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VoL LXXI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 1945 No. 26
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Fleets Rake Japan as Big Three
Parley Points up Peace Talk;
Senate Moves for Global Unity
? Released by Western Newspaper Union. ?J
(KSITOB'S NOTE: When opinions aro expressed In these eolamns. they are those of
Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
Frightened by invasion of U. S. marines of island off of Okinawa,
Jap women are put at ease by Lt H. P. Barrand of Stamford, Conn.
PACIFIC:
Keep Going
While the nation's capital buzzed
, witt peace talk and Australian
?mumpers hinted of sensational de
velopments, U. S. and British carrier
planes continued to rake the Japa
nese homeland . and the Allied
Sects kept up the bombardment of
Kppan's sprawling coastline.
Scorched by Allied Are, the Japs
dil refused to come out and fight.
Propagandists were seeking to calm
tte populace with the assertion that
tte U. & and British attacks were
tt signed to feel them out and they
would strike at the proper time.
Having joined with the fleet in rak
ing shipping and transport facilities
ttiliqg the coal-producing island of
?okkaido with Honshu, and pound
ing factories on Honshu itself, car
Bier planes swept over Tokyo bay to
ttool up combat vessels at anchor,
nesumably remnants of the once
gnad Imperial fleet, the warships
ware covered by a heavy screen of
awtimircraft fire as U. S. and Brit
?h airmen closed in.
Peace talk was pointed up by per
sistent rumors that Marshal Stalin
anight have brought Japanese peace
terms to the Big Three meeting at
Berlin and the report that President
Truman presented the conferees
with American surrender conditions
drawn up by the war, navy and state
departments
Rumors that Russia's Big Boss
taaghlhave borne Jap terms was ac
centuated by a newspaper report
Irana London that a high Soviet of
?cia! revealed that the Reds would
transmit a definite surrender offer
Id the u. S. if it was forthcoming,
and that Moscow would have to
give the deepest consideration to
entry into the Pacific war in view of
fce heavy losses suffered against
Germany.
Reportedly in the possession of
?r. Truman, the American surren
der conditions supposedly include the
?dUnquishment of all military equip
PreiMeit Trcman (left) greets prime
?Witer Churchill st Berlin.
stent; the disbandment of Jap
farces; destruction of war indus
tey; supervision over enemy ship
building, manufacture and port
facilities, and punishment of war
criminals.
Rife in the U. S., peace talk was
mially lively in Australia, where
fae Sydney Sun editorialized: "The
and at the war may come with dra
matic suddenness . . . Hirohito is
?Ull the god-emperor. By one stroke
sd a pen he could relieve'Japan's
. * terrors and make peace. There is
every reason to believe that United
States policy is preserving him for
faat part in the drama."
Meanwhile, U. S. military chief
tains, sticking to the American mas
ter that the game is never over until
the last batter is out, discounted the
peace talk and hewed to the big job
SENATE:
Global Pacts
WBh public opinion strongly cast
far co-operative effort to prevent fit
ter* warfare, international security
?d monetary agreements beaded
(or comparatively quick passage in
the senate.
Overwhelmingly approved by the
house, the Bretton Woods monetary
agreements creating a bank of re
construction and fund (or stabilizing
currencies passed the senate, with
Taft (Rep., Ohio) leading a losing
fight against the measures.
Charging that high pressure tac
tics have been employed to sell the
agreements to the country, Taft
sought to amend the $9,100,000,000
bank and $8,800,000,000 fund so as
to assure the responsibility of bor
rowers drawing upon American con
tributions of $3,175,000,000 to the
bank and $2,750,000,000 to the fund.
While proponents of the Bretton
Woods agreements declared that the
bank was necessary to permit the
economic development of foreign na
tions, and the fund would permit
countries to obtain currency at fair
levels for international trade, oppo
nents charged that there were no
provisions in the plans compelling
the members to stabilize their in
ternal conditions to guarantee full
redemption of their obligations.
Concurrent with the agreements,
the senate considered approval of
the house - passed increase in the
lending authority of the Export-Im
port bank from $700,000,000 to $3,
500,000,000 to finance sales and pur
chases abroad until the Bretton
Woods pacts can be implemented.
