16 Dec 1939
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 11 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Portsmouth Herald
Location
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States of America
Date
Dec 16, 1939
Page
1
Fragmentary clipping discusses a cabinet reorganization as a control room for wartime efficiency. It notes public mood, 61 percent approval cited, and general discontent amid ongoing war. References pressure on leaders, labor issues, and press lines in London.
Graf Spee faces internment or possible death at sea as Uruguay orders Captain Langsdorff to sail by 3 30 P M Sunday or surrender the ship. Allied forces mass outside Montevideo after a 14 hour battle with the German pocket battleship and reports say more British ships and possibly French battleship join the hunt. The Uruguayan government protests the River Plate action and seeks to protect its sovereignty while notes warn of potential indemnity claims.
Captain Langsdorff of the Admiral Graf Spee recounts a 14 hour running duel off the Uruguayan coast with British cruisers Exeter Ajax and Achilles. He says fuel shortage forced a close fight near shore where the Graf Spee suffered heavy damage while the two British ships sustained fewer blows.
A quirky 1939 cartoonish note compares Santa Claus failing to reach 30,000,000 children with the cost and craft of gift wrapping. It playfully critiques gift prices and the social pressure of sending holiday greetings, urging efficient, witty good will.
The Interstate Commerce Commission reports that a collapsed truss span caused a Boston & Maine passenger train derailment at Portsmouth New Hampshire on September 10. A caisson drift pulled out a pile supporting the span, while caissons were used for piers of a new two level bridge nearby.
Santa Claus arrives in Portsmouth amid a festive parade. The High School band, police escort, and Mayor Goldsmith greet him in Market Square. A program by the Frank Booma Post American Legion Band follows in front of North Church with carols broadcast by Station WHEB. Merchants report strong store turnout as Santa remains through Christmas.
The United States government aims to halt shipments of materials essential to aircraft production to nations that bomb civilians, extending the moral embargo to items like molybdenum and aluminum. Officials note public opinion enforces the ban, not legal power, while allied talks consider a broader neutrality approach in the Western Hemisphere.
The Norwegian steamer Gezina reported seeing an airplane plunge into the North Atlantic seven miles off Matinicus Rock near the Maine coast. Coast Guard cutters and rescue boats searched the area while Gezina remained at Portsmouth harbor awaiting tow to the National Gypsum plant.
Reports from Svanvik and Rovaniemi describe Finnish lines falling back toward lakes and a river barrier near Pitkajarvi as Soviet armored units advance from Borisogleb to Salmijarvi. Finnish engineers exploded nickel mines, bridges were destroyed, and a Russian destroyer was sunk in the Taipale river area.
Rome reports Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano stating Italy remains out of the European war by agreement with Germany. He cited Milan conference understandings, pledging three years for internal and military prep and denying any intention to disturb peace, while protecting Italy's interests and prestige.
Twenty five years ago today on December 16, 1914 German ships shelled Hartlepool and Scarborough on the English coast. Russia reports that 150 city schools and 250 rural schools were built this year.
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