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1930   (THURSDAY) 

UNITED STATES: There is another ominous sign that the U.S. is sliding towards a prolonged and difficult economic slump, as New York's branch of the Bank of the United States announces that it has failed because of bad loans. Up until its downfall, the Bank held the savings of some 400,000 depositors, including a number of immigrants; its subsequent demise imperils the finances of roughly one-third of New York and stands as the nation's single worst bank failure.

1931   (FRIDAY) 

JAPAN: Prime Minister WAKATSUKI Reijiro's government falls. This is a revival of a movement for a super-party cabinet. WAKATSUKI's cabinet was fatally compromised by its inveterate liberalism and no longer able to justify itself in a hostile public eye as a buffer between the League of Nations Council and the Japanese high command.

1932   (SUNDAY) 

SWITZERLAND: The German claim to equality is recognized by Britain, France and Italy in a conference in Lausanne. On the basis of this declaration Germany has signified its willingness to resume its place at the disarmament conference. As a result, the German government agrees to return to the Disarmament Conference after delegates sign the Geneva Protocol, which acknowledges the equality of rights among the participants in the deliberations. In preparation for the Disarmament Conference, scheduled to begin in February 1933, the U.S. government negotiated a No Force Declaration with Britain, France, Germany, and Italy. These states promised not to resolve any present or future differences between them by force.

 

UNITED STATES: Very cold weather prevails along the West Coast. San Francisco, California, receives 0.8 inch (2 centimeters) of snow, and at the airport the temperature dipped to 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C). At Sacramento, California, the mercury dips to 17 degrees F (-8,3 degrees C) to establish an all-time record low for that location. Morning lows are below freezing from 9 to 15 December at Sacramento, and the high today is just 34 degrees (1,1 degrees C). The cold wave deals severe damage to truck crops and orange groves in the Sacramento Valley.

1934   (TUESDAY) 

ITALY: Italy makes detailed demands for moral, financial, and strategic compensation for the Walwal, Ethiopia, incident that occurred on 5 December 1934.  

UNITED STATES: In baseball, the National League votes to permit night baseball, authorizing a maximum of seven games by any team installing lights. The American League does not grant permission for night games until 1937.

     The motion picture "Bright Eyes" premieres in the U.S. Directed by David Butler, this musical comedy stars Shirley Temple and Jane Darwell. The members of the American Film Institute ranked the song "On The Good Ship Lollipop" from this movie No. 69 on the list of 100 Greatest American Movie Songs Of All Time.

1936   (FRIDAY) 

IRISH REPUBLIC: A Constitution bill is adopted for the Irish Free State omitting any reference to the King of England and his governor general as an end to long differences on the Irish way to independence.

UNITED KINGDOM: The Duke of York is declared George VI, the new king of the British Empire.

1937   (SATURDAY) 

ITALY: Italy resigns from the League of Nations stating, "We had not forgotten, and shall not forget, the opprobrious attempt at economic strangulation of the Italian people perpetrated at Geneva (Switzerland)  . . . In these circumstances our presence at the door of Geneva could not be tolerated any longer: it wounded our doctrine, our style, and our martial temperament."

 

1938:   (SUNDAY) 

LIBYA: Twenty thousand Libyan Jews are deprived of their Italian citizenship. (Tom Hickcox)

 

LITHUANIA: Elections in the autonomous Memel territory result in an overwhelming victory for the National Socialists, who receive over 90 percent of the vote. Given the resurgence of power in Germany, the Lithuanian government has little choice but to give the National Socialists a free hand in Memel.

December 11th, 1939 (MONDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Britons who live in and around cities, large towns and other strategic targets are getting used to the sight of barrage balloons in the sky. This seemingly innocuous object provides a vital part of Britain's air defences. The balloon's armament is the tough steel cable which keeps it tethered to the ground and threatens amputation of any German bomber's wings if it tries to fly too low. Flying higher the aircraft are in the sights of General Frederick "Tim" Pile's Anti-Aircraft Command, now made up of five Territorial divisions.

The barrage balloons are manned by the men of RAF Balloon Command. Some 40,000 members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force make up the command. Their balloons are filled with hydrogen and can be winched to the required height in just a few minutes.

The cables have been tested by Canadian fighter pilot Flight-Lieutenant John Kent who deliberately flew aircraft into cables to see what would happen. On one occasion he lost three feet of wing but still managed to land safely.

     The U.S. freighter SS Azalea City, detained at London by British authorities since 27 November, is released to proceed to Antwerp, Belgium, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, after certain cargo is detained for guaranties.

GERMANY: Hitler meets Vidkund Quisling, the head of the pro-Nazi Norwegian National Unity Party.

SWITZERLAND: Geneva: The League of Nations demands that Russia cease hostilities against Finland.

POLAND: A forced labour programme is instituted for all Jews in the General Government area.

FINLAND: Suomussalmi: Finnish soldiers cut off the Russian 163rd Division.

GIBRALTAR: The U.S. freighter SS Steel Engineer, detained by the British yesterday, is released.

NEW ZEALAND: The first Echelon advance party of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force sails from Wellington.

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

U-30 was forced to return to base due to engine trouble.

U-61 could not lay mines as planned in the Firth of Forth due to the presence of numerous enemy escorts in the area.

U-38 sank SS Garoufalia.

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