Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-07-18

NEWS REVIEW
Continued from Page u

it comes, be it by bombing or block
ade.
But, as said above, nobody knows.
"New France"
On Sunday, July 14th, France OBJ
served its national holiday-only
there was no jubilant unfurling of
the proud Tricolor, there was no STIR
ring playing of the Marseillaise. For
there was no France, in the old and
WOnted sense of the name.
German-defeated France had
voted itself out of existence; had
OverthrOwn its strongly demo-
cratic constitution; had begun
period of French cOlOred nazi
rule, and elected 84-year old
Marshal Petain its president and
premier, with Pierre Laval as
vice premier, and defeatist Cen
eral Maxine Weygand as min
lister of defense.
1t all sounds like silly joke. For
the French government has no
France to govern, and Minister of
Defense Weygand has no army; for
he has no territory to defend.
The real capital of the French re-
public is Berlin; the actual head Of
its government is a man by the name
of Adolf Hitler.
Fear of Winter.
Occupied countries do not disap-
appear, literally speaking. But they
vanish almost completely from the
columns of the newspapers. You hear
very little about them, and not much
that is trustworthy because all in
formation has to pass through the
hands of the censor of the oppressor's
military forces.
But in roundabout ways something
reaches the outside world from time
to time, and most of the stories of this
kind just now deal with the dark
fear of the coming winter.
In Denmark, for instance, Ger
mans are slaughtering, wholesale,
cattle and swine, sending near
ly all the output to their own
country, and they are thus sys-
tematically running that agricul-
ture which is Denmark's special
standby. In Norway the Ger
mans have imposed the heaviest
restrictions on fOOdstuffs and fuel
for they are needed in Ger
many. The greater part of the
meat production of Holland goes
to Germany, and the Dutchmen
themselves are left to worry along
on almost invisible meat ratiOns;
the same thing is true in Belgium.
Poland is described as the country
worse off than others, and here the
Germans appear to have applied more
brutal and ruthless methods than
elsewhere.
Poor Harvests.
Many may recall that last winter
was the severest in Europe for a
is said to have had an almost destruc-
tive effect on the harvests. In some
countries the crop will be from 80 to
60 per cent below normal, in other
cases a bit more, in no cases less.
Thus Europe is weakened by the eff
fects of terrible winter, by totalitar-
ian war, and by the spectre of WIN
ter worse, probably, than any other
on record in modern times.
Further Ramiications.
There is, as yet, not single indi-
cation as to what the position Of
Russia will be in the current war;
1t must be always emphasized that
although there are treaties of friend
ship and commerce between Russia
and Germany, there is no alliance Of
any kind.
Many persons who are intimately
acquainted with the situation feel that
Russian jealousy of Germany's in
creasing power may ultimately lead
to open conflict between Stain and
Hitler. And the fact that Russia is
constantly strengthening its influence
in the Baltic countries would seem
to point in that direction. But there
is nothing very definite to go by.
The only fairly sure thing in
this connection is that Russia is
looking at Germany with cOnsid-
cradle misgiving, for Hitler too
strong would be too much for
whatever ambitions the SOviets
may have.
In the Balkans the situation seems
to have Gained down. Rumania has
definitely torn itself away from Great
Britain, and King Carol has made
it clear that he is getting closer and
closer to Hitler.
Hands Off!
Russia had been permitted to take
a slice off Rumania and to occupy
BeSSarabia and northern Bukovina,
but when Hungary made demands
for Transylvania-originally coded to
Rumania by the now non-existent
Austro-Hungarian empire
and Italy said, "Hands off" In the
first place, they wanted, in this way,
to save their new Rumanian friend
further humiliation. In the second
place thew did not want anv Ra1kan