The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-17
Relations With Axis Powers Drift Apart
tcOntlnued trom PaRe D

alder the problems involved.
 sun Co come Is a state department protest against the sinking of the American merchant vessel Robin Moor in the South Atlantic by Q German submarine. The rescue of the Robin Moor's passengers and crew after they had spent l3 to 19 days in open boats was regarded here as a fortuitous circumstance rather than an indication that the German submarine commander who stopped the ship took adequate pre- cautions to save the lives of the ships passengers and crew as is re- quired under international law.
 Further increasing the tension be- tween Washington and European Axis powers was the seizure of Idle foreign shipping in our ports which started yesterday with six Danish vessels. German and Italian ships are expected to be taken before the program is completed. There is ample evidence that such action will be sharply resented in Rome and Berlin.
 way ApVSASS Japan
 Japanese American relations were less spectacularly disturbed and there were some intimations here of Q desire to go more than part way to get along with the Japanese. But Ambassador Joseph c. Grew at Tokyo has just made a sharp pro- American embassy in Chungking, test against bombing near the China, and but for the more serious difilculties arising with Germany and Italy, Washington's relations with Tokyo would look black.
 The word "war" is appearing from time to time now in official and public utterances of American officials. Secretary of Navy Frank Knox in Montreal last night ad- dressed a Canadian victory loan drive audience with some views which were expected to arouse con- troversy between interventionists and isolationists here. Knox takes an extremely grave view of the gen. eral international situation as 1t affects the prospective peace of the United States. Last night he thanked the audience for It's gen. erous welcome but said 1t caused him more of embarrassment than happiness" explaining that he felt e sense of humility in facing the fighting people of Canada.
 Knox's speech was written and distributed for subsequent release a couple of days before the order for the closure of German consult ates and agencies. The German embassy was not affected by the order but the dismantling of NaZi consular and other agencies in this country will be under embassy d. rection. The Germans have until July 10 to close the offices and re- mov0 German nationals in their employ from American territory.
 No Details On Charges
 No details of the charges against the various German agencies has been made public although Knox told press conferees yesterday that:
 "Fifth column activities in the center around the official repre- United States have been found to sentNtives of the German govern rnent."
 The charge made formally by the state department was that the of- fees and individuals involved had engaged in activities "of an im- proper and unwarranted character" and that their continued presence here would be "inimical to the wel- fare of this country. But all ques- tions as to details wree referred to the justice department where off, cis's remained silent.
 Although responsibility for cab- otagG to Italian ships in American waters was charged to the Italian embassy and request was made for the recall of an Italian naval attache, there has been no charge of sabotage or espionage against German consuls. But there has been constant agitation here against propaganda activities by German consular officers.
 There was no general order against German consular officers before the United States entered World war although there was much public criticism of their ac- tivities.
 KNOX TALKS TO CANADA