In anticipation of days to come.
Click on the link here for Audio Player – President Roosevelt Address + News Reports and Commentary – September 3, 1939 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection
As events unfolded and as it became more and more apparent there was no turning back, the news on this particular September 3rd, 75 years ago was of pained resignation that war was indeed underway.
On this day, President Roosevelt addressed the Nation and the world via shortwave, explaining U.S. position on the events in Poland and pledging neutrality in the hopes of working out a settlement. After that, came an address by Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King. Since Canada was a dominion of Great Britain, King pledged allegiance to Britain and a promise of troops and supplies when and where needed. Following that are two commentaries by Raymond Gram Swing regarding the events as they were continuing to unfold and drawing similarities between the situation in 1939 to the situation in 1914. The day ended (which, for purists was the morning of September 4th in the UK) with the first reports of the sinking of the SS Athenia, the first British ship to be sunk by German submarines.
It was going to be a long, war.
And that’s much of what happened on this September 3rd in 1939 as reported via several sources including the BBC, Mutual Broadcasting, CBS and the CBC in Ottawa.
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The post Past The Point Of No Return – September 3, 1939 appeared first on Past Daily.