British treated them with usual arrogance. The Babbits who threw millions of dollars into the war were never repaid; America still waiting for money, which was refused. Example of British ingratitude, when America urgently needed rubber, of which Britain had monopoly, British rubber merchants increased price and millions of dollars flowed into their pocket. This was thanks for help. Churchill tries to harness USA. Remember Lusitania, trick repeated now. Dear old "Randolph" calculated on proving it done by wicked Germans. * * * * * * Kitchener also was in way of Churchill. He had too many followers in the country, so he was sent on fool's errand to Russia. A well arranged accident was staged, in which the lives of a few hundred British bluejackets did not matter. The 1916 statement of Churchill from the Admiralty that Kitchener was saved alive and taken on board steamer is without foundation. Churchill and Kitchener were always at daggers drawn. Athenia was torpedoed by British and they will not fool the world or USA. Their tricks have been repeated too often. DEUTSCHLANDSENDER IN GERMAN: 22.10 BST: 6.9.39. British lie campaign continues, attempts being made to inculpate Germany with torpedoing of Athenia. All methods of unfair propaganda being used. "F.B." says Churchill and Ministry of Information should answer questions how long it took for rescue ships to reach "Athenia". Answer to this would inevitably establish who was guilty. DEUTSCHLANDSENDER IN GERMAN 17.30: 7.9.39. Angriff writes Athenia is only a new Lusitania trick of British propaganda. British torpedo boats for the benefit of America. Up to her old tricks and lies. Strong liar must be countered with strong measures. Churchill and Information Ministry try to repair damage done to their story but their arguments are taken from them. London alleges that Germany knew about gold on the Athenia even before London authorities knew. London try to make out Athenia sinking was work of the IRA but poor Irish had no means to have squadron of rescue ships on the spot, nor could they provide witnesses. HAMBURG IN GERMAN: 19.30: 7.9.39. * * * Another lie, however, not yet admitted by England; we therefore ask again when will Churchill apologize for torpedoing of Athenia? High Command of German navy again states (1) Each unit of German fleet has received command to conform in every detail to rules of international maritime warfare. (2) There were no units of German navy in area in question. 744400-47-69 (3) Consequently impossible to connect German navy in any way with loss of Athenia. (4) Attempt, in spite of official German denials, to blame sinking of Athenia on German fleet typical product of incitement through false reports. ZEESEN IN ENGLISH: 02.30: 11.9.39. The Old Recipe. Sinking of Lusitania struck heart of America. It is doubtful if America would have come into the war if it had not been sunk. This fact comes home to us when we read that the Athenia was torpedoed. Who fired torpedo? Indignation is sweeping America. Germany restricts her attacks to military objectives, and Fuehrer knows his soldiers will obey his orders. No German ship was in locality when Athenia sunk. We know another Lusitania is needed by British public to appeal to heart of American public. Churchill reports that Athenia sank very quickly. It is strange that there was a sufficient number of ships. near as if waiting to take off passengers, and that immediately after disaster a list of passengers was published in American papers. This is too good to be true. Many have not forgotten British propaganda during Great War. "New York Times" doubts the truth of British reports and states it would have been too stupid for Germans to have sunk ship. Who fired torpedo? Perhaps Mr. W. C. will tell us. DEUTSCHLANDSENDER IN GERMAN 22.00 BST: 25.9.39. Churchill's guilt in "Athenia" incident becomes more obvious through a new document. German press published on 21st September facsimile of letter of 29th August of Cunard Star Line, instructing all German branches not to accept bookings of German passengers, for S.S. Athenia. London Head Office gave as explanation change of itinerary. This was only pretext as "Athenia" left punctually according to itinerary on 2nd September. Embarrassed by publication, Churchill induced London Head Office of Cunard to issue denial of writing of letter. Cunard issued denial on 22nd September. Churchill would have done better to be silent, because already next day, day before yesterday, investigation in Cunard offices in Berlin showed that London denial was false. Cable of London Head Office was found, in which German branches instructed not to take any bookings. Following questions to be addressed to Churchill: Why did Cunard attribute annulment of bookings and refusal to take new bookings to change of itinerary when Athenia in fact left according to plan? Why was it that German passengers were prevented from sailing on Athenia? Reply: Because Churchill wanted to avoid German eye-witnesses of his torpedoing. He wanted to re 4 place Germans by American passengers. Why did you, Mr. DEUTSCHLANDSENDER IN GERMAN: 19.55: 1.10.39. Forgive me, listeners, if I do not give you usual talk on events of day, but speak above your heads to First Lord of Admiralty, Mr. Winston Churchill. I cannot prevent anyone from listening, but I address myself to Churchill personally. * * * * * Honorable and estimated Sir, this is a most awkward question. How did you have "Athenia" sunk? Were you not at all concerned about fate of one and half thousand persons, where there was not certainty that they could be saved by ships standing by, and were in fact not all saved? Did you really think that anyone in world would believe that Germany could be so foolish as to commit action right at beginning of war to see whether USA could not be brought into war? We have many more questions, but this is a question of questions. Did you find commander of British submarine who was willing to shoot on own ship, or did you have to have infernal machine built into ship before beginning of voyage? We wait for your answer at 21.30, and we will reply to your answer at 23.00. GERMAN