The Alamance Gleaner i
Vol LXIX ? ? GRAHAM, N. C.t THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1943 No. 2^ J
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Allies' Italo-Balkan Moves Factor
In Baffling Axis on Invasion Plans;
U. S. Moves to Solve Corn Shortage;
Russ War Stepped Up on Orel Sector
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TEiEfACT
NATIONAL INCOME AND WAR
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MEDITERRANEAN:
Balkan Powder Keg
The summary closing and opening
af the Turko-Syrian frontier within
? 48-hour span by the Allied com
mand had presaged new and impor
tant military moves, as the Medi
terranean area from Italy to the
Balkans had tensed for oncoming ac
tion.
Increasing evidence that the Axis'
much-vaunted Balkans bastion might
be a powder keg instead came in
the form of reports from Ankara that
Rumania had sounded out the Al
lies on armistice terms. From An
kara, too, came steadily mounting
proof of Turkey's closer friendship
with the United Nations. The ap
pointment of Brig. Gen. Richard G.
Tindell as American military at
tache in Ankara and.the dispatch of
a contingent of Turkish fliers to
America for special training were
significant steps in this direction.
Reports from Axis sources had re
flected increasing official bafflement
over the Allies' next moves. After
telling its listeners of "many land
ing craft concentrating from African
coasts toward Pantelleria and the
massing of a million troops for an
Italian invasion," the Rome radio
bad broadcast a report that "large
British forces were concentrating
along the southern frontier of Tur
key."
Observers for months had known
that large numbers of Allied troops
had been training in Syria. Lying
in the eastern corner of the Mediter
ranean, Syria offered an effective
base for operations against Crete,
the Italian-held Dodecanese islands,
Greece proper or other Axis points
bi the Balkans.
BUREAUCRATS:
C.nncrrest C.nmnlimenti
' Hie much-criticized home front
gevernment bureaus were given a
friendly pat on the back and a virtu
al clean bill of health when the house
appropriations committee approved
appropriations of $2,939,441,904 for 18
civilian war agencies, including the
Office of Price Administration and
tte Office of War Information.
In making public its highly com
plimentary report on the work of
diese agencies, the committee ad
mitted that mistakes had been made
and will be made, but denounced
ttoae who criticize "without knowl
edge of the tremendous burdens
thrown on agency heads and of the
great strides made in putting the
United States on a war footing."
'"The type of criticism that serves
ewly to create public distrust in the
agencies is not helpful to the war
effort," the committee's report said.
OIL PACT:
iter Cancels Deal
The tempest over the navy depart
aaaofa contract with the Standard
Off Company of California for op
eration of the Elk Hills naval oil re
serve subsided when Secretary
Frank Knox announced cancellation
af the agreement
The decision to cancel followed a
legal ruling by the department of
Jmtiee that the proposed arrange
ment exceeded the authority grant
ad hj law, a navy announcement
said. Norman H. Littell, assistant
attorney general, testifying before
the house public lands committee,
saM that a department report sent
to. the White House had concluded
that the navy's agreement with the
ell company was "illegal and in
valid."
Colonel Knox declared that his
?are investigation of the agreement
established that "no improprieties
had been employed by either party
te the negotiations "
CORN:
'42 Loans Called
First steps in a program to solve
the increasingly serious corn sup
ply situation came when the gov
ernment formally called loans on
47,000,000 bushels of 1942 crop corn
effective July 15. The government
had previously used deliveries of
grain through liquidation of 1938-41
loans to restore the operations of
two closed-down processing plants.
The corn loan move was described
as "only an immediate palliative,
not the final answer to the prob
lem," and it was stated that efforts
to find a solution would continue.
The government's action came as
the War Food administration and
Commodity Credit corporation re
ceived a request from the Corn In
dustries Research foundation for ei
ther complete lifting of federal price
ceilings on grain or the imposition
of ceilings on hogs. Meanwhile J.
B. Hutson, director of the Commod
ity Credit corporation, said that 25
million bushels of privately owned
corn in grain elevators would be
seized for plants manufacturing by
products for war uses, unless "crops
can be moved off farms."
RUSSIA:
Orel to Forefront
A stepping-up of land activities
was reported on the Russian front,
with especially heavy fighting re
ported in the Orel sector. Here,
Russian troops defending a strategic
newly won bridgehead were report
ed to have beaten off eight German
counter-attacks.
