Washington Jan. 20.
A sharp decrease in cargo movements between the United States and warring Far Eastern nations through the Panama Canal was shown statistically in the report far 1938 of Gov. C. S. Ridley to the Secretary of War, Mr. Harry Woodring. The decrease was not applicable to trade between American and Philippines points, however.
The report, submitted by Gov. Ridley, showed that shipments to the United States from the war-embroiled Oriental countries through the canal route dropped by 35 per cent. in the fiscal year ending last June from the previous year's figure.
Political circles here expressed no pleasure at the report that Captain Fritz Wiedemann, Herr Hitler's aide-de-camp, had been appointed German Consul-General in San Fran-
These quarters point out that the close friendship between the Fuehrer and Captain Wiedemann has resulted in the latter being entrusted with several confidential missions. This friendship, they added, is not, however, of a nature to win American sympathies for the new Consul-General.
The rumours that Captain Wiedemann would eventually succeed Dr. Hans Dieckhof as German Ambassador to the United States, arouse ed unfavourable comment here—Havas.
Shipments from this country to the Eastern nations also showed a decline, but canal-routed trade with the Philippiness, Europe and South American increased.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.