HOME STATIONS IN GERMAN: 12.30: 7.10.39. Who sunk Athenia? Question asked by Swedish paper "Svanska Volkssocialist". Asserts England tried to use this incident as used "Lusitania" sinking in World War to drive America into war. After sinking warlike spirit against Germany spread over America. Now, one must ask, would Germans not have been stupid if they had really sunk it? We know German military command corresponds to diplomatic successes. Clear now sinking not in German interest but in British. Further explanation not necessary. Circumstances point to sinking by English having been well prepared. Paper demands English propaganda in Sweden should be forbidden as represents danger for Swedish people; lies about Athenia prove that anew. ZEESEN IN GERMAN: 10.30: 7.10.39. * * * Swedish paper asks: In whose interest was sinking of Athenia? We know, says paper, that Germany has connected direction of war very cleverly with great diplomatic successes and would not commit capital mistake of sinking this ship and risk war with USA. Swedish paper says Churchill alone is at fault. GERMAN HOME STATIONS IN GERMAN: 20.03: 15.10.39. Sinking of "Royal Oak" made great impression in Washington circles. American naval experts point out that one single torpedo was enough to cause sinking of battleship in few minutes. With this, Admiralty admitted against own will effect of German torpedo. This effect is contrasted with effect of other alleged German torpedo: "Athenia" took hours to sink * * Churchill is caught in his own toils. Unconsciously he admitted by statement on torpedo against "Royal Oak" that torpedo against "Athenia" cannot have been a German one. People do not believe that British submarine commander was found to sink ship of his country's navy in service of political ends. We, however, are convinced time bomb was put into ship's hull. This is only explanation for fact that so many ships were there in time to help. GERMAN HOME STATIONS IN GERMAN: 17.00: 18.10.39, A new witness against Churchill's Athenia lie turned up in America. Mr. Anderson (?) from Illinois has been questioned by Washington's State Department. He declared on oath: "Lamps in ship were burning for hours after alleged hit. Ship sinking for fourteen hours. Three British destroyers were near Athenia". Investigations made by the State Department about reliability of witness turned out very satisfactorily. State Department preparing publication of White Book concerning these reports. DEUTSCHLANDSENDER IN GERMAN:00.00 20/21.10.39. Sworn testimony of American Anderson regarding Athenia, an unbiased witness, proves Churchill sent hundreds of innocents to their death. * * * ALL GERMAN STATIONS: 20.15: 22.10.39. Goebbels' speech: Accused Churchill has Ear of Court Regret to have to interrupt your usual Sunday evening program to put some very urgent questions to your First Lord, which demand to be answered. He does not even try to answer accusations poured out by our radio and press for last weeks in all European languages himself, but simply allows anonymous persons to make statements on English radio and in press, and evidently thinks he can settle the business with a dementi. There can, however, be no more question of this. Firstly, because our accusations and those of neutral witnesses have been made so precisely that cannot be denied, second because any dementi of Churchill's has no value in Germany, neutral states or even England, after his well-known lies, and thirdly because precise ques tions demand precise answers. Churchill is accused before world tribunal of public opinion. That is why I am speaking tonight. Churchill tries to brush aside accusations of German press and radio with movement of his hand. But he must reply to a German Minister if he does not want his silence to prove him guilty. This war is his work, he even boasts about it, and nations accuse him of it. He has become European danger. He should not try and escape like a rabbit in a wood. But we shall know how to snare him. We have plenty of experience in dealing with people of his type, and know what sort of treatment to give them, and if we have to use hard words, sometimes, we can only say some people's wisdom teeth have to be smashed before they stop lying and speak the truth. But he cannot stick to his lies if he has an equal or superior opponent. That happened in last war and this is why his methods did not succeed that time. Today things are different: he stands before N.S. Germans. In our long history, we have so often dealt with lazy opponents, that we don't doubt we shall deal successfully with him too. Lazy excuses are no good. If he wants to bring counter-accusations, it will only make us smile. You, Mr. Churchill, after sinking of Athenia, informed world that this British ship with Americans on board was torpedoed by German submarines. This invention was made with the transparent object of discrediting Germany in the eyes of the world and bringing America into the war. You have no proof for this lying and crafty statement. Why then, did you take all measures to insure that no German passengers were on board? Why should you have excluded German passengers from voyage? You have excluded them to avoid disagreeable witnesses of your criminal action that you were about to commit. Since your first announcements about sinking of Athenia which you have trumpeted out into the world we have not been idle and in shortest time we have succeeded in furnishing circumstantial evidence to prove absolute truth. After a few days only it had to be regarded as established that German torpedoes were not concerned with sinking of Athenia. You declared, despite our arguments, that our reports caused laughter in England and the whole world. But nobody has been laughing except you and even you have been laughing with embarrassment and bad conscience only. But now even you have stopped laughing. You thought you would succeed again the same as in 1917 in dragging USA into European conflict. You hoped during further development of affairs the original cause, the sinking of the Athenia, which had to be ascribed to your own machinations, would easily be forgotten. |