1924 (MONDAY)
UNITED STATES: The aircraft carrier USS Langley (CV-1) reports for duty with the Battle Fleet, thereby ending over two years in experimental status and becoming the first operational aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. On 1 December she also became the flagship of Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet.
1932 (THURSDAY)
GERMANY: Chancellor Franz von Papen's cabinet resigns because of his failure to obtain parliamentary support for a Government of national concentration under his leadership. He had been appointed Chancellor on 1 June by President Paul von Hindenburg. He is replaced by Kurt von Schleicher on 4 December.
1933 (FRIDAY)
UNITED STATES: The motion picture "Duck Soupb"is released in the U.S. This zany musical comedy directed by Leo McCary stars the Marx Brothers (Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo) and Louis Calhern, The members of the American Film Institute have ranked this film as No. 85 on the list of the 100 Greatest American Movies and No. 5 on the list of the 100 Funniest American Movies.
1934 (SATURDAY)
UNITED STATES: The motion picture "It's A Gift" is released in the U.S. This comedy directed by Norman Z. McLeod stars W.C. Fields. The members of the American Film Institute rank this film as No. 58 on the list of the 100 Funniest American Films.
1936 (MONDAY)
GERMANY: The German and Japanese governments sign an agreement against Communism, which, in practice, is an extension of the Rome-Berlin Axis and a counterweight to the Franco-Soviet alliance.
1938 (THURSDAY)
GERMANY: The government rejects legal liability for Austrian indebtedness ". . . after a careful study of the pertinent procedures and principles based on international law, . . . supported by historical procedures . . . since they were brought about in order to support the incompetent Austrian state artificially created by the Paris treaties."
Lord Halifax, a member of the British cabinet (Lord President of the Council), travels to Germany to meet with Chancellor Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden to determine German objectives, and, if possible, to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Lord Halifax returns to Britain on 21 November deeply impressed with the magnitude of the German foreign policy program, especially in terms of German goals in central and eastern Europe. This visit marks the first step of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's appeasement policy and is designed to draw out an official German statements on their foreign policy aims.
November 17th, 1939 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: London: The Allied Supreme War Council endorses the plan to defend the river Dyle against Nazi attack.RAF Bomber Command: Reconnaissance of NorthWest Germany and naval bases.
U.S. freighter SS Black Condor, detained by the British at Weymouth, Dorset, England, since 5 November, is released after part of her cargo and 126 bags of mail are seized..
FRANCE: Paris: The ex-president of Czechoslovakia, Eduard Benes, sets up the "Czech National Committee".
GERMANY: U-371, U-372 laid down.
FINLAND: Red Army units concentrated against Finland receive their mission orders. Stalin and his cronies are misled by the wildly over-optimistic reports from their agents in Finland, and believe the country is on verge of social revolution. The Finnish resistance would collapse on the moment the Red Army marches in and they would be received with cheers by the oppressed Finnish masses. The war, it is believed, would be a walk-over.
The units in the north, whose mission is to cut Finland in half and reach the Fenno-Swedish border, are instructed not to violate the Swedish territory and to salute the Swedish border guards with due formality when met.
The remnants of the Communist Party of Finland are resurrected (the Finnish party, like others, had been devastated by the purges of late 1930s) at Moscow to form the so-called People's Government of Finland that would act as the fig-leaf for the Soviet aggression. It's Prime Minister will be Otto Wille Kuusinen, a Finnish communist who escaped to Soviet Union after the Civil War of 1918.
GIBRALTAR: U.S. freighter SS Nishmaha, detained at Gibraltar since 11 November, is given the option of submitting to further detention or proceeding to Barcelona, Spain, and thence to Marseilles, France, to unload items seized by British authorities. Nishmaha's master chooses the latter option. On the same day the British allow SS Nishmaha to clear Gibraltar, however, they detain U.S. freighter SS Examiner and seize 11 bags of first-class mail.
CANADA: HMCS Assiniboine (D18), a River-class destroyer, Cdr. Edmond "Rollo" Mainguy, RCN, CO, arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, from Devonport, U.K. Assiniboine was assigned to the RN’s Americas and West Indies Station and departed Halifax for Jamaica on 05 Dec. She conducted patrols in the Caribbean Sea, searching for German blockade-runners attempting to make their way home after the outbreak of war. After returning to Halifax on 31 Mar, Cdr. Mainguy was relieved by Cmdre. G.C. Jones, RCN, on 02 Apr, and the ship was dispatched to the U.K. The appointment of such a senior officer to command a destroyer was a somewhat naïve effort to establish a commander afloat to oversee all Canadian naval affairs in the European theatre. However, it quickly became apparent that the command and staff facilities in the ship were completely inadequate to the task and that the commodore’s responsibilities conflicted with the ship’s tactical employment. Cmdre. Jones moved to facilities ashore when they were obtained and the ship was released for escort duties. This was the RCN’s first attempt at establishing an operational-level command appointment.
Gate vessel (ex-fishing trawler) HMCS Venosta commissioned.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: