. they for its aesthetic appearance which has set the homes and Army as a result of in-down.
again with all speed to restart And in many details, too, inten- or efficient functioning. Nor is creasing German concen-its life and livelihood
workplaces of Londoners a day's and to sive bombing has given point to the damage done, or likely to
march apart. Nor should it have trations towards Eastern prevent the nigration of its citt- the claims of London's pre-war be done, to London as great in
needed the shock of bombing to zens beyond its boundaries. This critics; rows of shoddy houses and proportion as that done by Europe may,
demonstrate the inefficiency of a therefore, time, the exodus from the centre tawdry tenements have given Great Fire. There can be
has ad- local separatism that gallant airmen going
Goering's on not be altogether misdir-of London has been
easy Phoenix, because there are hot ministered London from a host of for forty years already, and the targets; and the confusion of nar-enough ashes; and the first nin
and ected.
town halls
public offices. main problems of life in the Lon-row streets and the absence of of reconstruction, now as then,
Plans for elastic emergency trans- from the broad, straight routeways have must be pure utility-to keep port facilities to carry people out It has been taken rather combination of sprawling residen-complicated both defence and London habitable and fit to work to the inner rim of London, there for granted that German at suburbs and crowded work-communication
and travel in. This is surely the to be borne off fanwise to their places in the cen'ral districts. concentrations in
any alry various homes, echo the neglected Rum-
Rich market gardening landl in Overcoming Difficulty sketching of the city that might Bressey Plan for smoother traffic ania represent the prethe London basin has been ob-
have been erected on Thames- while the These d.ficulties
and new routeways for London. beenside had the design been given lude to a move to break literated by houses,
to Sir John Reith is not But their abate-out as a single entity to tender-asked first to draw up, say, complicated partly overcome. most congested and Britain's control of the transport system in the world ment is a first item in any plan ing architects instead of evolving five-year plan, though his office
to to remodel damaged London; this formlessly a has been needed, not only Mediterranean with
indeed hold the germs may link Londoners with their work, is a golden chance. This is not thousand years. It is a twofold the National Planning Board that drive through Turkey and but also to furnish their daily to say that the blue prints for a task: to repair the ravages of
New Jerusalein
sought to super- wanted
has long been Syria to Egypt, or, alter-supplies.
or raids; and to lay down, for the vise and control the use of Bri- Now the "Blitzkrieg" has un.
relevant. 111 the Great Fire, first time effectively. wise build- attack to-
tain's land. natively an
His job is imme- derlined the monstrous artificial. most of existing London was burnt ing standards--to see that the
diate; Government building he wards Salonika through ity of London. Under fire it has down, but even then it was not new buildings are better than
will be able to control directly; taken more ingenuity and resource possible to replan and rebuild the the old, wherever possible, Bulgaria.
to transport, supply and succour city as a single project or archi-healthy and more convenient, less private building he will be in a position to control because all such building is banned without licence to eke out building ma- terials and labour. It is an ex- ercise in war economy, to make the best use of scarce resources. In the first place, houses that are needed must at least be made
se habitable and safe. In the cond, public places and thorough- fares must be rendered swiftly usable. And all the time, bricks or mortar, steel, cement or away from the the
However, neither Ger- many nor Russia has held forth much serious pre- tence that the Russo-| German Pact is either strong or durable and, apart from M. Molotov's Nazi over- rejection of
are
have
immediate task. not
over more
Hitler's Invasion Of United States
America has been the victim of
an invasion: an invasion carefully
tures a few weeks ago. there are many reasons why Hitler should turn planned and carried out by Adolf his legions in the "Mein Hitler's agents.
Kampf" direction Ukraine. The Ukraine
By Allan Michie
the
is
It began long before the out- break of war in Europe, hut il hus been allowed to develop institul in
cause its two main weapons- espionage and propaganda--are
not easy to expose.
Stuttgart which floods
Free News
a. land dripping with comparative secrecy largely be America with propaganda. riches and fat; it would provide the Germany of Hitler with virtually all he wants both for military adventures and the pur poses of peace.
Enough evidence has now been gathered by the Federal. Bureau the facts to be put on record, of Investigation to enable some of
try of information.
The facts show that:
America;
Nazi commercial agents
than
a
more
Number One man 15 Captain workmen must be drawn
uses, from essential
Fritz Wiedemann, sinister-looking confidant of the Fuehrer, and his jerection of war factories or commanding officer in the lastronstruction of defence works. war, who directs Nazi interests from San Francisco.
Wiedemann selected a post on the west coast because he felt it was most ready for Nazi penetra- tion.
watches
American
for
be
a
no
Problems To Be Faced
resources
ΟΙ
are
to
To allocate building materials according to a strict schedule priorities, and to mobilise every available hand for the work and Herbert Scholz, consul in Bos-on the sites on which labour 19 The Transocean News Service,
ton, is an intimate friend of most needed—this is what is from its headquarters in New
Himmler, and keeps watch on wanted to keep London and the York, pushes Nazi-slanted news
as going into the hinterland of the United the activities of other Nazi diplo- other bombed "towns States and South America, and mats as a favour for the Gestapo concerns and to maintain the war
chief.
effort unimpaired. At present gives its news-service for nothing The revelations are disturbing if it ennnot sell it.
there is delay and waste, houses Tall, handsome Wilhelm Tan-
of Where inclination joins to America: they should cause
The German Library of In-nenberg. economic adviser at the and workplaces too long out hands
publio with
some concern at Britain's Minis-formation, a branch of the Nazi German Embassy, advantage,
and Schacht's use, communications and the temptation to a man
Consulate in New York, has 37 mouthpiece in America, has the services too tardily repaired, roads blocked too long by debris. Every employees, and gets out such do- special assignment of making
effort is being made within the of Hitler's calibre may
cuments as "Polish Acts of Atro-American businessmen appease- well be irresistible.
