Evening star., 1940-07-17
Nazis Call on Hull
To Denounce British
Blockade Of Axis
Offensive Preparations
Almost Complete. but
Time Is Withheld
ny the Associated Press.

ime Is WlthheId
ny the Associated Press.
BERLIN, July 17.-Authorized
German sources declared today that
If Secretary Hull means what he
says about keeping world trade lanes
open he must logically condemn the
British blockade against Germany
and Italy.
(Secretary of State Hull de-
clared yesterday, in comment on
the proposed closing of the Bur-
ma road by Great Britain-a
move that would favor Japan's
campaign by cutting that Chinese
lifeline-that the United States
''has a legitimate interest in the
keeping open of arteries of COM
merce in every part of the
world. +" ".')
The British blockade, the Ger
mans held, is in violation of the
principle of freedom Of the seas.
1--WE don't dare to say, however,
that he (HulD will 60 so far as to
condemn the blockade" these quar-
ters said.
They noted, however, that Amer
lean and British policies by no
means always conform.
Offensive Almost Ready.
Preparations for the offensive
against Britain are almost COM
pleted, these sources continued to
say, but warned correspondents to
refrain from speculation as to when
or what the next move may be, de-
claring no one can forecast Adolf
Hitler's actions and decisions.
The German high command an
nounced that bad weather had cur
tailed air activity against Britain,
but reported that a merchant ship
had been fired in an attack on
harbor in North Scotland and that
troop concentration had been
bombed at Scapa Flow.
No air attacks on Germany were
carried out by British planes dur
ing the night, the high command
said.
The text of the communique, one
OF the shortest in weeks:
Air force activity was slight be-
cause of bad weather. German
planes attacked harbor facilities al
Thurso in North Scotland and set
q merchant ship on fire with bombs.
AT the southern tip of Scapa
Flow British troop barracks were
successfully bombed There were
no enemy flights to Germany"
Complete confidence in Nazi
ability to crush England was re-
flected in the calmness with which
the German people awaited a de-
cisive test of strength, which they
believe may come at any minute.
The authoritative commentary
Dienst aus Deutschland, which only
yesterday reported everything was
in readiness for a mass onslaught
upon England, declared that the
nation was awaiting Adolf Hitler's
command to strike with serenity
which permitted it to look beyond
the final struggle to the task of
establishing new order in Europe.
dispatches from Rome quoted
German sources as saying Hitler
might deliver an ultimatum to
Britain within a few days in a
speech before the ReichstagJ
Dienst aus Deutschland saw fur
ther indications of Germany's con-
fidence in her own strength in the
failure of the press to pay any
marked attention to the japanese
government reorganization or the
question of whether President Roose-
welt would be nominated for another
term.
Yugoslavia Reproved.
YugoAavia, meanwhile, was sharp
ly reproved by both the German
press and political circles for per-
mitting what they described as a
pro-French demonstration in Bel
grade with apparent official ap-
proval.
They referred to a memorial serv-
Ice in the French cemetery conduct
ed by the French Ministry to Yugo-
slavia, whom the Boersen Zeitung
called supporter of Gen. Charles
de Gaulle, leader of the French
National Committee" in London.
The presence at the ceremony of
high Yugoslav officials drew caustic
comment from Dienst aus Deutsch-
land, which said:
THE cause of peace in the Balkans
and the interests of Yugoslavia in
the reorganization of Europe are
poorly served when high-placed rep
resentatives of the army and public
life act in manner more French
than the French"
Hitler's newspaper the Voelkischer
Beobachter, spoke with equal sharp
ness concerning a similar demon
stration in Lyon, France, and re-
ferred particularly to the prayer of
French priest that France might
arise tO neu plOrv