1941-05-08 — Page 4

PAGE 4-HONGKONG DAILY PRESS

MR.

EDEN OPENS WAR DEBATE IN COMMONS WITH REVIEW OF BALKANS CAMPAIGN

Yugoslav Mobilisation Too Slow To Stop Nazi Advance: Fatal Error Of Earlier Government

LONDON, MAY 7 (REUTER)—OPENING THE DEBATE ON THE WAR SITUATION IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS YESTERDAY, MR." ANTHONY EDEN, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, POINTED TO THE DIFFICULTY OF GIVING THE HOUSE A FULL ACCOUNT "OF RECENT EVENTS, PARTICULARLY IN THEIR RELA-

TION TO THE HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST..

"We are not alone," he said. “Others are listening to every word that is said in these debates and there is much that I would like to tell which perforce I am unable to tell at the present time for I have so to phrase my re- marks so that I do not assist the enemy in any way in his activities."

NEGUS BACK ON THRONE

GENERAL

TEMPERATE DISCUSSION ON EFFICACY OF INTELLIGENCE

LONDON, May 7"Reuter)-Within an hour of its opening the war debate settled down in a calm" and not overcrowded House to a temperate discussion, the key to which was provided by the remark of the Government Liberal, Sir Percy Harris: “We' are solid behind the Prime Minister but that fact need not ex- clude constructive criticism."

Mr. Lees Smith.. Labour Front Bench; asked a number of ques- tions which resolved themselves. ad did a number of other speeches,

TRIUMPHAL RETURN mainly into doubts about the full

TO ADDIS ABABA

efficacy of the British Intelligence and information services, and NAIROBI, May 7 (Rculer) —Ex- whether advice or information re- actly five years after the occupa-|celved always received full atten- tion of Addis Ababa by Marshal tion.

Badogtlo, Halle. Sefasste. Emperor At no time however was there of Abyssinia, made a triumphal any division of opinion about the return to his capital on Monday rightness of going to the aid of

Greece. afternoon.

BELISHA CRITICAL

SOLLUM-TOBRUK SITUATION

GERMANS BOTHERED BY DESERT HEAT CAIRO, May 7 (Reuter)-Heavy sandstorms in furnace-like heat He was met by Lieut.-General: A. G. Cunningham, General Omeer

The most critical speech was by are testing the endurance of the Mr. Hore Belisha, the former War Germans In the Sollum-Tobruk Commanding. East Africa, who was Minister, who contended that the area, according to well informed chiefly responsible for delivering his country from the Italian yoke adquate and that information tion is reported much the same as

British expeditionary force was military circles here, in the brilliant British campaign was wrong and was wrongly inter-24 hours ago and the enemy's at- now nearing its end,

preted. He declared that the tack is believed to have proved His two sons, the Crown Prince naval Battle of Matapan (in which exhausting as and the Duke of Harar, were there the Italians suffered heavily) was him.

well as cóstly to

to greet him.

a decoy operation which "gave the

The “altus-

The greatest excitement prevall-Germans their large forces in Observers returning from the ed as the Emperor entered the city. North Africa. He also declared western desert say that the Ger-

The Italians still in Addis Ababa that we had failed in Iraq.

mans are being constantly affect- remained discreetly indoors,

Mr. Hore Belisha" demanded Imed by conditions there. Prisoners' PROMISING POSITION provements in the Intelligence diaries contain frequent reftrener CAIRO, May 7 (Reuter). The Service, afore armoured tanks, more to the heat and water shortage, position in Abyssinia where the dive bombers and more transport while dive bombing by their own Imperial northern and southern planes. He agreed that progress planes is mentioned often. It columns are converging on Amba-had been made but be declared seems that there is some truth in algi, are described as very promis- that it was not enough.

reports that the Germans trained BRIGHT LIGHT ing for the Imperial forces.

their troops for cesert warfare by Mr. Clement Attlee. Lord Privy manoeuvres In the sand dunes of Seal in his reply, pointed out, the Baltic area and by strenuous amid laughter, that until January, exercises in glass houses to accua- 1940, Mr. Hore Bellsha had been tom them to heat

Night Losses Of Luftwaffe

LONDON,

In charge of a big part of British

WHI

preparations. He was sure German tanks are not proving that when Mr. Hore Belisha was at well suited to desert warfare; and the War Office he found that what the British mohlie guns are able he did was conditioned by what to pick them off at close ranze. his predecessor had done.

