During May Day celebrations at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Adolf Hitler spoke of an "international clique of war agitators" trying to encircle Germany and declared, "If we want to survive we must be unified."[1]
The German ocean liner MS St. Louis departed Hamburg for Cuba with 936 passengers, mostly Jewish refugees. The Cuban government had already canceled their landing certificates, but many passengers boarded the ship anyway hoping the Cubans would honor the certificates they had already obtained.[12]
Eva Braun began being mentioned in the international press. In an article in Time speculating about the love lives of Hitler and Mussolini, Braun was identified as someone that Hitler always came to visit whenever he was in Munich.[16]
The British government issued a White Paper on Mandatory Palestine. The new plan would set immigration quotas that would put the Jewish population at one-third of the region's total population.[18]
A group of German SA stormtroopers attacked and ransacked a Polish customs house in Kalthof. One of the SA men, Gustav Gruebner, was shot and killed by a Polish chauffeur during the incident.[23]
Died:Joseph Carr, 58, President of the National Football League
A constitutional referendum was held in Denmark. 91.9% of voters approved of a new constitution, but only 48.9% of eligible voters turned up to vote, meaning the percentage of voters who approved of the new constitution fell below the 45% required.
The American submarine Squalus dove during a routine test run off Portsmouth, New Hampshire and failed to surface due to a faulty valve. Rescue efforts based from the USS Brooklyn soon got underway.[27]
Rescue efforts in the Squalus disaster were called off. All 33 surviving crew members were rescued but 26 others in the after part of the ship had already drowned.[27][31]
Celebrations were held in Hamburg for 5,000 German fighters returning from the Spanish Civil War. Hermann Göring ceremonially distributed medals to the veterans, including 36 gold crosses for extraordinary valour.[32]