military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (11/14/89)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) Monday, 13 November, 1939 The Royal Navy destroyer Blanche strikes a mine off the Thames estuary and sinks, Britain's first destroyer loss of the war. German diplomats ensure Belgium and the Netherlands that their countries have nothing to fear from Germany, but decline their offer to mediate peace negotiations. In Holland, Premier Dirk Jan de Geer announces that there seems to be no imminent threat against his country's neutrality. Russo-Finnish negotiations break down completely, and the Finnish delegation leaves Moscow. The British Director of Scientific Research (Ministry of Supply) hints at progress in British secret weapons. "More than 300 new inventions a week are reaching the Ministry. Only one was immediately rejected. That was one which, if adopted by this government, would have immediately put the entire enemy force out of action and would have brought the war to a victorious close, but about which nothing could be disclosed before the payment of 100,000 pounds in cash." Among the other proposals mentioned in the NY Times coverage is a radio device which would "cure disease, bring down airplanes, inflict frightful burns, and counteract poison gas at will." -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bill Thacker military@cbnews.att.com Send submissions for "50 Years Ago" to military-request@att.att.com "I do not imagine that ther is going to be no surprise in this war from the enemy, but we certainly have got one for him." - British Director of Scientific Research