With only 1 of 22 members of the
senate foreign relations committee in
opposition, the United Nations secu
rity charter was sent to the uooer
chamber for speedy passage. Al
though not promising that the pact
would prevent war, the committee
declared it provided the basis for
peaceful settlement of disputes.
FOOD:
Plain Talk
Along with the war, food remained
the major item of interest to Ameri
cans, with Secretary of Agriculture
Anderson warning of tight supplies
into 1946 even while the Office of War
Information prepared to launch an
all-out propaganda drive to convince
the U. S. of the necessity of tighten
ing its belt to help feed impov
erished Europe.
Declaring that the present food
shortage was the result of faulty
planning last year, Anderson said
prior to increased production in 1946
his office would seek to relieve
present scarcities by stifling black
markets, improving distribution and
holding army and foreign relief re
quirements to minimums.
Except for milk, wheat, potatoes
and fresh vegetables, most foods will
remain in tight supply, Anderson
said, with continued scarcities in
meats, fats, oils, condensed and
evaporated milk and canned fruits
and vegetables. Rice and dry beans
also will run short, he revealed.
Meanwhile, the OWIs mapped its
propaganda campaign upon orders
from the White House, following the
report that the U. S. would have to
provide most of the relief shipments
to liberated Europe. In addition to
pointing out the need for supplying
the continent, the OWI also will is
sue periodic statements on contribu
tions being made by Great Britain,
Russia, Canada and other nations.
Pertinent to American relief ship
ments abroad. Senator Wheeler
(Dem., Mont.) told newspaper men
that after having been promised
adequate supplies by American au
thorities, Europeans expect this
country to stand by its word. "Al
ready in Europe, people are saying
that they were treated better be
fore they were liberated," Wheeler
declared.
. . | ,-dMii iTilfiTTl^fcifl
;
WAR PRODUCTION:
Tapering Off
Having already dropped to an an
nual rate of 40.9 billion dollars in
July from 60.7 billion in March, war
production will be further slashed
during the rest of the year, reflect
ing decreased demands for a one
front conflict.
By December, production of air
craft will be down to 800 million dol
lars from the July figure of 1 bil
lion; ships 500 million from 700 mil
lion; guns and fire control 100 mil
lion from 200 million; coinbat and
motor vehicles 200 million from 300
million; communications and elec
tronic equipment 200 million from
300 million, and other items and sup
plies 900 million from 1 billion.
Of major munitions, only produc
tion of ammunition will hold steady
at 600 million dollars, with doubled
output of rockets helping to offset
reductions in other explosives.
HARD WORKERS:
More Meat
In line with its policy of provid
inrr avlro rvtonl nn^
u>g ?a?*o mcai uuu uuici ivvua iui
persons engaged in hard physical la
bor, OPA announced that miners
would be granted additional meat
rations starting in August.
OPA action followed the walkout
of 10,000 miners from Illinois pits,
climaxing a series of strikes
throughout the country. Leaving
their jobs after their leaders de
clared they "can't dig coal on let
tuce sandwiches," the Illinois
miners demanded an extra meat ra
tion of 50 red points per month.
Though 1,500 foundry workers in
neighboring localities joined the
striking Illinois miners, OPA action
did not inelude workers in other
strenuous occupations in the liber
alization of meat rations.
RECONVERSION: ?
Old Prices ?
Working to head oft runaway
prices in the reconversion period be
A~. i ... 1- 1?1 I
wis uciiiauu vau uiuic cvciuj uoi
ance with supply, OPA has drawn
up an elaborate formula aimed at
holding the cost of consumer goods
to the 1942 level.
Under the formula, manufacturers
doing an annual business of $200,000
a year or more may add increased
labor and material costs to their
prices, but may apply only half the
industry-wide profit margin of 1936
to 1939 so as to keep the overall
selling figure down. Producers in
the lower brackets, however, may
apply their own profit margins to
their prices.
To help speed reconversion, indi
vidual manufacturers will be per
mitted to work out their own prices
and submit them to OPA for ap
proval before the government can
formulate general industry - wide
costs.
