club, hitting the historic round-tripper off George Caster in the sixth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Athletics. Foxx was only 32 years old and many observers expected him to surpass Babe Ruth's record of 714, but he would hit just 34 more in his career. German submarine U-106, one of the most successful of the war, was commissioned. September 25, 1940 (Wednesday) The Battle of Dakar ended in Vichy French victory. Joachim von Ribbentrop alerted the German embassy in the Soviet Union that Japan was likely to join Italy and Germany in an alliance soon. Should this happen, the ambassador was instructed to reassure Moscow that this alliance was meant to deter the United States from entering the war and was not directed against Soviet interests. Reichskommissar for the Occupied Norwegian Territories Josef Terboven banned all political parties in the country except for Vidkun Quisling's Nasjonal Samling. Died: Marguerite Clark, 57, American stage and silent film actress September 26, 1940 (Thursday) The Japanese invasion of French Indochina ended with the completion of Japanese objectives. 54 Vichy French bombers raided Gibraltar. The U.S. government placed an embargo on the exportation of scrap iron and steel to any country outside the Western Hemisphere excluding Britain, effective October 16. Died: Walter Benjamin, 48, German Jewish philosopher and social critic (suicide) September 27, 1940 (Friday) Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact. Under German orders, police in Vichy France began a census of the country's Jews. The Detroit Tigers clinched the American League pennant with a 2–0 win over the Cleveland Indians. The musical film Strike Up the Band starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland was released. Born: Femi Robinson, actor, in Abeokuta, Nigeria (d. 2015) Died: Julián Besteiro, 70, Spanish politician; Julius Wagner-Jauregg, 83, Austrian physician and Nobel laureate September 28, 1940 (Saturday) The first U.S. destroyers reached Britain. Radio Belgique, a broadcast transmitted from London to Nazi-occupied Belgium, was established. German submarine U-97 was commissioned. Died: Chapman James Clare, 87, British-Australian sailor September 29, 1940 (Sunday) British warships bombarded the coastal road of Italian Libya. The Brocklesby mid-air collision occurred over Brocklesby, Australia. Two Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF collided and, unusually, remained locked together. All four crewmen involved survived the accident. September 30, 1940 (Monday) The day before the annual two-week autumn vacation, school children in Berlin were told that they would be