1941-02-15 — Page 4

PAGE 4--HONGKONG DAILY PRESS

FRANCO HAS LONG TALK London Takes WITH MARSHAL PETAIN Serious View

Mediterranean Discussed At Meeting With Il Duce

Marshal

MONT PELLIER. Feb. 14. (Reuter)

Petain received General Franco at the "Prefecture here at 1.55 p.m. yesterday. After linching together the two leaders had a conversation lasting three "hours.

General Franco was accompanied by his Foreign Minister, Senor Serrano-Suñer,, and a sulte composed of both" "civilian and military oficiais.

were together a While General Franco and Marshal Petain large crowd gathered outside the building and cheered loudly. Res- ponding to demands, they appeared on the balcony and were greet- ed with shouts of Vive Franco! Vive Fetain!" Both were smiling,

RELIEF FOR DEPENDENTS

Of Situation In Pacific

GENERAL

Remarkable Exploits Of The "Long Range Desert Group"

LONDON, Feb. 14 (Renter) A remarkable story can now be told of how, following Italy's entry into the war, a small force of picked New Zealand and British troops went thousands of miles LONDON," Feb, 14 (Reuter) -

through the deserts of Southern Libya probing the secrets of A serious

here of

writes View is taken

Reuter's Italy's defences and sabotaging her preparations, the position in the Pacific, espec- correspondent with the British Imperial Forces in Libyn, ally after the Australian Minis-

Known as the "Long Range Desert Group." the force comprised ters warning of the situation in the Far East, writes Reuter's Dip-picked officers and men from the New Zealand troops and the Bri- a Lieutenant tish Royal Arinoured Corps. It was commanded. by lomatic correspondent,

Colonel famed as an explorer in the Libyan Desert, who was merly a British official in the Egyptian Survey Department and member of the Palestine Department of antiquities.

The force journeyed thousands

of miles through the Southern lib-

and

It is pointed out that in view burning grounded aircraft, AID BILL

conducted

for-

a

The Australian reaction to the warning of serious developments has given much satisfaction in London, while the American' atti- tude is also all to the good.

Allled circles in London. yan deserts, carrying Its own sup- SENATE TO Before General Franco, entered which are usually well-informed, piles, pirating enemy transport,

capturing his car a band played both the it is felt that at the moment ashelling and

Isloated DEBATE ON THE dumps forts, blowing up Spanish Anthem and the Marsell-crisis is not. Immediate. laise.

During the afternoon

The.operations were Senor of the fact that negotiations be- Suner had a conversation with tween Indo-Chinis and Thailane over a radius of over 700 miles

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Reuter) -The measure passed by the Admiral Jean Darlan, Vichy For-are proceeding and the armistice south of the Oases of Siwa andi

has just been prolonged another Jerrabub, and the most valuable Sanate Foreign Affairs Committee MEDITERRANEAN, AFRICA fortnight, it is unlikely that Japan information was obtained,

regarding the ease and Lend Bil LONDON, Feb. 14 (Reuter) would take any immediate action. After Italy's declaration of war, was substantially the same as that

Africa

Repre Also. although there has been the presence at Kutra of

passed by the House Mediterranean and LONDON, Feb 14 (British Wire- The

unknown sentatives." less) The Basra British War Re- were the main questions discuss- talk of negotiations with Russia, troops and aircraft in

not yet reached any numbers was very disturbing to

The proposal to restrict resi Het Fund has sent £5,000 to the ed at the, meeting at Bordighera Japan has Admiralty for distribution among between General Franco and 11 agreement that would guarantee the authorities. The enemy

the dependents of seamen who lost Duce, according to official her rear if she were to undertake also known to possess a number dential authority under the Bill

the Italian news

from their lives in the sinking of

agency

"au- any adventurous operation to the of motorised units constructed for to send armed forces out of

south

desert work and capable of carry. Western Hemisphere was rejected Jervis Bay.

thorised quarters in Rome."

ing out well-executed deser by the Committee, Repeating the words of the

The Senate debate will begin an operations, There. therefore,

Monday, It is hoped to restrict it to a fortnight..

OF JERVIS" eign Minister and Vice-Premier. CASUALTIES

It will be recalled that the Jer- vis Bay saved the

enemy

were

convoy by official communique. the agency AMERICANS existed a distinct threat to Upper

heroically drawing the full fire of adds: "There was certainly the

a heavily armed German raider.

are

question of the problems arising "RED CROSS FUND

from the conflict, with which Including gifts of £800 from connected the reorganisation of Lima and "£750 from Chile, the questions concerning the Medi- Duke of Gloucester's Red Cross terranean and Africa. On and St. John Fund for wounded has now reached £4,335,000.

