Evening star., 1940-05-04
London
Continued From First Page.)

against widespread and highly
dangerous delusions that the war is
going to win itself without loss or
sacrifice, that time is on our side
and that Hitler has missed the bus"
Slap at Chamberlain.
His reference to Hitler missing
the bus was a direct slap at Mr..
Chamberlain. who used the phrase
in a speech April 4, five days before
Germany invaded Norway and Den
mark.
Mr.. Laws attack on the govern
ment was regarded as highly signifi-
cant, as detection Of a part of the
Conservative majority might con-
ceivably give opposition Liberals
and Labor SUFFICIENT strength to
overthrow the government.
The government critics were put
at a disadvantage, however. by the
declaration of Simon that the cabi-
net would put up united front
against political scalp hunters"
Mr.. Chamberlain, therefore, will
find himself ably defended by such
astute parliamentarians as Air Sec
retary Hoare, War Secretary Oliver
Stanley and First Lord of the Ad-
miralty Winston Churchill-who, in
cidentally, is regarded as the first
choice for Prime Minister in event
of a change in the government.
Tension Over Mediterraean.
Growing criticism of the govern
ment shared attention with news
of great allied naval concen-
tration at Alexandria and reports
that Italy was massing its armed
forces in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The tension created by these de-
velopments was reflected in an in
tensified campaign to stamp out
subversive Activities on the home
front.
Scotland Yard was reported to
completed a list of Italian fifth
column" suspects in England, and
police were understood to be keep
ing close watch on the Italian
colony for persons spreading anti
allied propaganda.
1t was expected that Sir John
Anderson, Minister of Home Secur-
ity. would announce in Commons
next week plans for strengthening
regulations against stop the war"
agitators.
Planes Over Coast.
German warplanes again nosed
over England's southeast coast last
night and early today.
Crowds on the clifftops along the
shore watched British fighter planes
and anti-aircraft batteries battle
the invaders for three hours, finally
driving them out to sea.
An unidentified plane, believed to
be German, was heard of the north
east coast last night, but there was
no anti-aircraft firing.
The news that the British had
withdrawn from Namsos, in North
Central Norway, as well as from
Andalsnes, to the south, was con-
tanned in a brief war Office COM
munique issued last night after day.
long denials of such a move.
The gloom caused by this an
nouncement was only partly dis
PEELED by unon1cial reports that the
allies still retained their hold in
Arctic Norway and that the Ger
man garrison at Narvik, running
short of supplies, could not hold out
much longer.
There were unconfirmed reports
that some of the troops removed
from Namsos were en- route to Mar
vik, and that King Haakon of Nor
way was accompanying them aboard
British war vessel.
Deny Failure to Notify Morse.
The war Office later denied a
Swedish report that the Norwegian
commander in chief, Col. Otto Ruge,
was not informed of the allied de-
cision to withdraw from the Trond-
helm area or that he is negotiating
an armistice."
The communique said Ruge had
been conveyed to an undisclosed
destination In Norway and that any
Norwegian order of the day an
nouncing negotiations for an arm
istice obviously was made without
his authority"
Dispatches from Sweden previ-
ouSly had said that such an order
was issued by Col. o. B. Getz, who
was described as the Norwegian
commander in the Trondelag.