December 21st, 1940 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Westminster: During today's meeting with the Ministry of Supply Churchill discusses the state of Britain's stockpile of mustard gas and the number of gas shells filled and available for use. he stock as of December 9th was 1,485 tons of mustard gas, with an extra 650 tons being made available soon.ASW trawler HMS Cotillion launched.
SWITZERLAND:
Geneva: The Swiss government cuts off diplomatic relations with the USSR.
GERMANY:
Berlin: Germany says the US's pro-British stance is one of "insult, challenge and
moral aggression."
NORWAY:
The chief justice resigns rather than administer the Nazi system of justice.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA:
Aircraft from the HMS Illustrious sink two Italian ships off Tunisia.
EGYPT: Cairo: The British Reuters News Agency reports:
The fight for Bardia is continuing. The British are steadily drawing the ring tighter. The
Italian defences, which have withdrawn behind the chain of forts that surround the harbour
area, are putting up tough resistance; but military experts believe that the resistance
must collapse if the British commander orders a decisive raid.
SENEGAL, FRENCH WEST AFRICA: meets in Dakar. U.S. chargés d'affaires to the Vichy French government Robert D. Murphy meets French General Maxime Weygand, Delegate-General to the North African colonies, in Dakar, Senegal. The Americans singled out Weygand, an esteemed military leader but also associated with the Suez Canal Company, as the potential successor to Marshall Henri-Philippe Petain, head of the Vichy State, and judged capable of outflanking Brigadier General Charles-André de Gaulle, Commander in Chief Free French Forces, as well. Weygand is anti-British, anti-German, and accordingly, in the situation France was in at the time, "really on our side," as Admiral William D. Leahy, USN (Retired), Ambassador to Vichy France, writes later. In January 1941, Murphy concludes an agreement with Weygand, authorizing the French in North Africa to buy non-strategic goods in the U.S. using hitherto frozen French assets for payment. Weygand wants the aid because he fears that the Germans sooner or later will try to bring French North Africa under direct control and "that the Germans would force the issue in the spring and that it was therefore important that the country should be strong enough to offer effective resistance."
AUSTRALIA: Minesweeper HMAS Lithgow launched.
CANADA: Corvettes HMCS Oakville and Weyburn laid down Port Arthur, Ontario.
U.S.A.: War and Navy Departments (possibly through the Joint Army-Navy Board) adopt “Europe-first” policy and forward it to the White House for approval. First version of “Rainbow" plan adopted. (Marc Small)
"Frenesi" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. This song, which debuted on the charts on 3 August 1940, was charted for 23 weeks, was Number 1 for 13 weeks and was ranked Number 2 for the year 1940.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-65 sank SS Charles Pratt.