Wife to II Duce's Defense
Long in the background. Donna Rachela
Mussolini emerged briefly to hotly chal
lenge declarations that the late II Duce was
an irresponsible philanderer strongly in
fiuenced by a bevy of
mistresses.
Stating her husband
was closest to her when
he was down, and most
distant when he was up.
Donna Rachele averred
that "Mussolini never
had anything to do with
any woman. AU that prop'
agenda they put out just
to ruin him. I was the
only one he thought any
?,flfl4 tnmg of ana i was uie
MumUiI only woman who thought
something of him."
Snappily attired, with a silk kerchief
embracing her heir-do. Donna Rachele
bitterly defended her late husband, bely
ing the popular impression of her as a mere
kitchen wench who had cared for his chil
dren. "They blame him for everything"
she rasped. "The blame should be placed
on other people, from Bedoglio to the
king."
JOBLESS GRANTS:
Seek Increase
Seeking to cushion the nation (or
the full shock of reconversion. Sen
ator Kilgore (Dem., W. Va.) intro
duced a comnrehensive biU extend
ing coverage of unemployment com
pensation, boosting payments and fi
nancing Job relocations.
Under Kilgore's measure, federal,
maritime and agricultural process
ing workers would be included in
coverage of unemployment compen
sation, and the benefits also would
be extended to employees in firms
of less than eight people.
At the same time, the federal gov
ernment would contribute the differ
ence to bring state unemployment
compensation payments up to a
i imiim of $29 weekly for 29
weeks a year. Vets' benefits would
be increased to $29 for single per
sons and $90 lor those with depend
ents for 92 weeks. Workers referred
to Jobs in other cities would be given
travel allowances.
J ne frwate fa pert
Of a Newspaperman:
This Is a personal message to a
few Irresponsible American women,
who do not realize the headaches
they are causing some of our Com
manding Officers?by causing heart
aches to our fighting men. . . . This
message was suggested by Govern
ment and war leaders who appar
ently are concerned about a certain
matter?and here it is.
A fighting man is only as good as
his fighting heart. . . . And inside
his heart he carries the woman he
loves. . . . Anybody in the armed
services?from the hard-boiled top
sergeants to the understanding
chaplains?wiil tell you that a fight
er can best protect our country when
the woman he loves is protecting his
heart It is the source of a sol
dier's greatest strength?and it is
also the possible source of his great
est trouble.
This means that a certain,
thoughtless, small percentage of
American women mnst do their
dnty to their eonntry?by -giving
their absent fighting men more
consideration. ... It is an ex
tremely tad occurrence when a
telegram arrives in tome Amer
ican home?with the news that
an American fighting man is a
casualty. ... It is also sad when
an American fighting man?on a
firing line?receives a letter tell
ing him that his affection tor
the woman he loves is a casual
ty back home. . . . Think that
over.
A Washington paper, reporting
that Joe Kamp and Ed Rumely were
trying to have Congressional indict
ments against them dismissed,
quoted their counsellors as saying
the indictments should be thrown
out "on grounds that the subpoenas
were addressed to the House ser
geant at arms and not the defend
ants."
Oh, don't change the subject!
Many soldiers are writing this
reporter because they do not un
derstand the GI BUI of Rights.
. . . The U. 8. Gov't owes Its
fighting forces the same thor
ough education in their civilian
rights that it insisted upon?In
their military duties. . . . The
American people expect each
fighting man to get as much as
sistance under the GI BUI of
Rights as that fighting man gave
service under the articles of
war. . . . This Gov't owes it to
each fighting man to bring as
much attention to his return to
civil Ufe as It put forth to bring
him as a civilian into the armed
services If the Gov't is able
to seek out a deserter to punish
him?it ought to be able to seek
out its heroes to reward them.
. . . Each fighting man Is en
titled to expert advice at Gov't
expense. . . . This is more than
simple justice. It is sound na
" tional policy.
It is easy to understand why the
officials (responsible tor the trans
portation of our returned men) had
them rid# in coaches while prison
ers of war rode in Pullmans. . . .
