Bootlegger Waxey Gordon was sentenced to serve ten years in prison and pay a large fine following his conviction on tax evasion charges. Gordon ran a huge enterprise that imported large quantities of whiskey from Canada and distributed it in New York and New Jersey. His operation included breweries, distilleries, and speakeasies, generating millions a year in cash flow on which he paid no taxes. After serving out his sentence, Gordon would move to California, where he distributed illegal drugs. He would be convicted on drug charges and sent to Alcatraz prison.
With prohibition scheduled to end in two days — on Tuesday, December 5, 1933 — the first vessel in a ‘transatlantic whisky armada’ was reported to be scheduled to depart from Glasgow carrying 74,000 gallons. And happily, almost half of the 78 Scottish distilleries which closed in 1932 were expected to reopen to meet the new American demand. The 'armada' is part of the Federal Alcohol Control Administration's plan to allow between four million and five million gallons of liquor to enter the US within the first two months of repeal. Meanwhile, the New York Alcoholic Beverage Control Board assured the public that hundreds of trucks loaded with alcoholic beverages will race to wholesalers, hotels, restaurants, clubs and stores throughout New York City within minutes of the repeal taking effect.
German President Hindenburg appointed Ernst Roehm, leader of Hitler’s Sturmtruppen [“Brownshirts”] to his cabinet, making the Brownshirts an official agency of the Third Reich, and placed German student organizations under their control. [The Brownshirts were a paramilitary organization, largely composed of former soldiers, who protected Nazi leaders, engaged in voter intimidation, physically assaulted political opponents and harassed Jews.] Rudolph Hess, deputy Nazi Party leader, was also appointed to the cabinet. These appointments were made after the German cabinet enacted a new law which proclaimed the unity of the Nazi Party and the German State. “Herr Hitler’s dream of a totalitarian state has become a reality in law.” — NY Times. Left: Brownshirts block Jews from gaining entrance to the University of Vienna. Right: a Brownshirt and his family.
Britain and the US dispatched representatives to Geneva for a UN meeting on German refugees, whose numbers had soared since Hitler's elevation to Chancellor in January. When the US representative was questioned about allowing the refugees to come to the US, he replied that US immigration laws imposed strict quotas and allowed exceptions only for scientists. Meanwhile, the German Secret State Police reported its seizure of the "fortunes and other possessions" of 53 people and organizations deemed "inimicable to the people and the State." Left: Hitler waves to the crowd after his appointment as Chancellor, Jan. 30, 1933. Right: the adoring masses pledge allegiance to Hitler.
A crisis in the Japanese cabinet was averted when the Finance Minister agreed to appropriate an additional 15 million yen to the Japanese Navy, as the Navy Minister had demanded. The Japanese navy is said to be split between two factions: those who wish to abide by international agreements intended to avoid an international naval arms race, and those who are opposed to these agreements. Above, planes from the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku prepare for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration announced that $50 million in coal would be made available to local relief agencies for distribution to the nation’s needy unemployed. At the time, about 13 million people were unemployed, constituting one-fourth of the civilian work force. Many of the unemployed were male heads-of-households, whose unemployment plunged entire families into destitution. And First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt gave a speech advocating programs that offered jobs to unemployed women.
Left: "Sitting Pretty," a new musical comedy film starring Ginger Rogers and Jack Oakie, got good reviews. Center: Comedian Ed Wynn, whose new film “The Chief” received strong reviews, was found not guilty of assault in a case brought by a process server. Right: Charles and Anne Lindbergh are in Africa on behalf of Pan American Airlines to identify possible commercial aviation routes.
Walt Disney’s animated short film, “Three Little Pigs,” is playing in theaters after opening in May. In two weeks time, Disney will receive an award from Parents Magazine for his “distinguished service to children.”
