Evening star., 1941-12-11
Axis ENJOYS Notifying
i. ). OF War Received
By Under-0fficia|s
Hull Makes Germans Wait,
Then Sends Them to
See Bureau Chief

German and Italian emissaries
were kept waiting for an hour when
they called at the State Department
today to notify the United States
that their governments had declared
war on this Nation. And then they
were referred to subordinate officials
of Secretary of State Hull.
Charge d'Affaires Hans Thomson
and First Secretary Herbert Won
Strempel Of the German Embassy
were the first to arrive, at $50 a m.
They promptly asked for an audi
ence with Secretary Hull.
Mr.. Hull was not in his Office at
the time and the Nazi diplomats had
to wait about 10 minutes for him
! to appear After Mr.. Hull's arrival,
| they waited another 10 minutes and
| then the Secretary of State in
| formed them that he was too busy
| with important matters to see them
They were directed to deliver their
message to Ray Atherton, chief of
the European Division of the State
Department. Mr.. Atherton found
time to see them at $50 am.
Italian Calls at 1890 AM.
The Italian Ambassador, Prince
Colonna. called at 10:40 am. and
was referred to James Clement
Dunn, the departments political
with him.
Mr.. Dunn told Prince Colonna
that the United States fully anti
cipated that Italy would follow
obediently along" when Germany
declared war.
The State Department announced
that the italian Ambassador was
informed that we had long expected
Germany to carry out its threat
against this hemisphere and the
United States"
The Nazis handed Mr.. Atherton
copy of a note which had been pre-
sented almost simultaneously in
Berlin to the American Charge DAT
faires, Leland Morris, by Foreign
Minister Joachim Won Ribbentrop.
Acts of War Charged to U. S.
The Ribbentrop note, accusing the
United States of having violated
! in the most flegrant manner and
in increasing measure all rules
of neutrality, in favor of the ad-
versaries of Germany" served both
to notify the United States that
diplomatic relations between the two
countries were severed and that a
| state of war existed.
Japan was not mentioned in this
final diplomatic communication from
Germany to the United States-a
communication obviously meant
more to be read by the German
people as justification for Berlin's
action than as document to con-
vince Washington that Germany
had a sound basis for war
The Government of the United
States has virtually created a state
of war" the note said The note re-
ferred specifically to President
Roosevelt's announcement of Sep
tember II ordering the American
Navy to shoot on sight at German
warships and to his subsequent
statement of october 81, in which
"he once more expressly afirmed
that this order was in force"
Acting under this order" the note
added, vessels of the American
Navy, since early September, 1941,
have Systematically attacked Ger
man naval forces.
Thus, American destroyers. as, for
instance, the Greer, the Kearny
and the Reuben Jones, have opened
fire on German submarines accord
ing to the plan.
The Secretary of the American
Navy, Mr.. Knox, himself confirmed
that American destroyers attacked
German submarines.
Alleges Seizure Of Nazi Ships.
Furthermore the naval forces OF
the United States, under orders of
their Government and contrary to
international law, have treated and
seized German merchant vessels on
the high seas as enemy ships"
The names Of these merchant
vessels were not stated.
tThe Odenwald, German
merchant vessel. masquerading as
an American ship, was seized by
the Navy in the South Atlantic,
the Navy Department announced
three weeks ago. There has been
no news of other seizures, how
ever)