Churchill Begs Like A Dog; "Nazi Activities" Underway In Uruguay

WED 15 MAY 1940
British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill ("Former Naval Person") pleads for U.S. aid in a personal message to President Roosevelt. Churchill's request is six-fold. First, he requests the loan of 40 or 50 "older destroyers" to bridge the gap between what the Royal Navy has on hand and what is under construction; second, he asks for "several hundred" of the latest planes; third, he asks for antiaircraft "equipment and ammunition"; fourth, he asks that the U.S. continue to provide Britain with steel; fifth, he asks that a U.S. squadron visit Irish ports; and sixth, he intimates that the U.S. "keep that Japanese dog quiet in the Pacific, using Singapore in any way convenient" (see 16 May and 11 June).

U.S. Minister in Uruguay, Edwin C. Wilson, reports to Secretary of State Hull that there has been an increase in "Nazi activities" in Uruguay. He notes "indifference and apathy ... and in certain cases something worse evidenced by the Uruguayan government. The situation, Wilson warns, "has serious possibilities" (see 20 May).