African War Fronts

ITALIANS RESIST

AT KEREN CAIRO, Feb. 14 (Reuter) The Italians are putting up a stout resistance round Keren, strategical town 60 miles northwest of Asmara in Eritrea.

The fighting was Very tough und was over difficult ground.

thess

two points, a perfect identity of views was noted. Spain's attitude of solidarity with the Ar's la be- ing continued:"

POLITICAL COMRADESHIP

ין

TO LEAVE

FAR EAST-

in

Egypt by land and air.

It was imperative to find out the secrets lying behind the great

sand barriers protecting Kutra

and so the vanguard of the Long Range Desert Group set out, defy- ing the sea of sand and the swel tering heat of the August sun.

crossed

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Reuter) -Americans were advised to leave the Far East, according to Mr. Cordell Bull. Secretary of State,

THE VANGUARD who yesterday sald Consular ofi-

The vanguard. consisting of cers had warned U. S. citizens in a British officer and five New Zea- The same "authorised quarters" Far Eastern countries to evacuate Llanders and two light car are stated to have commented on as a precautionary measure the meeting thus:

view of the disturbed conditions. (1) This meeting between the The statement followed the two statesmen, linked by close po- publication despatches from litical comradeship. is inclined to Tokyo and Shanghai saying that men have that importance which is all women, children and all characterised by the military and who are able to do so have been political circumstances of the mo-urgently advised to leave. ment. It is significant that Gen- eral Franco met Il Duce for first time in Italy, thus giving the Hte to certain allegations of enemy propaganda.

the

The British advance is progress- (2) The Bordighera meeting was ing towards Arreza which lies 30 above all devoted to examination miles south-west of Asmara. Here of questions which are of interest the country is also difficult and to the two countries."

the retreating Itallins have been obliged to jettison, much of their equipment.

The advance east Rudolf in Abyssinia Is gressing satisfactorily.

Patrol actions only are from other fronts

of

NIGHT ALERT IN LONDON

RAIDER DAMAGED

BY SPITFIRE

of

·་

the

IMMINENT FALL OF TEPELINI

Italians Pounded By Greek Artillery-

the sandy waste-and struck west- LONDON, Feb. 14 (Reuter-The ward 200 miles behind the Kufra- fall of Tepelini-a strategic Al- Benghazi frontier. After days in banian town 30 miles south-east any the desert, studying wheel-marks of Valona-is expected at

further of ia- moment following the and extracting a wealth formation by other means, the strengthening of the Greek encir- vanguard returned, having paved cling movement reported on Wed- nesday, writes Reuter's correspon- the way for further expeditions.

The same barrier

then dent at the Albanian Front. W2.5

There is heavy Greek artillery by the crossed for the first time full Long Range Desert Group fire on this sector. Three columns of loaded trucks crawled 200 miles through the sand-waves. The New Zealanders, unaccustomed to the desert, non adapted themselves to the condi- tions.

LONDON, Feb. 14 (Reuter)

1,000-MILE RECONNAISSANCE London had a short alert after

One truck fell over the brink first to dark last night, the

be of a sand dune and rolled 100 feet heard at such an early hour for without being damaged. Hot winds several nights.

ABYSSINIAN EXODUS

14 (Reuter) ZURICH, Feb. Evacuation

trom of civilians cf Lake Abyssinia is considered as likely also pro-

a subject to have been discussed and between Signor. Mussolini reported, General Franco," according to the Vichy, correspondent of the Ga- zette de Laussane,

Shortly before the alert, a high explosive bomb fell in one London also district "where gunfire heard.

WES

JAPANESE

"

the

each

blew a blanket of sand over the convoy.

The patrois separated, setting off on a thousand-mües reconnaissance in different parts it. This question, involving as An enemy plane that attacked of enemy territory. Nothing was does the utilisation of the Addis the Dover balloon barrage yester-

heard of them at OHO. for Railway which day was badly damaged by a Ababa-Djibouti

The months.

three bands of DEPREDATION IN has its terminus in French Somali Spitare. Smoke poured from

bearded, unwashed but exultant land, also concerns France and 18 tall.

"rufläns" appeared' in Cairo with regarded by the correspondent, as A communique issued by the Alt a batch of Italian prisoners and sufficient to explain the meeting Ministry and the Ministry of Home bags of captured documents. between Marshal Petain and Gen-Security says: "A few enemy air-

One patrol examined all craft, for the most part fylny roads leading to Kufra and pene- Chungking Appealed eral France.

