ONE of the reasons I was anxious to get back to Berlin from
the Balkans was that the Russo-German war appeared likely
to begin at any time. I began to hear rumours of it in Athens.
They persisted all the way back to Berlin. The large movement
of German troops from the south out of Greece and then, as we
went north, east out of Germany, made it seem more likely.
In Berlin I heard reports that there had been border clashes,
and it was notable that, although there was no actual denial of
them at the press conferences, we correspondents were not
permitted to mention them in broadcasts.

On Sunday, June 22, the story broke. Just as in every other
campaign, it came as a surprise, even though we had expected
it. With the outbreak of hostilities, Columbia temporarily
scheduled a number of special broadcasts, six of them on the
day the fighting began and four the next day. We resumed
more than a full schedule and would have continued on that
basis if the Nazis had not decided to put me off the air at the
end of the week.

The first intimation that big news was imminent came with
a telephone call to all correspondents at four o'clock Sunday
morning. At five thirty the correspondents heard Goebbels
read Hitler's bombastic statement beginning:

"People of Germany! National Socialists! The hour has now

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