When the story of the U-Boat attack the U.S. destroyer Greer was first publ the only speculation was as to what the Germans would come out with fence. They had a choice between deavouring to make out that the attack was a Bri submarine, or averring it was a mistake by the commander o of their own vessels, or, finally, of clan that their U-boat was attacked first. fact that all three would be lies would for one moment deter the German apology from selecting one, or another of the al natives. It was obviously foolish to att: to lay the blame on Great Britain. y had tried to do that in the case of the ing of the Athenia a few hours after outbreak of war, but it did not stick. The Germans at the time probably did no pect it would, but they thought the chance well worth a trial, though the corps disbelief expressed the world over shov them that it was an egregious failure Neither would the story that one of ili commanders had made a mistake have be ved" with much more credence. addition. it was something of a weak sot of lie, wholly unsttitable for home consum tion and certainly not likely to carry mu conviction abroad. A really thumping t lie was necessary, as Hitler has alway; it is, and so the third version was selected It was the story that the Greer wen! o of its way to attack the U-boat there hoping to provoke an incident, and that was only after the exercise of the gre restraint that the commander of the U was forced to retaliate. In discussing a matter as this, it is as well to tak: enemy version, and the' official Gevmpi communique carried by Transocean sta':
On September 4, 1941, at 62 degrees 31 and 27 degrees 06 wèst a German subor Was attacked at 1230 with depth bom constantly pursued within the German ade zone.
The German submarine. was not able ascertain the nationality of the attack! troyer. In justified defence the subman a twin-torpedo at 439 which missed it that. "But it will not do. The world is; It was all just as sweet and simple
to. believe that with the most patience the German commander endured being harassed with depth charges for no less than four hours before he launched his torpedoes against his assailant. This lily-have the world believe in addition that white pirate of the seas would: apparently he did not know the nationality of his a£- täcker, and because of that, refrained from back earlier, apparently from fear that the destroyer might after all be Amer-that his subordinates faithfully follow the doctrine of the whopping lie; but if they think for one moment that the people of the United States or the world at large unprejudiced by pro-Nazi views are likely to pay much attention to such rubbish they are greatly mistaken.
The lie, astonishingly enough, is weakened by the admission that the U-boat was unable to ascertain the nationality of the destroyer. If the submarine were attacked first, what does the nationality of the attacker matter? Surely it is sufficient in war time that if a vessel is attacked, and can defend itself it hould do so, and, quite irrespective of nationality, the U-boat's commander would be perfectly justified in retaliating. Is it to be inferred from the German communique tat if the submarine commander had known the destroyer attacking him was American he would never have fired his torpeg That in itself is a test of the abity of the whole story, which is as silly the conclusion which the Germans seek draw that President Roosevelt had given neral orders to attack German surface and amarine craft in order to provoke incid-is. He has obviously done nothing of the t, for it is quite apparent that, if public nion in the United States ever thought one moment that that was what he was ug, there would be such a revulsion of ling throughout the country that the cause Democracy would suffer irretrievable mage. The U-boat fired her torpedoes t and the Greer did the natural thing of deavouring to sink it. operation rever Evans. in his book "Strange Fighters, British," pleads for a better understanding; ween employers and labour generally anc ecially between shipowners and dock work-who have the responsible and arduous task urning ships round in the shortest time possi-He contends that what is wanted in connec-with the latter is "more cooperation been the two sides, a franker discussion of the situation, and an explanation tə the dockers they are really working for the state and for the employers." That. he argued, would ye many problems, In support of his con-don he tells the following story:—
"One Wednesday night last February a ship-mer went down to the docks, ran up the ngway of one of his ships, and went down the elder into one of the holds where men were Jrking under tarpaulins. The gang went on at normal pace, although they Tecognized their ior. Dockers are sturdily independent in ch circumstances, says Evans.
"Ti tell you chaps what," called the ship-mer. "Fil bet you fifty quid to a blackbeetle u won't clear this hold by midnight on Friday." The spokesman for the 14 men answered sonically, "Done." The hold was cleared by even on Friday. Twenty minutes later the pawner paid his bet and went across to the val to have a drink with his men.
"Now I know how to speed up discharge," he ortled. "Its a bonus system we want."
An elderly docker spoke out, "Has another ug occurred to you? You might not think it, t. useful though this monty is, we got a (ger kick out of seeing you on the job with is probable tha that shipowner learned a ju. cheap at £50, which may stand him in i stead when peace comes round again. tists All! ne of the results of the escape of Hess to at Britain has been to make it known that riy rate amongst the Nazi leaders there is no "age of cosmetics. At least that can be the deduction to be drawn from a paragraph. saring in the issue of the English "News lew" of July 10. to the effect that Rudolf "when treated in hospital after his para-descent was seen to have red-painted ails." Hess has been described as the Fidus ates of Hitler. with an almost visionary faith im. a faith which stems latterly to have ergane some change; but it was not thought one moment that like his leader he indulged rt, even if it were only the decoration of his mails, Some people would conclude that elf must be something of a sissy even though. vas regarded as one of the strong silent m: ie party; but that cohélusion may be entirely stifled, It may be that, under the repres-of strict Nazi discipline, Hess was in search me means of self-<xpr¢ssion and the safest 10d of doing that was to decorate his pedal emitits which of course would be safely jen away from prying eyes by his jack-boots. artist in Hitler has its moments, as when he something approximating a Highland fling on g informed of th capitulation of the French. ably Goering might have done it far more tically for grace is obviously one of the outstanding qualities of his rotundity. He ther more of an art connoisseur than a mere utant as witness the manner in which he has rated his mansions with examples of art 2d from the gall: ries and museums of Ger-y and elsewhere. Goebbels finds means of essing himself in his various amours. Dr. in his drinking. and Streicher in his obscene ks on the Jews, but Rudolf, the Deputy er. and the man was ultimately to succeed r paints his toenails. That may b: ior ther reason than making the game of "This pig goes to market" rather more colourful usual though it may also have meant to a representation of the sea of blood in wh the Nazi leaders stand.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.