* A recording of the Prime Minister giving his brief statement is available on yesterday’s thread. See reply #23.
Today’s final story might interest the German Shepherd Dog ping list.
Today’s final story might interest the German Shepherd Dog ping list.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/may40/f29may40.htm
French troops join evacuation
Wednesday, May 29, 1940 www.onwar.com
On the Western Front... The German forces continue to press all round the contracting Dunkirk perimeter. By the end of the day most of the remaining British troops and a large proportion of the French are inside the final canal positions. The evacuation from Dunkirk and over the beaches goes on. The Luftwaffe increases the strength of its attacks despite the efforts of the RAF to give protection. A further 47,310 men are evacuated but 3 destroyers are sunk and 7 others damaged. At least 15 other vessels are sunk. The French are now beginning to allow their troops to be evacuated and have sent some ships to assist. Owing to the destroyer losses and the demand for them in other operations the Admiralty decides that the more modern types must be withdrawn.
"Black Book" to report on German atrocities in Poland so-far which, compared with unimaginable horrors yet to come, are just getting started.
"War Sentiment Seen Rising in U.S. – 8"
Still well over 90% of Americans want to support the Allies, but not declare war or send our guys to fight Nazis. Only half are willing to let allies purchase our stuff on credit.
The New York Times pretty much every day prints stories about "isolationists" demanding the US remain neutral. I've not yet seen even one article saying that Americans must join the war against Hitler.
The tax increases are made to sound innocuous by describing them as, for example, "a 10% increase in income taxes." So we can't really say how high taxes were getting before the war drove the highest marginal rates to 90+%.
But we can relate to the national debt numbers, which are reported as being increased to $48 billion.
$48 billion in 1940 compared to GDP would be around $6.8 trillion today.
That's just over half of our current national debt -- which means that, profligate as Franklin Roosevelt's generation of Democrats were, they were real skinflints compared to our own.
And of course, their national debt was going for national defense.
What is ours going for?
Anyone?
And what was the Republican response?
Republican Senator Vandenberg will run for President in a few months as an isolationist candidate.
But "today" he is all for higher taxes and increased national debt.
"Senator Vandenberg rose immediately to pledge the cooperation of the minority members of the Finance Committee."