October 22, 1939; TURKEY FACES FATE OF POLAND

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, OCTOBER 22, 1939:

Berlin Asserts Turkey

Faces Fate of Poland

Press Quotes From Moscow Dispatches

To Show Danger Facing Ottomans;
See Rough Dealing at Soviet's Hands

BERLIN, Oct. 21 (AP)—Authorized officials held Saturday night that Turkey's step in allying herself with Great Britain and France might turn her into another Poland—meaning she would lose her independence. Signs taken as ominous for the republic were seen as the press reproduced an article from Izvestia, soviet Russian government newspaper in Moscow, which authoritative quarters interpreted as "a warning to Turkey."

Izvestia's article said the three power mutual assistance pact "cannot be evaluated as an instrument of peace," but assertions the treaty could injure Russia were wrong." It also said Russia "has no ground to regret what has happened." Authoritative sources said those passages "are a threat to Turkey."

"Russia does not need to regret Turkey's new alliance," it was said, "because she is free now to occupy the Dardanelles if she desires. Before, with Turkey friendly toward Russia, it would have been harder."

Foresee Stern Action
There was a general German belief that Russia had made up her mind to deal roughly with Turkey. Dienst Aus Deutschland, informed news commentary close to the foreign office, said Russia's reaction to "the new situation"— as Izvestia called it—"its background and repercussions leave no room for the slightest doubt or misunderstanding."

(Turkish Foreign Minister Sukru Saracoglu, returning to Turkey Friday from fruitless negotiations for a Turkish-Russian pact, declared he was convinced the British-French-Turkish treaty "will not have the slightest detrimental effect on the old and sincere Turkish-soviet friendship.")

 

Mines Blast 70

To Death in
German Ship

STEGE, Moen Island, Denmark,

Oct. 21 (UP)—The German coast patrol boat No. 701 struck two mines in Fakse bay Saturday and sank within one minute with an apparent loss of 70 lives, Willy Gehring, one of four survivors, told the United Press Saturday night. Seventy-four were aboard the

boat.

The four survivors, clinging to a spar in icy water and holding a dead companion, were afloat six hours without lifebelts before they were rescued by Danish seaplanes.

"We saw our companions disappear one by one in the heavy swells," Gehring, an able seaman, said. "When the Danish patrol plane was sighted late in the afternoon we four were apparently the only survivors."

Gehring said many of the crew perished in the sudden shock of being hurled by the explosion from the heat inside the patrol boat into the ice-cold sea.

 

London Hears

New Plan of
U. S. Mediation

LONDON, Oct. 21 (UP)—A neutral diplomatic source reported Saturday night that Paul Van Zeeland, former Belgian premier now in America, hopes to discuss with President Roosevelt the possibility of United States mediation in the European war.

Official confirmation of the re-, port was lacking and it was said that Van Zeeland's efforts in that direction would be entirely unofficial.

The announced purpose of his trip to the United States is to attend meetings of the international committee on refugee problems.

Without attempting to guess the attitude of the American government, the usually well-informed neutral sources said that Van Zeeland's talks with Mr. Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordel Hull might be of great importance, because it was believed Adolf Hitler was awaiting the outcome.