Evening star., 1941-01-08
Nazi Press Unites
In Attack Against
Roosevelt Message
Brituin's Doom Declared
Sealed, With U. S. Too
Lute in Giving Help
BY LOUIS p. LOCHNER,
LSSOcisted Press War CorreSDondent


BERLIN, Jan. 8.-The German
afternoon press. with a unanimous
apparently preconceived pattern, de-
Clared today that President Roose.
velt's Monday message to Congress
was historically inaccurate anc
would have practically no bearing
on the outcome of the war.
Britain's doom is sealed, the news
papers declared, and American aio
will come too late.
The Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitune
said: Roosevelt imperialism seeks
not only supremacy over the West
ern Hemisphere republics of South
and Central America, by bases anc
pinCers of capitalistic economy, but
also seeks to lay the groundwork
for heritage from the British En-
pire."
The newspaper continued that
President Roosevelt'S proposal for
aid to Britain was designed Ito af-
firm legitimation for that heritage
'InaSmuch as the British never
even paid their World War debts,
this method Of payment post
repayment of ships and arms loaned)
is a pure fiction the paper de-
clared.
Message Called Arrogant
1t headlined the comment on
President RooSeVelt's message "ec-
centric arguments for a lost cause"
Hours before the afternoon papers
appeared, the editorial tack they
followed had been foretold by au-
thoritative quarters.
They said the papers would call
Mr.. RooSeVelt'S message arrogant
beyond description and, as compared
with his fireSide talk, even less dig
nified, more abnormally nervous and
more fraught with historical mac
curacieS."
Another predicted point of the
press reaction was the assertion
that no matter what aid the Presi-
dent might decide to give to Britain,
it would come too late"
Barter Plan Seen.
AS for any Axis threat to the
Western Hemisphere and the Roose-
velt statement regarding its histori-
cal freedom from such threats, the
Berliner Boersen Zeitung said:
"One need not be an expert on the
history OF BritlSh-American rela-
tions to recall the bombardment of
Washington by the British. Britains
role in the American secession war
and British basic policies in the
Western Hemisphere"
Lokal Anzeiger profeSsed to see in
Mr.. Roosevelt's plan to lend arms to
Britain to be returned in kind or in
commodities an American adoption
OF German barter methods.
No comprehensive summary of the
Roosevelt message of Monday has
appeared yet in the German press.
Hhere have been only brief quota
tions. accompanied by sarcastic edi-
torials. a.---- --., -.
Effort to Dupe Charged.
This afternoons newspapers for
the most part dWelt on the allegation
that the President was trying to
dupe Americans. ss., .-
While the newspapers insisted that
most OF the message was a repeti-
ton of the recent f1reside chat, in
formed sources intimated that the
press attacks would be continued
with some rough language coming
up in the morning papers.
There will not be any official
German reaction on the grounds
that the Presidents message
brought no new viewpoints which
would make it worth while to take
official cognizance," the same source
said.
Any one who understands the
German press system, however,
knew that the reply of the press
would come in accordance with pre-
else instructions and would reflect
the views Of the highest German
quarters.
Hitler proposes to sit tight at pres
ent and do nothing that might pre-
clpitate open conflict, it was said.