Story

Fifty years ago on Sunday September 3,1939 Britain declared war on Germany. The British Government had given Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler an ultimatum to stop his attack on Poland by 11.00 am BST. Hitler ignored it. At 11.15 am British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain made a radio broadcast telling the nation it was at war. People in the City of London heard the news proclaimed by a town crier. Half an hour after the declaration of war London had its first air raid warning. It was a false alarm. The first German bombs did not fall on Britain until october 16. Reigning monarch King George VI visited Chamberlain in Downing Street to show his support and also because Chamberlain did not want to leave the telephone. Winston Churchill was recalled from the political wilderness and was put in charge of the Navy in the new War Cabinet.

France declared war on Germany later the same day, as did Australia and New Zealand. The Canadian government promised immediate support for Britain and Canada declared war on September 10. South Africa also backed Britain and declared war on Germany on September 6. In the United States, President Roosevelt announced American neutrality in a broadcast on September 3 to the American people, but said he could not ask that every American "remain neutral in thought". The same day a German submarine sank the British passenger liner "Athenia" in the Atlantic. The "Athenia" had sailed for Canada with 1,103 passengers on board before Britain's declaration of war. 112 passengers were lost, 28 of them U.S. citizens. John F.Kennedy, 18-year-old son of U.S. ambassador in Britain Joseph Kennedy, was sent to Scotland by his father to meet survivors. The convoy system was introduced immediately to protect merchant ships and their vital cargoes and British and French warships hunted the German U-Boats relentlessly, but at least eight British ships were sunk in the first week of the war.

Reference	5108/89
Tape	932
Issue
Can
Source	REUTERS LIBRARY
Restrictions	Restrictions on certain uses may apply, and may vary from those listed.
Time code	00:29:27 - 00:32:40
Date original	SEPTEMBER 3, 1939/SEPTEMBER AND VARIOUS DATES, 1939.
Duration	3.13
Technical
Subset	Reuters TV - RTV Post 1957
Location	VARIOUS LOCATIONS, U.K./FRANCE/USA/AT SEA
Sound	NATURAL AND ENGLISH SPEECH
Colourbw	COLOUR

	LONDON AND VARIOUS LOCATIONS,U.K. (SEPTEMBER 3,1939 AND VARIOUS DATES 1939)
1.	GVS BIG BEN CLOCK ON HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT CHIMES 11 A.M.,TROOPS OUTSIDE BUCKINGHAM PALACE (3 SHOTS)	0.9
2.	SVS PEOPLE AT HOME AND IN PUB LISTEN TO RADIO,NEWSPAPER POSTER SAYING WAR DECLARED (5 SHOTS)	0.22
3.	GV AND SV PEOPLE IN CITY OF LONDON HEAR WAR PROCLAIMED (4 SHOTS)	0.33
4.	GVS LONDONERS RUN TO AIR RAID SHELTERS (7 SHOTS) 0.50 5.GV AND SV CHILDREN TEST GAS MASKS (2 SHOTS)	0.56
6.	GV BOMBERS IN SKY	0.59
7.	GVS AND SVS BARRAGE BALLOONS AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERY (4 SHOTS)	1.06
8.	SV KING GEORGE VI WITH CHAMBERLAIN IN DOWNING STREET	1.12
9.	SV WINSTON CHURCHILL ARRIVES IN DOWNING STREET	1.18
	PARIS AND UNKNOWN LOCATION,FRANCE 1939
10.	GV AND SV POLITICIANS LEAVE ELYSEE PALACE, AND FRENCH TROOPS MUSTERING ( 5 SHOTS)	1.30
	UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 3,1939)
11.	SVS PRESIDENT ROOSEVELt ANNOUNCES NEUTRALITY (3 SHOTS)	1.47
	AT SEA (UNDATED)
12.	GVS LINER "ATHENIA" AT SEA (6 SHOTS)	2.00
13.	GVS AND SVS GERMAN U-BOAT FIRES TORPEDO, BOAT HIT AND SINKS (9 SHOTS)	2.16
	GLASGOW, U.K. (SEPTEMBER 1939)
14.	SV PAN AND GV JOHN F.KENNEDY WITH "ATHENIA" SURVIVORS, WOMAN PASSENGER MRS O'CONNEL OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK SPEAKS ABOUT TRAGEDY. (3 SHOTS)	2.36
	AT SEA (UNDATED)
15.	GVS AND SV CONVOY AT SEA, DESTROYER FIRES DEPTH CHARGES, EXPLOSIONS (9 SHOTS)	3.13
	TRANSCRIPT SEQ. 11
	ROOSEVELT: THIS NATION WILL REMAIN A NEUTRAL NATION, BUT I CANNOT ASK THAT EVERY AMERICAN REMAIN NEUTRAL IN THOUGHT AS WELL.
	TRANSCRIPT SEQ. 14
	MRS O'CONNEL: IT WAS A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY,EVERYBODY GETTING KILLED AROUND AND THE BOAT CAPSIZING... (SOBS)...I CAN'T GO ON.

Initials

NOTE TO CLIENTS: THIS ITEM IS BEING SENT IN ADVANCE OF THE SEPTEMBER 3 ANNIVERSARY FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. A HALF HOUR PROGRAMME ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR TWO IS AVAILABLE FROM VISNEWS LIBRARY IN LONDON.

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