14 Aug 1940
Page 1
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 22 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Aug 14, 1940
Page
1
A Cedar Rapids columnist analyzes Willkie’s refusal to coordinate with Roosevelt on foreign policy. The piece compares Willkie to Hoover and Roosevelt in 1932 33 and discusses conscription and the war’s impact on the election. It criticizes city engineering practices and recounts editor Cliff Niles’s clashes over Anamosa prison coverage.
RAF bombers flew 1600 miles in a double Alpine crossing to strike two Italian aircraft works. Caproni in Milan and Fiat in Turin were seriously damaged and set afire in attacks that lasted into the early hours. A pilot reported a dull glare of flame from the Caproni works miles behind.
British war planes coming from near Switzerland bombed northern Italian cities including Milan Turin Alessandria Tortona and Augusta Sicily. Milan reports 12 dead and 44 wounded while 30 bombs hit a residential area. The Italian high command said no military targets were damaged and leaflets urged Italians to oppose their hereditary enemy.
Swiss army command said foreign planes crossed Swiss airspace overnight en route to northern Italy. Alarms sounded across the neutral country from midnight to 3 am, with thirty aircraft entering between Geneva and Porrentruy and flying south toward Italy. No bombs were dropped.
A satirical column by Arthur Bugs Baer lampoons presidential campaigns during fruit and berry season. Sharp quips describe mugwumps, party switching and tangled political jargon, noting antics resemble parliamentary bickering and forecasting unlikely inaugurations in a Brooklyn park.
The note accuses National Committee man H. E. Spangler of campaigning for Taft while feigning support for MacNider. It characters Cliff as a Spangler backer and warns readers to expect deeper disclosures on bank receiver ships and related schemes.
An Anold Bennett story recounts a socialite weary of parties turning to the Bible and Shakespeare. Psalm 46 lures her and friends into a hush of inner calm, prompting reflections on quiet study and spiritual guidance.
Justice department officials indicated little likelihood of prosecuting buyers of the 1940 campaign book. One official warned that charging mere possession could trigger a five thousand dollar fine or five years in prison, while another recalled you cant jail a whole people if 100000 purchase the book.
Senate debates conscription amid calls by Taft to curb the bill. The measure would raise private pay from 2 to 30 dollars monthly and authorize 360,000 guardsmen to be ordered into service in the western hemisphere if needed. Roosevelt weighs legislative prospects as leaders push action next week.
Willkie and Landon charged the Roosevelt administration seeks re election through fraudulent votes cast by municipal machines. They demanded $640,000 from Democratic campaign book advertising be returned and urged immediate repayment or legal action. They cited Chicago Jersey City and the Bronx machines as sources of fraud.
Cedar Rapids crowds for the All Iowa fair grew to about 5500 on Wednesday with stock judging tents packed and harness racing pacing at 2 16 while Tuesday rain eased and the program doubled. Officials expect continued turnout as 7 pm finals and amateur radio kids contest conclude the day.
In a letter to Paul V. McNutt President Roosevelt urged college students to continue their education rather than join the armed forces or work in strategic industries. He said educated citizens with specialized skills are needed to defend and advance the nation and that students should remain in school unless called for other patriotic service.
Indignant inquiries over a midway drawing offering a real live baby at the All Iowa fair led Fair Manager Charles Moore to order an end to the act. Sheriff Jim Smith said officials of the Sheesley carnival confirmed it was a gag and a baby pig would replace the baby at the last moment. The baby was kept in a carriage with a nurse and a warning sign urged coupon deposits for a drawing.
Cedar Rapids faced sultry conditions as clouds threatened rain that did not arrive by early afternoon. Temperatures rose from 68 at dawn to 83 by midafternoon, with Tuesday reaching 81 earlier in the day and dropping to 78 by evening.
London reports a two day British counter attack in British Somaliland defending Berbera a Red Sea port. The Royal Navy joined air and sea operations as Italian forces pressed along a wide front toward Bulhar and Lukhaiyah with tanks and bombers. British troops held firm after an initial setback and launched counter actions to slow the Italian advance.
In a World War II report from Rome British Somaliland forces held firm against Italian assaults near Adadich to the south of Berbera. Italian high command said the Berbera objective remained within reach despite the resistance.
A Des Moines truck driver, Carmen McCreery, 29, was charged with failure to observe an approaching train signal after a semi trailer collided with a Milwaukee railroad gas electric train at a crossing one mile west of Springville on Highway 151. No injuries were reported, but the truck was wrecked and debris littered the highway.
Berlin reports parachutists landed near Manchester and Birmingham to sabotage industrial targets while German air armadas strike harbors airfields and military sites along England's south coast. DNB notes balloon barrage damaged nine balloons and German submarines continue operations as raids claim heavy damage near Fastchurch Detling Andover Odiham Exeter and Plymouth.
Berlin reports German antiaircraft guns repelled a British air fleet about 10 miles west of the city early Wednesday. Informants said the raid triggered a 47 minute alarm, with planes flying high and not dropping bombs, and no city fire from anti aircraft batteries.
Two persons were injured at 6 50 am Wednesday when two cars collided at the north end of the Cedar river bridge on the Pale Center Point road. Arnold C Hand 31 of Center Point and R C Wright 43 of Shellsburg were involved. Mrs Wright sustained bruises and shock. Wright s 13 year old son Arlo Wright was also injured.
German marked parachutes discovered in Midland villages prompt urgent public information calls. Police and home guards close roads while a farmer reports no nearby men. Authorities fear sabotage potential in England's industrial Midlands. Reports note earlier parachute finds in England and Scotland and possible new German tactic.
German raiders attacked the southeast coast in a large aerial onslaught as Britain answered with fighter maneuvers and anti-aircraft fire. In clashes from the North Sea to the Dover area, at least 15 German planes were unofficially downed, part of losses mounting after Germany began its major offensive.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.