Mr. Attlee added, "We find our- selves very much in the same posi- tion."

Recalling the early days of February, Mr. Eden said: "What then seemed to the Government to be the Germant plan for an early, spring campaign was: They had then already a large number of troops" in Rumania and they were taking positions at Bulgarian aerodromes; it seemed clear to us that the object of this was, step-by step, to overrun the Balkans having occupied Rumania by the methods we know of, to es-trusted the Chier of General Staf tablish themselves in Bul- and myself with this task. Neither of us ever had the least doubt of garla thereby to encircle

the odds against the full success Yugoslavia, to subjugate

May 7 (Reuter) of our mission. We know perfect- Germany has-loss 41 night bombera Greece, to immobilise Turkey ly well that German plans were already this month. This total and from that position, with far advanced. We knew how great nearly half of the record April out firing a single shot, to jwere their material powers, but I losses-was reached with the an- deliver their main blow from still think that we should have nouncement that two additional secure bases at out position been to blame if we had not made raiders, It is now confirmed, were He declared that the position"ic in the Eastern Mediterranean.

brought down on Sunday night by the summer and autumn of last anti-aircraft fre.

year was infinitely more threaten- "There is no doubt that the sub-

With the collapse of French Thus, this year's Luftwaffe losses Ing than that today. The splen- sidiary purpose in this plan was to resistance, our forces in the Middle by night total 203, which compares dtd -Greek resistance, General bring help to their Italian allies, East were left to meet the situation with 130 for the whole of 1940. of Cunningham's campaign in Abys whose war was not going too well without the help of the French which 93 were brought down from sinis, the victories of General

Wayell in Libya did make a bright! farmies. Our forces were relatively June onwards small and what was worse, they Two more enemy aircraft were light on a dark day but they did had many serious shortages of trought down in the Channel on alter the fundamental fact that equipment. In the late summer Tuesday in daylight when small the "situation in the continent of of last year. the Government at formations crossed the Kent coast

Europe was in the hands of Ger- many. Home were deeply exercised by the and flew a short distance Inland. situation in the Middle East. After The Air Ministry

LORDS DEBATE Kays that General Wavell had come home for bombs were dropped on one town in the House of Commons yester- Simultaneously with the debate "As we watched the Greek cam-consultations with the Prime Min-n the Kent coast and on another day, a debate was held in the paign in Albania, supported by our lister, the Government took a decl- on the east coast, but little damage House of Lords on a similar mo- air force but against a very heavy sion to take great risks to reinforce was done and there were no serious tion, and after a few hours' dis- attack by men and materials, one that army.

in Albania

A

"Hitler has described to us how well the Italians did. nation of 45,000,000 weakening against 7,000,000! "I do not suppose that ever a more in- sulting tribute has been paid to any ally (Hear! Hear!)

that attempt (Cheers)

FRENCH COLLAPSE

must have thought that never was "We then sent out armoured so much surrendered by so many units, men, material and aircraft. to so few (Laughter and Cheers), and it was that equipment and these weapons which enabled Geners! Wilson and General O'Connor . their desert advance

BENGHAZI EXPLOIT

"Now I come to February 8 which was the date that our forces entered Benghaz-a brilliant ex ploit which breugat valuable gain. But with the supreme effort en-

casualties.

CABLE NEWS IN BRIEF WASHINGTON, May 7 (Central)

to secure such, brilliant successes-Dr. Que Tal-chi, Chinese Foreign (Cheers).

"That decision was taken at the another conference with Mr. Cor- Minister-Designate. yesterday had

tailed by the advance, the armour. Bravest risks in the light of our deli Hull, the United States Secre

ed troops who had ao large a share in it had to rest and refit

We

equipment here. Since then

tary of State. This is the second have maintained A continuous visit he paid to Mr. Hull since his stream of men, and materials to "Their vehides had not only the Middle East.

arrival in Washington over a week been engaged in a continuous ad-

ago. vance for two months but

with those armoured vehicles be to Greece fell exclusively on nur yond the point reached at Beng- shoulders. hazl, and any prolonged advance

cussion, the Lords unanimously passed a vote of confidence in the Government.

The Commons debate will be continued.

SINO-JAPANESE HOSTILITIES

SEVERE FIGHTING

IN ANHWEI CHUNGKING, May 7 (Central/ "This country has made that

-Japanese military actiylty on many possible by submitting to restric of them had been engaged in actions of imports.

