Paris, Mar, 23.
Germany today is engaged in pushing a vast project for the economic reorganization of the whole of southeastern Europe; she aims to have the south-eastern neutrals so change their economic structures as to become complementary only to the Reich's, the Paris press revealed today in despatches from various Balkan capitals.
Herr Hitler was reported to have asked the south-eastern states outright to disarm partially, reduce industrial output and intensify agricultural production in order to offer more advantages to the Reich. Germany is highly industrialized herself, but needs food to offset the Allied blockade. Herr Hitler, some Balkan despatches even stated, has gone so far as to have drawn up detailed plans of production for each of the States included in his large-scale plot.
The countries approached have shown no desire to reorganize their whole economic structure for his benefit. The various capitals seem to be awaiting the Allied reaction and Italy's reception of the Nazi plan.
The Paris press today pointed out that the three dictatorships seem to be still scuffing among themselves for stronger positions individually in the Balkans. Italian emissaries have been working overtime in Yugoslavia for many months already, seeking to influence Yugoslav opinion in favour of Italian interests. Ever since German annexation of Austria two years ago, Italy has kept alive the bogey of German expansion. The visit being paid Rome today by the Hungarian Premier, Count Paul Teleki, newspapers continued, is to find out exactly how much assistance Budapest may expect from Rome.
Political circles here, noting Italy's determination to keep the war out of that part of Europe, wonder whether she is prepared to allow Soviet penetration in that region. That is the question, they say, which Count Teleki has asked Rome.—Havas.
Dartmoor holds extremist prisoners of the IRA, who are kept in a special block by themselves. It is thought that the trouble-makers took advantage of the fact that the prison staff on Saturday afternoon was smaller than usual Immediately the trouble broke out all warders were recalled to duty.
The disturbance is stated to have begun when men, who had been segregated because of feeling against them among the other isoners, Were being exercised with ori warder at tea time. They attacked the warder, bound and gagged him, and pushed him through the door of a cell which locked automatically.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.