Belgium Surrenders; U.S. Ambassador To France Goes Nuts: "a feared 'Communist uprising' as German forces near Paris and other industrial centers"

TUE 28 MAY 1940
National Defense Advisory Committee is established, which includes in its membership former automobile manufacturer William S. Knudsen, corporate executive Edward R. Stettinius, labor leader Sidney Hillman, and economist Leon Henderson. There is, however, no head to this group, that only serves to advise President Roosevelt on defense issues (see 7 January 1941).

Belgium surrenders to Germany.

Ambassador to France William C. Bullitt (through a telegram to Secretary of State Hull) urgently asks President Roosevelt to send a cruiser to Bordeaux, France (1) to bring arms and ammunition urgently required by the French police to quell a feared "Communist uprising" as German forces near Paris and other industrial centers and (2) to take away the French and Belgian gold reserves. "If you cannot send a cruiser of the San Francisco [CA 38] class to Bordeaux," Bullitt implores, "please order the Trenton (CL-11) at Lisbon [Squadron 40-T flagship] to take on fuel and supplies at once for a trip to America and order her today to Bordeaux." Consequently, heavy cruiser Vincennes (CA-44) departs Hampton Roads in company with destroyers Truxtun (DD-229) and Simpson (DD-221), bound for the Azores on the first leg of the voyage undertaken in response to the ambassador's second concern (see 9 June).

Ambassador Bullitt also urges that the Atlantic Fleet be sent to the Mediterranean as "one of the surest ways" to obtain British and French cooperation in keeping German attacks away from the U.S. (see 30 May).