Evening star., 1939-10-02
By the Associated Press.

night by Winston Churchill, first
lord of the British admiralty:
The British Empire and the
French republic have been at war
with Nazi Germany for a month
tonight. We have not yet come
at all to the severity Of fighting
which is to be expected, but
three important things have
happened.
First, Poland has been again
overrun by two of the great pow
ers which held her in bondage
for $50 years, but were unable to
quench the spirit of the Polish
nation. The heroic defense of
Warsaw shows that the soul of
Poland is indestructible, and that
she will rise again like a rock,
which may tor a spell be sub
merged by a tidal wave, but
which remains a rock.
What is the second event of
this first month? 1t is, of course,
the assertion of the power of
Russia Russia has pursued a cold
policy of self-interest. We could
have wished that the Russian
Armies should be standing on
their present line as the friends
and allies of Poland, instead of
as invaders. But that the Rus
sian Armies should stand on this
line was clearly necessary for the
safety Of Russia against the Nazi
menace. At any rate the line is
there, and an eastern front has
been created which Nazi Ger
many does not dare assail. When
Herr Won Ribbentrop was sum-
moned to Moscow last week, it
was to learn the fact, and to &C
cept the fact, that the Nazi de-
signs upon the Baltic states and
upon the Ukraine must come to
a dead stop.
Hitler Warned off East
And Southeast of Europe.
I cannot forecast to you the
action of Russia. 1t is a riddle
wrapped in mystery inside an
enigma; but perhaps there is a
key. That key is Russian ma
tional interest. It cannot be IN
accordance with the interest or
safety of Russia that Germany
should plant itself upon the
shores of the Black Sea, or that
it should overrun the Balkan
states and subjugate the Slavonic
peoples of Southeastern Europe.
That would be contrary to the
historic life interests of Russia.
But here these interests of Russia
fall into the same channel as the
interests of Britain and France.
None of these three powers can
afford to see Rumania, Yugo-
slavia, Bulgaria, and above all
Turkey, put under the German
heel. Through the fog of con-
fusion and uncertainty we may
discern quite plainly the COM
munity Of interests which exists
between England, France and
Russia to prevent the Nazis car
rying the flames Of war into the
Balkans and Turkey. Thus cat
some risk of being proved wrong
by evenJs) I will proclaim tonight
my conviction that the second
great fact of the first month of
the war is that Hitler, and all
that Hitler stands for. have been
and are being warned off the east
and southeast of Europe.
What is the third event? Here
I speak as first lord of the ad-
miralty and with special caution.
1t would seem that the U-boat
attack upon the life of the Brit
ish Isles has not so far proved
successful.
1t is true that when they sprang
out upon us and we were going
about our ordinary business, with
1000 ships in constant movement
every day upon the seas, they
managed to do some serious
damage.
But the royal navy has imme-
diately attacked the U-boats, and
Is hunting them night and day
I will not say without mercy
because God forbid we should
ever part company with that, but
at any rate with zeal, and not
altogether without relish. And it
looks tonight very much as If it
is the U-boats who are feeling
the weather, and not the royal
navy or the world wide commerce
of Britain.
Gain 15O,000 Extra Tons
OF Contraband Merchandise.
A week has passed since a Brit
ish ship, alone or in convoy, has
been sunk or even molested by
U-boat on the high seas, and dur
ing the first month of the war
we have captured by our efficient
contraband control 10000 tons
more German merchandise
food, oil minerals and other COM
moditieS-for our own benefit
than we have lost by all the
U-boat sinkings put together.
In fact, up to date-please OBJ
serve I make no, promises, we
must deal in performances, not in
promises-we have actually got
10000 tons of very desirable sup
plies into this island more than
we should have got if war had
mt heen declared and If M