This excerpt from a soldier reveals
that higher-ups give more consider
ation to prisoners. Look: "Gallbach,
Austria: Yesterday I saw something
that burned me up. I went for a
ride along the Alps and saw Ger
man soldiers who had surrendered
(120,000 in all), who had never been
put in a prisoner's cage. Instead,
they were living in the best hotels,
swimming, sun-bathing, riding ve
hicles and probably got their gas
from us men; they had ail the
American ciggies and food they
wanted. They also carried small
arms, such as pistols, rifles and ma
chine gats. Can you imagine that?
This through the courtesy of the
American 7th Armv MavK* T'm nn
the wrong side!"
Thi? l* a ehort and agly itwy
?bout a war hero. Hia name ia Cpl.
Edward Hajeald of Hastings, Minn.
He waa the first soldier from the
1st ward of that community to
leave for combat duty. He served 4
years in uniform?most of that time
In actual combat overseas ? 18
months of which he suffered in a
Nazi prison camp. ... He was
wounded. . . . When he returned to
Hastings there was no crowd at the
station, no cheering, no bands, no
paper or confetti shower, no flags.
No nuttin*. . . . Only this "greeting"
from a storekeeper, who had the po
lice hand Majeaki a summons and
complaint. . . . Corporal Majeski
was fined 910 and court costs for rid
ing a bike on ? Hastings sidewalk
. . . Whew!
With 155 Years of Outstanding Service 9
In Wars and Peace Coast Guard Has Been ' LI
Big Factor in Present Successful Operations | j
The United States coast guard on
August 4 celebrates the 155th anni
versary of its founding, proud of be
ing the nation's "first fleet" and
proud of its "firsts" and its distin
guished service on all fronts of
World War II. Most of the 175,000
men who wear the coast guard
shield on their uniform sleeves will
celebrate the service's birthday
Overseas, for the coast guard, cre
ated primarily to prevent smug
glers from reaching the coast,
ranges far from home in time of
war to fight alongside the army,
navy and marine corps.
The coast guard's story really be
gins in 1787 when Alexander Hamil
ton, first secretary of the treasury,
while urging adoption of the then
pending constitution, wrote of the
need for a sea-going service which
would prevent "material infractions
upon the rights Of the revenue." "A
few armed vessels," he wrote, "judi
ciously stationed at the entrance to
our ports, might at small expense
be made useful sentinels of the
laws."
With the constitution adopted, the
first congress elected under it, in
the spring of 1790, approved Hamil
ton's idea for a marine law en
forcement agency, and on August 4,
170ft the (oruina's KMkrlov onnrn.
-*V "V..1VV ? I ?r??^
printed money to build 10 cutters
and pay salaries to their officers and
men.
For six years the small cutters
were the only armed vessels under
the United States flag. (The navy
was created in 1794 by act of con
gress, but its ships were not in serv
ice until 1797.
Given Naval Bank.
The possible defense value of the
cutters was recognized early. In
suggesting establishment of the
service, Hamilton asked that offi
cers of the cutters be given military
or naval rank, "which," he said,
"will not only induce flt men to en
gage, but attach them to their duties
with a nicer sense of honor." In
1797, congress passed a temporary
act to increase the strength of the
cutters "and cause said revenue
cutters to be employed to defend
the sea-coast and repel any hos
? tility to their vessels and commerce
within their Jurisdiction, having due
regard to the duties of said cutters
in the production of the revenue."
In 1798, during the "nnde
elared" naval war with France,
the President, "with a view of
producing a concert of action of
the naval forces of the United
States," placed the revenne ves
sels at the disposition of the
secretary of the navy. In the
next year, congress passed an
aet providing that the cutters
were to eo-operate with the navy
whenever tho President should
so direct?a precedent since fel
I lowed In every war.
The cutter Taney went through
Pearl Harbor unscathed and the
next day left the stricken Pacific
base on antisubmarine patrol. The
169-foot Icarus received credit for
sinking the first German submarine
In United States waters when she
blasted a U-boat and took 33 pris
oners off the Carolina coast. (A
coastguardmanned destroyer escort,
with several navy ships, was in at
the kill on the last U-boat sunk in
the Atlantic by American forces.)
Many Ships Lost.
A tragic "first" of the coast guard
was the loss of the cutter Hamil
ton, torpedoed off Iceland in Janu
ary, 1942, the first American war
ship lost to a submarine after the
start of the war and, unfortunately,
the first of a line of coastguard
manned shipa lost as the war pro
gressed?the Acaccia, the Muske
get, the Natsek, the Esc ana ba, the
Leopold, and the Serpens.