LONDON, May 7 (Reuter) -many fronts is reported in field tion for a much longer time with

До "With the collapse of France. The Prime Minister, Mr. Winston dispatches received here but bardly a rest. So there was 10 fulfilment of obligations for equip Churchill, was received in audience significant developments have oc- prospect Ci prolonging the advance ment to Turkey and the guarantee by King George and remained to curred.

lunch with the King and Queen In routheru Anhwel, the Japan- at Buckingham Palace.

ese detachment which pushed from Chiulishan south of Wanchin (23 by these formations to Tripoli was

CANEAS (CRETE) May 7 (Reu- miles south of Wuhu) to Kuan- out of the question.

**On our arrival in Cairo, we ter)-Greek submarines have sall-chiachino and Futingshan launched "On February 8 there reached found there that the three C-in-C's ed to Alexandria where they join-a renewed drive southward at the the British Government a note Were in complete agreement with ea the British Fleet, states an dawn of May 4. Severe ghting is from the Greek Government con the policy advocated in London.official statement on the fate of proceeding

the vicinity of firming the determination of the We found in principle that the the Greek feet. :

Hantingcheng and other points Greek Government to resist Ger- land formations to be sent out had Of the ten destroyers, three were south of Futingshan, where the man aggression (Cheers). It ask already been decided on and pre-sunk. Two of the 13 torpedo boats Japanese ate being heavily en- ed us to say what help we could parations were in hand for their succeeded in reaching Alexandria. Caged. give and the conditions in

which concentration.

In Sulhsien, northern Hupeh, a we could give it.

STATEMENT OF POSITION

COMPLETE AGREEMENT

•

*

*

+

"I would not have thought it HELSINKI, May 7 (Reuter)--The mixed detachment of Japanese in- necessary to mention this except Swedish Foreign Minister, Mantry and cavalry, driving from "This note from the Greek Gay- forces to be left in

that it was considered that the Christian Guenther arrived here Langshuikow (north-east of Bul- Cyrenaica on an unofficial visit. He was sien) to Kwantimiao, was met by ernment was not a cry for help

Cont'd Page 9, Col. I (Cheers). It was a statement of

greeted at the aerodrome by the Chinese troops and repulsed with

over 100 losses. the Greek position and a request

Finnish Foreign Minister

ATTACK REPULSED that we should state ours.

The Japaness in the Kinmen The Minister of Defence, announc-sector in Central Hupeb recently ed that Brigadier Edward Puttier suffered some 200 casualties when has been appointed to be in tem-some 1,000 Japanese troops attack- porary command of the New Zea-ing Halachiatsul north of Kinmen land forces in Crete-in place of on April 30 were defeated and dri-

C.

"In the face of these conditiona the Government decided to main tain the decision they had pre- viously arrived at, to halt the do- sert Rdvance at Benghazi and "ta

MEXICO WITH

THE U.S.

Expansion

WELLINGTON, May 7 (Reuter)—

Drepare forces to go to the help Against Totalitarian Major-General C. B. Freyberg, V.ven back,

of Greece. That decision was the

decision of the Government and

of their three chief military ad-

viseryg

NEW YORK, May 7 (Reuter)—|—

:

In the Binyang sector, southern Hopan, a Japanese force of more than 2.000 men on May 1 launched a drive on Yangmino and Chen-

"If Greece was to be helped, it Mexico's opposition to totalitarian America's destiny is to take part chiatten.“ Encountering FITOWN was obvious that help ́ must be expansion was unequivocally ex-in the tray"

Chinese resistance, the Japanese

made ready and brought to "bear pressed by the Mexican Foreign Later in the same article, Senor suffered considerable casualties very rapidly. Many problems te Minister, Benor Padilla, writing in Padilla writes: "The Mexican peo- and were forced to retreat towards quired discussion and solution-the Carnegie Foundation's publics-ple, with full consciousness of the their bases.

the position of Yugoslavia, the tion, International Conciliation. cause they are embracing, are fully Sharp fighting is occurring near neceanty for keeping Turkey in- Senor Padilla declared: Mexico resolved to share that destiny, We Binyang where another Japanese tormed of our plans and so forth. is prepared to take a stand with must. therefore, prepare. We must contingent on May 1 started an It seemed to the Government other Western Hemisphere demo-resolutely co-operate with one attack on Chinese positions and that the wisest step was to attempt cracies in opposing totalitarian ex- another for the defence of this came into serious clashes with the direct negotiations, so they en-pansion and fifth column activity-hemisphere "

Chinese.

THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1941.

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