Today in the Sobel Timeline: January 15

On January 15, 1940, the final day of a poll was conducted among the people of the Confederation of North America. The subject of the poll was the public's reaction to the ongoing Global War in Europe, which had broken out at the beginning of October 1939.

The poll showed that 79.9% of North Americans "would feel safer if Britain defeated Germany," while only 10.1% "would feel safer if Germany defeated Britain." Another poll from mid-January showed that 55.8% of North Americans would "give Britain the aid it may need but not send troops there," while 21.4% favored "aid to Britain, even should it mean war."

As Sobel notes, the policy followed by Governor-General Bruce Hogg followed the polls. Hogg initially declared the C.N.A.'s neutrality in October, but the German defeat of the French on 27 November and capture of the Victoria Canal on 25 December led him to adopt a policy of providing covert aid to the British, which began in February 1940.

On January 15, 1950, there was a major protest demonstration in Mexico City which resulted in the deaths of fifteen people. The protest concerned the recently-concluded national elections in the United States of Mexico, in which Admiral Paul Suarez of the United Mexican Party narrowly defeated incumbent President Alvin Silva of the Liberty Party. During the campaign, each side had accused the other of terrorizing its supporters, and afterwards both charges were substantiated. Suarez accused Silva of disenfranchising servicemen, while Silva accused Suarez of election fraud in the states of Jefferson and California. After the election, Silva's supporters refused to accept the election results, and as Suarez' inauguration approached, political violence increased.