British Advance Into Syria – getting a leg-up.
NBC News Of The World – June 10, 1941 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
News for this June 10th in 1941 focused on the Middle-East, and American reaction.
The United States defended the British attack on French-mandated Syria and Lebanon today and in effect accused the Vichy government of fighting Germany’s battle in the Near East. Secretary of State Hull defined the American government’s attitude on the British clash in a long talk with Gaston Henry-Haye, the French ambassador. Deploring any French military help to Germany, Hull was reported authoritatively to have told Henry Haye that it was not even clear that French military collaboration with the A Axis was confined to Syria. The French ambassador called on the secretary of state at the latter’s hotel apartment to express “the indignation of the French people” at what he termed “an attack which has no justification whatever.” He sought also to allay American concern at the scope of French-German cooperation generally. Secretary Hull was understood, however, to have made it plain that he still stood by his public statement last week in which he declared the Vichy government apparently was becoming an “instrument of aggression” and adopting a policy “utterly inimical” to the interest of other nations. The French ambassador’s effort to justify French defense of Syria against the British was said to have brought the reply from Hull that Syria was not defended against the Germans when they used air bases there for attacks on British forces in Iraq. Hull was said reliably to have summed up the American attitude on the Near East situation substantially as follows: That it would be extremely regretful the French should find themselves in the position of fighting their former Allies to further German interest in a territory which was mandated to France but which the Germans now need for their larger military movement. Despite the strain in French relations, however, there were no Indications of imminent change in their present formal status. It was understood also that the American government was not considering at this time recognizing the “Free French” organization of General Charles De Gaulle in place of the Vichy government.
Meanwhile, in the Far East, the critical dispute between Japan and the Dutch East Indies took a darker turn as Japanese negotiators were reported on the verge of being called home. Domei, the official Japanese news agency, said it was “a mere question of time” before the negotiators will be recalled as a result of a “very unsatisfactory” reply given by Dutch authorities to Japanese trade proposals. Generally, the Tokyo press blamed Britain and the United States for the Dutch refusal to meet Japanese demands for such war supplies as tin, oil and rubber. The newspaper Kukumin declared bluntly that the Dutch answer “signifies the start of a war for the supremacy in the West Pacific between Japan and the Anglo-American camp.”
Finally, an article in The Evening Standard by Frank Owen suggests abolishing the Party Government for the duration of the War.
He said: “All Gaul is divided into three parts, said Caesar. That is why Cæsar was able to conquer Gaul. All Britain is NOT divided into three parts. This is why Hitler will not conquer Britain, it is practically a single solid block. This block has one abiding purpose – to win this war as completely and as quickly as possible. Britain being in effect ONE, why must we continue the illusion that it is three? Why must the members of the Government be appointed on the basis that there are Tory British, Liberal British, and Labour British ?”
And that’s just a slice of what went on, this June 10th 1941 as reported by NBC’s News Of The World.
