4, If troops had been. ready for landing in Norway, there would have been no delay in coming to the assist= ance of Norway.. Such delay as occurred was due to the necessity of assembling a fore the laying of mine fields ely a preparation for land-Allies would not have an-noticed it. They did £0 purely out regard for neutral interests, which Germany has hitherto shamefully 6. The German expedition, subsequently admitted by the German wireless, sailed many days before the mine fields were laid, ratgidt 1 Rolorious that the German landing In Norway was made possible by the activities of German secret agents. It is impudent to suggest that British agents had been preparing for a British landing.
8 The "British Government is anxious that neutrals should take slops to protect themselves from German aggression, but it is patently untrue to state'that the Allies seek fo extend the war. The view of neutrals is indicated by the fact that has mobilised in fear of Allied "There is no doubt that the extension of the war to Scandinavia is due {0 the deliberate action of the German Government, This they now seek to justify on the basis of alleged documents of which they had hho cognisance when they committed their aggression.
It is interesting {0 note the absence in Herr von Ribbentrop's: speech of any attempt to justify the German aggression in regard to. Denmark. "Denmark. in_ short, does. not appear to him worthy of any mention at all"—Reuter.
'Yon Ribbentrop': Story Berne, Apr. 27.
Herr Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German "Foreign "Minister, today Jmade an important statement to Jmembers of the diplomatic corps and the German and foreign press.
"Ca September 3 last' year," he said, "France and Great Britain de-Jclared war against Germany without any reason to do so, Germany had Jalways stressed her desire to live in peace with other mations. An attack against the Siegfried Line being im-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.