News Flash June 6, 1944

HOW THE D-DAY INVASION WOULD BE REPORTED BY TODAY'S PRESS

NORMANDY, FRANCE (June 6, 1944) Three hundred French civilians
were killed and thousands more were wounded today in the first
hours of America's invasion of continental Europe. Casualties were
heaviest among women and children. Most of the French casualties
were the result of artillery fire from American ships attempting to
knock out German fortifications prior to the landing of hundreds of
thousands of U.S. troops. Reports from a makeshift hospital in the
French town of St. Mere Eglise said the carnage was far worse than
the French had anticipated, and that reaction against the American
invasion was running high.

"We are dying for no reason, "said a Frenchman speaking on
condition of anonymity. "Americans can't even shoot straight. I never
thought I'd say this, but life was better under Adolph Hitler."

The invasion also caused severe environmental damage. American
troops, tanks, trucks and machinery destroyed miles of pristine
shoreline and thousands of acres of ecologically sensitive wetlands. It
was believed that the habitat of the spineless French crab was
completely wiped out, thus threatening the species with extinction. A
representative of Greenpeace said his organization, which had tried
to stall the invasion for over a year, was appalled at the destruction,
but not surprised. "This is just another example of how the military
destroys the environment without a second thought," said Christine
Moanmore. "And it's all about corporate greed."

Contacted at his Manhattan condo, a member of the French
government-in-exile who abandoned Paris when Hitler invaded, said
the invasion was based solely on American financial interests! .

"Everyone knows that President Roosevelt has ties to 'big beer'," said
Pierre LeWimp. "Once the German beer industry is conquered,
Roosevelt's beer cronies will control the world market and make a
fortune."

Administration supporters said America's aggressive actions were
based in part on the assertions of controversial scientist Albert
Einstein, who sent a letter to Roosevelt speculating that the Germans
were developing a secret weapon -- a so-called "atomic bomb". Such
a weapon could produce casualties on a scale never seen before, and
cause environmental damage that could last for thousands of years.
Hitler has denied having such a weapon and international inspectors
were unable to locate such weapons even after spending two long
weekends in Germany.

Shortly after the invasion began, reports surfaced that German
prisoners had been abused by American soldiers. Mistreatment of
Jews by Germans at their so-called "concentration camps" has been
rumored, but! so far this remains unproven.

Several thousand Americans died during the first hours of the
invasion, and French officials are concerned that the uncollected
corpses will pose a public-health risk. "The Americans should have
planned for this in advance," they said. "It's their mess, and we don't
intend to help clean it up."