Amsterdam, Dec. 19.
Flags are flying at half-mast over the Wilhelmstrasse for the loss of the pocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee.
According to dispatches from Berlin, news of the scuttling of the warship caused bewilderment in Germany, for nobody knows the reasons, Only an eight line announcement appeared in papers this morning and people wondered what had happened, as they had been led to expect the Admiral Graf Spee would at least put up a fight, One of the arguments advanced in political circles against internment is that two of the Graf Spee's sister ships are still in action, so it would be very undesirable to expose her to prying eyes in a neutral harbour.
Some German quarters adopt the attitude that anyway it is not battleships but submarines and small vessels that are important in this war.
A number of morning newspapers were overtaken by events and still lished articles scoffing at the Brit-attempt to turn the fight into a victory.
No papers hinted that the aircraft carrier Ark Royal was waiting off South America, as officially the Ark Royal is at the bottom of the sea as far as Germany is concerned.
Indignation is expressed against Uruguay who, it is alleged, acted under British pressure when a time limit was set for the Graf Spee's stay in port—Reuter.
"Honour of German Seamanship'
Berlin, Dec, 19.
According to the German News opinion in Berlin political that "the honour of German seamanship stands too high to make it necessary to defend it against the insults of the British press." This comment follows reports and editorial opinion in Britain on the Graf Spee episode.
Commenting on the cereer of the rocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee. the agency states her task was to (Continued on page 8, col. 4)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.