The Washington times., 1936-11-30
SOVIET WARNS
REICH TO KEEP
HANDS OFF

lHNDO VII
MOSCOW, Nov. 3o-d.N.so.
Soviet Russia yesterday bluntly
warned Germany that any move
to attack the U. S. S. r. would
be met instantly by more than
1000 Soviet war planes and 10O,-
600 airmen in a counter-invaslon
of German soil.
The "hands off Russia" warn
ing climaxed another belllgerent
session of the eighth all-union
Congress of Soviets which was
addressed last night by President
V. M. Molotov, who termed Ger
many's Nad leaders modern
cannibals."
Size Disclosed
Disclosing the gigantic size OF
Russias military aviation force,
largest in the world, Assistant
Air Commander Khripin shook a
mailed fist directly at Berlin with
the grim warning:
"The Red air fleet is ready for
the call to. war. If the planes
of Germany's Fascists threaten
US, it will be too bad for them.
"We will unleash all the
strength we have"
Khripin further asserted that
Russia's modern high-speed and
long-range bombing planes are
ready to land quickly thousands
of fully equipped soldiers in Ger
man territory far behind the front
lines by means of parachuteS.
The assistant air commander
also served notice on Germany's
new ally, Japan, that more than
half of Russia'S fighting planes
are capable Of covering long dis
tances and would thus be able
to strike swiftly at the Nippon
ese Islands.
Match for Nazis
The mighty Soviet air fleet,
which has been doubled in less
than a year, is more than a
match for Chancellor Hitler's av-
iation force, Khripin said. De-
claring Germany claims 1000
planes and 10000 pilots, the
Soviet air official brought $500
congress delegates to their teet
cheering when he said:
"Our answer is we will shortly
have 10000 men in the Soviet
air force. Woe betide Germany
If she attacks u.s."
Khripin'S speech climaXed the
Fourth Congress session during
which Andrei Zhdanov, high-rank-
ing member of the Communist po-
ntical bureau and Josef Stains
righthand man in Lenlngrad,
bluntly asserted Russia is ready to
attack Finland if that neighboring
country fails to mind its own
business"
Finland Accused
Directly mentioning Finland as
one of the Baltic countries alleg-
edly in league with Nazi Germany
against Russia, zhdanov declared:
FINLAND, for instance, offers
itself as SpringbOard for FaS-
ciSm."
Last night, following Khripin's
disclosure Of Russia's aerial
strength, the Soviet President Of
Peoples Commissarse, V. M. Mo-
lotov, addressed the congress, re-
iterating Foreign CommisSac Lit
vinovs charge that the new Ger
man Japanese anticommunlst
treaty cloaks a secret military
pact against the U. S. S. R.
The congress delegates inter
rupted Khripin's speech frequently
with wild outbursts of applause as
the assistant air commander
boasted of Russia's invincibility in
the skies.
Khripin declared that produc-
tion of military aircraft in the
Soviet Union has been increased
100000 airmen in a counter-lnva-
sion of German soil.
100 per cent since 1885 and 400
per cent since 1882.
Sixty per cent of the Soviet
air fleet, Khripin announced, is
composed of the most modern
long-range bombers, augmenting
Russia's huge force of high-speed
pursuit and combat ships. He
declared:
During the World War, IT,
500 tons of bombs were
dropped on the soil of France,
Britain and RuSsie The same
quantity of ,Omb could now
be carried in five flights of a
full Soviet bombing squadron"