The Nazis have built up an city against the German Minority ment-minded by dangling post-existing frame of organisation to there are two amazingly efficient. widespread in Poland," and "Britain's Designs war deals with Germany before mend matters;
their eyes.
Special Commissioners for Lon- The uneasiness of Bul-propaganda mill in America, di-on Norway."
don to rehouse the homeless and rected by Germany's diplomatic garia and the confident and consular officials in Washing- letin called
Its special pride is a weekly but-
Baron Edgar Spiegel von und zuto repair roads and services; and "Facts in
World War U-boat Review," Peckelsheim,
5,000 soldiers are clearing away belligerence of Turkey all ton and New York;
which gives the official Nazi views commander,
London's debris. But authority suggest that Axis-Soviet
on the war and politics, and goes naval operations in the Gulf of German agents have been carry-
out to several hundred thousand Mexico from his post as New Or- in the large bombed urban areas relations are not of the ing out sabotage in factories mak-influential Americans.
leans consul.
is split too small; there are too many Ministries and undertakings Official propagandist fact, ing war materials for Britain and happiest, that, in
Items from "Facts in Review"
the concerned; and the districts with- Nazis is Dr. Colin Ross, who in-in which repair frequently find their
into way Russian interest in the Balkans and especially in successfully converting American and
aro small-town American newspapers, terprets American reactions to his singly apportioned are still too
even into nationally-known friend the Fuehrer.
confined for speed and efficiency that historic focus of business and financial interests to magazines.
Dr. Frederich Auhagen, another to be achieved. This is, or ought Nazi-American who considers to be, Sir John Reith's duty-to More insidious are the activities Russian aims and fears a policy of appeasement with Ger
many through the offer of "bust of the German Railroads, Inform-dmself an intellectual, presents remedy these deficiencies and the Dardanelles, is main-ness advantages" for America ination Office in New York, which the Nazl point of view at public give direction and drive to the
Europe if the Nazis win.
functions and `social gatherings. tained. Even Ribbentrop-
process of reconstruction. Unofficial apologist for the Nazis Four Aims
He has retained his full staffis Karl von Weigand, pet foreign
Planners Are Right although the British travel bur- correspondent for William Ran- The objectives of Hitler's in-nux in New York closed at out- dolph Hearst's newspapers.
But, in the end, the planners seduce Russia into CO vasion of America are many: break of war.
While von Weigand was in Ger- | are right. It is quite plain now operation in obtaining for
many recently Hitler shrewdly that London must never again (1). To block American aid to He subsidises, with advertise-
gave him an exclusive interview, develop as London has done in Hitler a throttling grip on Britain either by influencing pub-ments, newspapers friendly to with the result that von Weigand the past, that every new house the Black Sea.
lic opinion or by sabotage if Nazism, and keeps his German is now presenting the Nazi case at or office, factory or street, can be necessary-but at any rate to stop superiors informed of the move-- American intervention in the war: ments of British ships around as many social functions in New better contrived than the old
York as he can get invitations tó. New York for the benefit of
ones and that the simplification of Two counter-attacks ` can (2) To prevent America build- | U-boat commanders.
be London's economy must be ing up adequate defences for her The German Embassy in Wash-made against this invasion: One first charge upon the ingenuity of self in the shortest possible time; ington and the 24 consular posts
|by_Britain, the other by America. ↑ the next generation. The imme- To present the British case in diate task of repair must not, throughout America are, the most America it is essential that the indeed, be obscured by dreams of (3). To créate internal dissen-
Important cogs in the Nazi inva- Ministry of Information estab- sion in the United States; and
a. better city. But, if that sion machine.
lishes a wide-awake, news-consci-pair is well and wisely done, (4). To discredit democracy as
ous information (or propaganda) there will be the beginnings of a method of Government.
bureau in New York,"
that city, and the work of Sir To expect the present British | Jahn Reith's new bistry under It is almost certainly a employed to carry out the in-plomatic representation" has in- to keep pace with the
Under Nazism Germany's "di-propaganda machinery in America fire may lay the foundations, In German practice and in administration, for shift of scene from the in-vasion.
creased alarmingly, The New York machine is like backing a cart-wider and more progressive work. vasion port zones.
for example; Working on the sympathies of carries 110 on its pay-roll.
Consulate,
now horse against a Derby winner. later, du£. "Towns are places for -ID: From America the only coun- people to live and work in. The the seven million first and second-pre-Nazi days it never had more ter-attack the Germans would un object now is to enable them to The Russian question generation Germans in America than 39; *mark will loom very large are the Auslands Organisation
derstand would be to break off live and work despite the bomba ly until the next Nazi ob-headed from Germany by Brad The San Francisco office has 28 diplomaille relations with the Nazis the object, then will be to make
D-ford-born Ernst Wilhelme Bohle, It used to have eighti
and ship the German agents back it possible for them to live and jective is disclosed by de- who still retains his British citi- The personálities directing Hit- | home.
work healthily, happily, tonveni- zenship along with his Germmler's invasion are typical of Nazi More and more Americans are ently and efficiently. The one mite action.
bafid the: Deutsches. "Ausländ" In-Farents throughout the world; backing this: step every day. can, and should, lead to the other,
draped rainbows, across
the Himalayas failed to
All to-day is, of course, speculation. The next Axis move may be in the direction of frightening Bulgaria away from her inclination towards Rus- sia. It may be an attack on vulnerable Yugoslavia.
A variety of agencles have been
is headed by suave moustached Ernst Schmitz.
Himmler's Spy
:
a
re-
-