The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-12

Both the German press and ra- autlio were engaged in a day-long and Vituerative attack on President Roosevelt and the United States but
 without any mention or specific re- action to last nights speech.
 The attacks were directed against the Presidents action in giving per- mission to Americans in Britain to
 sail back to the United States on
 helligerent ships.
 The high command reported the 2 ssinking of 9 ships, tctalling 134,- 900 tons in sustained attack on a iBritish North Atlantic convoy.
 In addition, according to DINE, AOfficial German news agency, Ger
 man airplanes last night bombed and sank three merchant ships to- taling 21,O0 tons south of Great Yarmouth, England. The agency said also that German planes had damaged British light cruiser and had inflicted considerable damage on a 2,O00 ton merchant ship off the east coast of England.
 While authoritative quarters maintained silence on the Presi- dents speech pending orders, prob ably from Adolf Hitler himself, the high command in communique from the Fuehrer's headquarters said that 9 British ships totaling
 l34,OO tons had been sunk from . strongly protected convoy.
 Two Others Strike
 FFI1aa no,,, coid that if1 Qh- dition two other British ships from the same convoy had been struck by torpedoeS and damaged so seri- ously that they were considered lost. These vessels totaled 1l,000 tons.
 The Italian high command in Rome said that an Italian submar- inc roaming the Atlantic had tor pedoed and sunk tanker and a freighter of more than 5000 tons.
 The German communique said that the attack on the convoy had continued for several days and 1t claimed that the atatcks still were on. The convoy, said to have com- prised originally of some 40 ships, was reported to have been strongly protected by destroyers and cor- Vettes.
 For the present authorized Ger man quarters refused any comment on President Roosevelt'S speech, adding they were not able to say when German reaction would be released.
 Thus far the German press has neither mentioned nor commented on the speech.
 Authorized German quarters in- dicated it was unlikely there would be anything on the speech in the German press today.
 BY REYNOLDS PACKARD United Press Staff CorrespOndent) Rome, September 12. = (UP) - Virginia Gayda, often spokesman ,, for official Axis opinion, declared today that President Roosevelt has , left Axis naval units no alterna- tive "but to attack United States naval ships on sight" Writing in the Giornale DTtalia, Gayda charged that MT. Roosevelt has committed "an act of unpro- vokeA aggression" against Germany and Italy.
 He said that this interpretation of the Presidents address made 1t ( plain that German and Italian war : craft will be forced to attack Amer ican warships.
 Tt is obvious" wrote dayda, "af- . ter the White House warning, that every German and Italian warship : knowing itself exposed to aggressive action by American warships must for its own defense attack when it sees 1t has no chance to escape from the attackers.
 Tt is obvious that by his de- . clared aggressive plan Roosevelt is : searching for 6 pretended justifi- cation to unleash his armed forces , into battle.
 Direct Aggression '.No formal declaration of war by Congress could add any new ele- ment to this open and direct aggres- Sion."
 { Gayda took the position that an 2. official declaration of war by the ! American Congress would now be . mere formality.
 Every citizen of the civilized world who Is sound in mind," he wrote, .