military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (11/29/89)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) Wednesday, 29 November, 1939 The USSR severs diplomatic relations with Finland. The United States offers to mediate discussions between the two nations. Major General J.W. van Oorschot, head of the Netherlands intelligence service, resigns. It is believed the resignation is a result of the Venloo incident. The NY Times reports Germany's efforts to construct synthetic petrol plants to make up for lost US oil imports. The plants are estimated to achieve full production in 1941. Twenty-nine states celebrate Thanksgiving today. These "traditionalist" states prefer to observe the holiday on the last Thursday in November, now informally known as "Republican Thanksgiving," rather than to follow the new Thankgiving date (November 23rd), aka "New Deal Thanksgiving", fixed by Pres. Roosevelt. Three of the states officially observed both dates. To date, 540,000 tons of merchant shipping have been sunk by Germany, including 323,000 tons of British ships. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bill Thacker military@cbnews.att.com Send submissions for "50 Years Ago" to military-request@att.att.com "German surface warships operate at will in Atlantic waters, while Britain is not in a position to protect her own coast." - Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung