1931 (THURSDAY)
INTERNATIONAL: France, the U.K. and the U.S. protest Japanese military moves in China stating that there is no evidence of any offensive intent on the part of Chinese.
1933 (SUNDAY)
UNITED STATES: American auto magnet Henry Ford denies being an anti-Semite and states that he never gave financial aid to German Chancellor Adolf Hitler or the Nazis.
1937 (FRIDAY)
CHINA: The Japanese capture Hangzhou (Hangchow) in central China.
1938 (SATURDAY)
PERU: Twenty four nations of North and South America sign the Declaration of Lima, a pledge of collective protection against foreign aggression.
December 24th, 1939 (SUNDAY)
ITALY: Rome: In a delicately phrased Christmas address to his College of Cardinals today, Pope Pius XII spoke of the right of all nations - strong and weak - to life and independence. "When this equality of rights has been destroyed or damaged or imperilled, the juridicial order calls for reparation and justice," he added.Peace, he said, must be founded on disarmament. "The nations must be freed from the burden of armament races and from the danger that material forces may be come not the defender but the tyrannical violator of right." The pope appealed for a peace conference at which "lessons could be drawn from past experience".
FINLAND: The first group of Finnish American volunteers arrive in Finland.