March 14th, 1940 (THURSDAY)
FRANCE: Angers: The Polish government in exile published a white paper today giving a general view of Poland's relations with Germany between May 1933 and October 1939. One of its most interesting revelations - which will not please Stalin - is that Hitler tried to involve Poland in a plot to attack the Soviet Union.It was proposed by Göring during a visit to Warsaw in February 1935. In a discussion with the Polish leader, Marshal Pilsudski, he suggested that Poland and Germany should mount a joint invasion of the Ukraine. The Poles insist that they gave the Germans no encouragement whatsoever.
Paris: The French government learns from its spies in Turkey that the Soviets had commissioned American experts to assess "whether and how a fire in the Baku oil fields, arising from a bomb attack could be combated successfully." Allegedly the US experts replied that given the output of the oil fields so far, the ground would be so saturated with oil that a blaze would be bound to spread instantly to the entire neighbouring region; it would be months before the fire could be put out, and years before oil production could be resumed.
At the same time foreign embassies in Moscow reported that at the beginning of March, the Soviet High Command transferred troops into the Caucasus, on 6 March, Voroshilov, the People's Commissar for defence, paid a visit to the Caspian Sea area.
Escort carrier HMS Dasher laid down.
GERMANY: Göring decrees that all articles made of copper, bronze, nickel and other useful metals be given up for the war effort.
U-375 laid down.
FINLAND: 470,000 Finns evacuate the area ceded to Russia.
The President of the Republic of Finland Kyösti Kallio gives a Mannerheim radio speech to the nation. "I dare to hope that the necessity of a Scandinavian defensive alliance has became clear during this war also to our neighbours."
CHINA: 27 out of 30 Chinese fighter planes are shot down by the Japanese over Chengtu.
AUSTRALIA: The Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, forms a coalition cabinet.
U.S.A.: The motion picture "Road to Singapore" premieres in New York City. Directed by Victor Schertzinger, the film stars Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Bob Hope, Charles Coburn, Anthony Quinn, Jerry Colonna and Monte Blue. This is the first of the Crosby and Hope "Road" pictures.