The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-04-25

Especially, they laid emphasis
on the Allied achievements in
Norway.
1t is now well recognized that
Hitler went into Norway largely as
a ruse to divert the British fleet,
and other Allied forces, up to the
out-of- the-Way-north. Meanwhile,
the German army could push into
Holland while MuSSolini landed
in the Balkans.
So the Allied diplomats showed
Foreign Minister Ciano how his
ruse failed. They pointed out that
the British had handled the Nor
wegian fracas without sending a
single ship out of the Mediter-
ranean, and that the naval forces
facing Italy were just as strong as
before.
They also pointed out that the
British navy had used its older
vessels in Norway, had not weak
ened the main fleet, which still
stood off the coast of Holland
awaiting the expected attack from
Germany.
Finally, Ciano was told that the
British had successfully landed
troops in Norway and still had
100000 men in reserve to help
Holland in case of attack.
There were also some very frank
warnings to Ciano that Italy
would be considered a belligeren
if Mussolini landed in the Bal
kans.
This cOld-steel fact portrayal
seemed to make a definite i'm
preston on Count CianO. How
much it affected his father-in-
law, the Allied diplomats had no
way of knowing. Mussolini now
sees no diplomats in Rome ex-
cept the German ambassador.
Allied diplomats are barred. Not
even u. S. Ambassador william
Philips has seen Mussolini in
recent months.
NOTE-The Allied strategy hint
ed to Ciano is a French advance
through the Alps into north Italy
the minute Mussolini sticks his
nose into the war.
TWO OLDEST MEN
Grim-visaged, bachelor Justice
McReynolds was rs last February
3. Although still study in health,
he is looking forward impatiently
to adjournment of court next
month and the four months sum-
mer vacation.
Sometimes the Justice admits
that he is bit weary and his
feet drag as he walks, but toward
the New Deal he is a fierce and
unrelenIing as ever. There is no
droop in his enmity.
An old friend recently inquired
if he was considering retiring, re-
marking that he had been on the
bench a long time (26 years. and
deserved a rest.
eyes, I have thought of re-
tiring," reflected McReynolds.
"Pve thought about it off and on
for some time" Then, throw
ing up his head and with eyes
flashing, he snapped, But I'll
never quit as long as that man
is in the White House. NEVER"
NOTE-Last fall, when mem
bers of Chief Justice Hughes fam
lily, worried over his health, urged
him to retire, he told them in eff
feet that he was determined to
stick it out until after the 1910
election.
BOMBING BILL WHITE
President Roosevelt scored a
neat one on his old friend, Will
liam Allen White, the sage of
Emporia, Kansas, during his off
the-record session with the news
paper editors recently at the
White House.
Incidentally, the remark was a
clue to what Roosevelt thinks is
the chief danger to the United
Etates-Nazi forces in Latin
America.
The President was taluetaonin
The President was talking about
the war and the question of ma
tional defense, especially as it
applied to the Western Henri
sphere. To illustrate his point,
he turned suddenly to Mr.. White
who was sitting in the group be-
fore him.
'For instance. Bill White may
think he's a lot safer in Kansas
than I am up in Hyde Park, N.
Y, said the President, 'but ne