London, June 24.
"Bomber aircraft of the Royal Air Force yesterday delivered a daylight attack on an enemy-occupied aerodrome at Merville to the west of Lille" states an Air Ministry communique.
"Despite heavy anti-aircraft fire a series of shallow dive attacks was (Continued on page 8, col. 2)
Budapest, June 24.
A dramatic behind-the-scenes struggle for political and economic domination in the Balkans between Russia and the Rome-Berlin Axis was increasingly evident here today on the basis of reports that the Italian Navy had mined Greek waters, blocking shipping to Turkey, Syria and Egypt.
During the last week, developments in Rumania have placed emphasis on the growing friction between ihe Axis Powers and Moscow, whose counterpressure in Bucharest so far has prevented King Carol's capitulation to Italo-German demands for the creation of an entirely rightist government in Rumania.
To observers here it appeared today that the reported Italian mining of Greek waters constitutes a warning to Russia to keep out of Rumania, Bulgaria and Turkey because Italy wants a clear path for a drive against Salonika and Istanbul if necessary.
Soviet military occupation of the Bultic states—which was regarded here as an anti-German move—and the reported transportation of 100 Russian divisions to the German-Russian frontier between the Baltic and the Black Sea, created the general impression here that Russia was becoming worried over the momentum of the Fascist-Nazi war machine.
The general feeling here was that should ever Russia strike, she would move simultaneously through Bessarabia and Bilgaria. Hence, Rumania might become the battlefield of the Balkans.
In connection with Russia's reputed interest in south-eastern European politics, it is interesting to note that the Russian Minister to Budapest this week invited high government and diplomatic authorities, including the German, Italian and Japanese Ambassadors, to the Soviet Legation to see the first performance of a film entitled "Peter the Great."—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.