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This Lincoln’s Day in 1941 was loaded with news of the War. We were inching closer to declaring ourselves in it, but that eventuality would be several months off. For this February day it was about speculation over what Hitler was planning on doing and when was the invasion of England going to take place. As for talk of an invasion, it was no longer spoken about in “if” terms but “when” terms. Despite all that, plans were going ahead for the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-Upon-Avon for the coming Spring, with Much Ado About Nothing as the opening play on April 12th.
German night raids over England were continuing, and reciprocal raids were continuing over Germany by British Bombers. News from the Balkan region spoke of massed infiltration of Bulgaria by the German Army, with some 1,000 planes swarming the skies.
In the Mediterranean region however, reports came in of the British capture of Benghazi and a British raid on the Italian city of Genoa. And dismissed reports of Spain’s Generalissimo Franco meeting Italy’s Mussolini and discussing a purported British surrender proposal via Spain. Where there’s war there’s rumors.
Meanwhile, former Republican Presidential candidate Wendell Wilkie returned from his fact-finding mission to England and made his report to Congress. And contrary to German reports that Wilkie’s assessment was pessimistic, Wilkie recommended the U.S. commitment to the UK for delivery of Destroyers be upped from 5 to 10 per month.
And The Dies Committee, investigating Anti-American activities, won overwhelming support in receiving additional funding for the coming year. Despite a war looming, it was still a priority to weed out Communists.
And that’s how Lincoln’s Birthday went on this February 12th, 1941 as reported over The News Of The World from the NBC Blue Network.
