The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-04-12


 It has now been reported by U. s. intelligence services that be- hind this was grim joke played on the British by the Germans. The latter let a British observer, whom they knew to be a spy, see an array of German planes warming up, suppostedly for take-off to London. Information was dropped to this observer that there were 600 of them.
 Naturally, he reported this to London at once - just as the Nazis expected him to do. Result: the British spent sleepless night. So also did U. s. officials in the State end Navy Departments. They had received the same report, relayed from London, and stayed up worrying over it.
 Grimmest part of the joke was that there were only IT anti-air- craft guns to defend the city of London.
 SELL-BIONDI AXIS
 When Italian forces invaded Albania, Germany's genial news man Kurt Sell met Italy's noble neWsman, Count Leone Fumasoni Bondi at a State Department press conference.
 Apparently bewildered over the news, German Sell said to Italian Biondi, "I don't understand the reason for this invasion. Can you explain it to mel"
 Biondi replied, "I guess we're trying to initiate you fellows" WAR HANGS IN BALANCE
 For at least ten days, State De- partment observers have been at a loss to appraise the possibilities of war. This applies to officials at the top as well as those toward the bottom.
 To many, war hung in the bal ance. The belated but prodigious effort of the British to Stop Hit Ter, they felt, might finally stop him.
 To others, however, 1t has seemed that actually war had begun - not the old fashioned war, where troops mobilized and declarations of war were issued, but the modern, streamlined war where government jumps in with lightning moves when the bolt is least expected.
 The swallowing of Czechoslova- kia may have been the first step in such a war, and the invasion of Albania may be equivalent to the Austrian attack upon Serbia in 1914.
 Where the next bolt will strike, no one can predict, but officials are most jittery over three bolts which could be launched at any moment. They are:
 1. An attack by Mussolini on
 the French in Tunis or in
 French Somaliland (Dji-
 boutD.
 2. A squeeze play on Rumania,
 the Hungarians attacking
 from the northwest and the
 Bulgars from the south
 with German support.
 3. A German air attack on
 Great Britain.
 Experts describe the Rome-Ber- lin tactics as those of a boxer-a lead with the left, then blow with the right, and so on. On March IS Hitler led with the in- vasion of Czechoslovakia; Mus solini followed with the invasion of Albania.
 Most official observers believe the two dictators won't stop there, though some hope that Hitler now will be content with merely wear ing down British nerves by fake air raids until next fall, when Chamberlain will be ready for more appeasement.
 ALBANIAN MINISTER
 For the representative of Q small country. few diplomats have cut a more important niche in Washington than Faik Key Kon- itza, minister of the beleaguered government of Albania.
 This is Konitza's 18th year of service in Washington, but that, he maintains, is not the reason for Albania's present luck. Dur ing those 13 years Konitza has be- come renowned for his cooking, respected for his knowledge, and loved for himself.
 Konitza prepares 8 meal as Q great poet shapes a poem. He goes into the country to pick his