1m Zurich singly, have crossed our coast dur trated 250 miles into Libya and Political observers For Relief Funds

are Inclined to the that ing daylight today. Bombs were held up columns of enemy lorries

view has probably dropped at points in East Anglia in the best highwayman style. LOYANG. Feb. 14 (Central) Signor Mussolini

as to and North Scotland. The damage Humilated at the fallure of their sounded General Franco

what help he would be recent campaign in southern Honan, the Japanese troops in afford Italy.

S. HONAN

their retreat indulged in an orgy

of indiscriminate killing, plunder

and Incendiarism, causing* wide- spread destruction and suffering to the people.

In order to afford immediate relief to the recovered cities in southern Honan, the Political 'Department of the Central China, War Zone has wired the National Relief Commission in Chungking, appealing for funds.

Meanwhile, the Honan Provin- cial Mobilisation Committee is being urged to organise "comfort

able

to caused was sight and casualties

were very few.”.

China And Possibility Of Crisis In The Pacific

CHUNGKING, Feb. 14 (Reuter)-Chloa's part in possible further developments in the Pacific is being so eagerly discussed here as to push the China War into the background.

It is realised that the future of the world now depends on whether Britain can hold out in Europe against the German on- slaught and whether the combined British and United States forces in the Far East can defeat any eventual Japanese drive in the Southern Pacific,

J

...

The report that fresh evacua, Many Chinese quarters consider corps" to cheer the troops at the tion advice has been given to that China will not remain idle front and to administer emergency United States citizens in the Far if Japan attacks in the Southern relief. to the war refugees. The East has attracted much attention Pacific since China can effectively political departments of the vari in Chungking. Prominence has ald Britain in defence of Burma ous armies stationed in Honan are also been given to a statement and Singapore, either by sending also co-operating with local gov made by President Roosevelt on troops lato Burma and Malaya. or. ernments in relief work.

Tuesday to the effect that if the launching a counter-offensive in United States were forced into a China.

MAIL CAPTURED

the

Their haul included the official mat for Kufra, containing enough Information to reveal all the enemy's dispositions in the inner desert area,

A second party crossed the e- Bert south-west of Kufra and travelled along the ancient-cara- van routes and made contact with the Free French outposts in Chad territory.

A third patrol found and de- stroyed an enemy bomber and a large dump of patrol and bomba.

EMPIRE PRESS COMPLAINT

PRESS CENSORSHIP & CABLE COST LONDON, Feb, 14 (Reuter) The complaint made at the annual meeting

Press of the Empire EIRE EVACUATION War in the Pacific, it would not An mdication that the British

mean curtailment of war supplies Ambassador, Sir Archibald Clark Union that "messages from Egypt TO BE EXPEDITED

to Britain. The President added Kerr, is unlikely to leave Chung, about the glorious achievements of the Army of the Nile has been DUBLIN, Feb. 14 (Reuter)--The that he thought that there was no king in the immediate future te importance of perfecting evacua- danger of the United States get seen in Lady Kerr's arrival nere costing about three times as much from Hongkong this morning by, as it would between two parts of tion plans "while the time is still ting into war available" was stressed by Mr. London cables mentioning the plane. The Ambassador was or the Empire" is underlined in the

leave this Yorkshire Post editorial. William Norton, leader of the possibility of a Japanese move in,ginally scheduled to Labour Party in the Dall, broad- the Pacific in support of a Ger week by air for Hongkong to J The paper saya: "It would be

man attack in Europe are also Lady Kerr., casting last night.

Mr. de Valera made a recent being discussed here... announcement that if the volun- tary evacuation

unsatisfactory, the

These developments tend to -con- scheme proved firm the information reaching

an advantage to the Empire Press and Empire readers. If Government could persuade Egypt to adopt the Empire ftat rate of 24d. per word

CHUNGKING, Feb. 14-In a man- Government Chinese Headquarters here that date issued on Feb, 10, the National for press messages sent outside

Germany has been very active m Government promulgated a set of that country.”

would resort te compulsion.

We know the plight of millions the last three weeks urging Japan revised regulations governing the

The fighting in the Skumbl and Devoll River valley has been more violent, but Italian resistance to the Greek pressure is very strong.

Near Pogradcts, on the eastern front, the Greeks have advanced over a mile with artillery support.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1941.

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