To many. In peacetime, the
coast guard was known as the
"Merer Fleet." and there is a
long tradition behind its reputa
tion tor the taring at lite and
property at sea. Baek in 1SS3,
some of the cotters were as
signed to aid distressed vessels
and save lives; a dnty they had
Adm. Russell R. Wsesche, com
mandant of the U. 8. coast fumrd,
with his third half-Inch stripe, which
designates him as a tall admiral.
performed Incidentally from
time to time. Congress made
this a regular duty by enact
ment in X8J7.
The combination strengthened the
service's devotion to the saving of
life and property?a devotion amply
demonstrated during this war.
In the Normandy invasion, a fleet
of 89-foot coast guard vessels (con
sidered small craft now, but more
than twice the length suggested by
Hamilton in his recommendation for
the first cutters I) which had been on
antisubmarine duty in the Atlantic
was designated as Rescue Flotilla 1
and, in the first days of the invasion,
pulled more than 4,000 men to safety
from channel waters. The coast- -
guardmaimed assault transport Bay
field, flagship for "Utah" beach,
cared for more than 600 can a Hies
during the three weeks it was an
chored off the beachhead.
Also Serve In Air.
Outstanding also has been the
coast guard's initiative in the experi
ments with airplane, parachute and
helicopter rescue groups. Adm. Run
sell R. Waesche, first full admiral te
head the coast guard, also aits with
the Joint Air-Sea Rescue commit
tee set up by all of the armed serv
ices to investigate and experiment
with rescue techniques.
Fran the life saving stations,
the coast guard aequired person
nel well versed in the knack at
handling small beats, in battling
sort, wind and tide. The nation
has drawn heavily an these men
to participate in every Invasion
of the war and to train others in
amphibious landings.
Many surfmen were among thn
personnel of the boat pool set 19
under Coast Guard Com dr. Dwight
H. Dexter at Guadalcanal and Tut*
agi in August, IMS, the Allies' first
successful amphibious operation. ?
Aboard the eoastguardmaanefi
assanlt transport 8amnel Chase,
formerly the passenger ship
African Meteor, the teehniqee
of loading small landing bargee i
at the ran was first used in the .
invasion of Sietty en Jnly it, ??
INS. The technique was decided j
upon after the vessel's earlier
experience In the African Inva
sion in November, INS, and
speeded hp such operations by
many precious minutes.
The coast guard also haa been
called "A sea-going handyman" and
in war or peace the service hma be
come used to having new duties and
functions added to its work. Alter
the Titanic disaster, nations of the
world formed the International Ice
Patrol and the duty of patrolling
was delegated to the coast guard.
Glass 'Ornaments' , . 1
Save Lives in War
If you talk about prisms. Grand
ma might think you mean the glass
ornaments decorating her chan
delier. But her grandson, if he's e
G.I. Joe, is aware of the fact that
solid glass prisms have been the
means of saving many lives during
the war.
It was early in the war that the
army wanted a tank periscope scyo
rior to the old-style type mads eg
mirrors and flat glass windows. Am
a result, glass technicians here de
veloped a new plate glass prism thek
supplied about a 90 per cent in
crease in visibility. And equally. If 4
not more important, this superiority
was achieved in a unit that could be
mass-produced to take care of the
desperate need for prisms, tradition
ally turned out in small quantities by
the precise handicraft methods at
the optical industry.
When the first U. S. tanks went into!
combat, however, a great need fast
prismatic viewing blocks developed.
In those first tanks, commanders bed!
to stand in the hatch, expqned to
sniper Are if they wanted a Mfe
view of their surroundings. Am
resistingviewing panel developed by
A seaman U 111, requiring Immediate medical attention. Ceaet gaard
vessel transfers doctor on a boatswain's chair to the merchant sH^.
An example of the work done bp the eoaat gaard in their 155 pears at
service.
LSTi ara tk? Int U tnf ftatr rampa il
Manila after AmerUaa kmi M Mm tea Japa (mm ft* ||tei
I capital.
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