The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-07
Russian Resistance,
 Weather Stalls Nazis
tcontinued from Page D

that the Luftwaffe stlll was carrying out strong attempts to lombard the Soviet capital without marked suc- cess.
 The Royal Air Force bombed tar- gets at Wllhelmshaven, Hamburg and elsewhere in northwestern Ger. many and also renewed extensive attacks on central Italy and Sicily,
 All Of these developments on the military field provided more im- pressIve background than might have been expected two weeks ago for Stalin's speech in the Red Square, although his call for Bri- tain to open second fighting front in western Euro. CT the Mediterra- mean area brought no response from London.
 stalIn said that the Germans were draining their strength both on the battlefield, on the home front and on tha scattered front where they are fighting rebels throughout occu- pied Europe,
 Hitler Near Catastrophe
 Hitler is facing 70 catastrophe" ," he said, and the Germans may crack under the strain within year or even within six months, whereas the Russians are stronger now and in a better strategic position than when they fought military forces Of many countries 24 years ago. The position Of the Red army. already receiving American and British supplies under 0 $i 1000, ,000,- GOO loan arranged by President Ros- cyelt-appeare to be eXerting an increasingly important influence on the threat Of war in the Far East.
 Japanese Premier Gen, Hideki Toio was understood to have sent Q personal message to President Roos- evolt saying, in effect, that 6 settle- ment Of tension in the Pacific must be reached quickly or Japan will be forced to "use other means" to break the British and American economic blockade.
 Presumably the Tojo message was couched in language that avoided any threats or ultimatum, such as have been repeatedly made by the Japanese press.
 There were, in fact, many indic9- tons that the Japanese cabinet was putting up a strong front through the press in an effort to make 1t seem that Japan was on the verge of striking by force against the United States and Britain in the hope of persuading Washington that compromise was necessary on the Japanese expansion program.
 The journey of saburo Kurusu, now at Manila, by air to Washington in q "last effort" to reach settle- ment with the United States was regarded as emphasizing Japan's de- sire to force an immediate show down.
 At the same time. Japanese mili- tary preparations apparently for q blow at Thailand or the Burma road or both continued and total of i20,0O0 Japanese troops.were report. ed massed in Indo-China, Then Chi nese divisions were undestood to be on the frontier guarding the path to the Burma road and military eX- ports said that infantry operations in that direction would be extreme ly difficult for the Japanese.
 China's Report on Japan
 Chinese military quarters in Chunking said that Japan soon will have 10000 troops in Indo-C China, Chungking reported also that al- ready Chinese and Japanese troops already had clashed east Of Laokay on the YunYlan border with Indo- China. The reports, from a Chin- csc field headquarters said that scores of soldiers were involved in the clash.)
 Colonel Kunio Akiyama, Japanese army spokesman here, admitted that Japanese garrisons in Indo- China had been re-enforced and said the Japanese were negotiating with the French for expanded barracks fa- cilities.
 Akiyama said Japan attached the utmost importance to the Burma road, over which China is being sup piled, but he refused to indicate whether the Japanese would attack the highway from Indo-China bases Akiyama added, however, the Jap- anese were confident they could cut the Burma road despite terrain diff ficulties.
 "Nothing is impossible for the Japanese army in the Far East, he said, adding that the Far East included Siberia. Thailand, Burma and anywhere that action by Jap anese forces might be necessary
 The spokesman said that Japan had not attacked the Burma road in the past because of hope 1t could be closed by diplomatic negotiations in Washington and London. Foreign observers here believed