Further Declarations

TUE 11 JUN 1940
Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa declare war on Italy.

President Roosevelt declares Mediterranean area and mouth of Red Sea to be combat zones in accordance with Neutrality Act.

British Prime Minister Churchill, in telegram to President Roosevelt sent via the British Embassy in Washington, again raises the need for destroyers with the Italian entry into the war and the possibility of having to deal with more submarines. "To this," Churchill declares, "the only counter is destroyers. Nothing is so important as for us to have 30 or 40 old destroyers you have already had reconditioned."

U.S. passenger liner Washington, en route from Lisbon, Portugal, to Galway, Ireland, with 1,020 U.S. passengers, to embark more American citizens returning to the United States, is stopped by German submarine U-101 at 42°12'N, 12°50'W. The submarine, mistakenly believing the ship to be a Greek vessel, orders Washington abandoned preparatory to being sunk. Blinker signals exchanged between the two ships soon result in the Germans' confirming Washington's neutral identity and allowing her to proceed without further hindrance (see 15 June).