Premature Optimism; Call For Special Alertness London, Sept. 4.
"It would be most foolish to suppose that because the autumn approaches, the threat of invasion has already passed," declared the Secretary of State for War, Mr. Anthony Eden, speaking at a meeting of the Saan Defence Committee yester-
"There is no shred ọf evidence to show that Hitler has abandoned his declared intention to seek to subdue this country. There is plenty of e dence to cause us to be specially watchful during the next few weeks.
"In some respects today our position is the most enviable of any in our history. There are times when it is good to stand alone, especially when you know you are not going to stand like that for ever, and we do know it, "Every nation that Hitler has overrun is his unwilling victim. All the propaganda in the world will not make a man who has once tasted true liberty accept as genuine the Goebbels substitute. In Britain today are growing contingents from the armies of all those peoples under Hitler's rule."
"Mr. Eden opened with a tribute to the Prime Minister. Mr. Winston Churchill. The country's debt to the courage and inspiration of the Prime Minister was inexpressible and unimaginable, he said. "Nothing could have equalled his courage at the darkest hour; he is a true warrior. brave and fertile in expedients, ever cool and watehful."—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.