It was reported that strong forma
tions of Soviet planes had broken up
German formations supporting Nazi
tank and infantry units. The Ger
mans, however, were reported bring
ing up reinforcements in an effort
to forestall the possibility of Rus
sian flanking movements against
Orel, strategic Nazi-held base mid
way between Moscow and Kharkov.
Heaviest fighting was reported in the
vicinity of Mtsensk, 30 miles north
east of Orel.
Russian air forces continued their
efforts to disrupt Nazi supply con
centrations by striking at four rail
road Junctions over which German
supplies and reinforcements must
move for the Bryansk-Orel-Smolensk
area. The junctions were Roslavl,
Unecha, Vladislavoka and Novo
zybkhov.
PACIFIC:
13-to-l Record
With all indications pointing
toward major sea and land engage
ments looming in the Pacific, air
activities still held the center of the
war stage in this theater.
Most dramatic of all engagements
was that fought out over the Solo
mons when American planes shot
down 77 Jap aircraft over Guadal
canal while losing only six of their
own. This 13-to-l score turned in by
American combat fliers in the Solo
mons who have heretofore included
army, navy and marine pilots was
regarded as the best ever recorded
in a single air action anywhere.
But Allied planes were not idle
elsewhere. Liberator bombers made
their second heaviest raid of the war
on Jap-held Kendari, on Celebes is
land, 830 miles northwest of Dar
win, Australia, damaging airdromes
and destroying planes parked on the
ground.
In China, a military spokesman
for Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek
charged that the Japanese again
were employing poison gas in their
operations in Suiyan province.
Meanwhile Chiang's forces claimed
new successes, Including the recap
ture of strategic towns south of the
Yangtze river.
TAXES:
50 Billion Goal
Secretary Henry Morgenthau dis
closed that the treasury would trim
Its request to congress (or more
new taxes down to $11,000,000,000 In
stead of the $18,000,000,000 originally
planned. Nevertheless, this would
be enough to raise the public's over
all tax bill during the 1944 fiscal
year to $50,000,000,000.
Declaring that the Treasury's goal
was to pay half the annual war costs
"as we go," Mr. Morgenthau esti
mated that this goal is $4,000,000,000
less than President Roosevelt's Jan
uary budget objective.
Treasury recommendations for
raising the additional revenues were
slated for submission to congress be
fore its proposed summer recess.
RATIONING:
Eight New Plans
Louis J. Kroeger, OPA rationing
official, disclosed that eight new ra
tioning programs are being prepared
by the Office of Price Administra
tion and may be instituted within
the next year.
Mr. Kroeger told a house ?appro
priations committee that two of the
ration plans will be placed in force
immediately, but that six others, in
cluding coal rationing, are contin
gent on directives from other gov
ernment agencies. The two pro
grams definitely scheduled cover
oiiu nesting stoves, ana a
new system of allotting foods to all
types of institutional users, includ
ing hotels and restaurants, which
will not affect consumers directly.
Except for coal, the other prospec
tive rationed items were not listed,
but Kroeger said they included
goods for which the government of
ficials see a definite possibility of
shortages in the next fiscal year.
Eggs, milk and other foods have
been mentioned recently by govern
ment food experts as possible can
didates for rationing.
RUSS-POLES:
Postwar Assurances
Assurances of Soviet aid in re
storing a strong and independent Po
land after the war were given by
Premier Josef Stalin of Russia.
Stalin's promise was contained in
a message sent to the first Congress
of Polish patriots in Russia who told
him that "we will not allow persons
who strive to drive a wedge between
the Polish people and the Soviet
union to trouble the water."
Observers noted that the Polish
government-in-exile had no part In
the exchange of amenities between
the two peoples. Russia recently
broke off diplomatic relations with
General Sikorski's group in London,
because of charges by the Poles of
Russ executions of Polish army of
ficers and counter-charges by the
Soviets of pro-Axis espionage by the
Poles.
EUROPE:
Air Blitz Continues
Even as English King George V
was inspecting the Allied armed
forces in North Africa, air forces of
the United Nations were preparing
for the war's next decisive move by
softening-up forays against Axis
positions from western Europe to the
Eastern Mediterranean.
In a single six-day offensive, Brit
ish and American bombers ham
mered destruction on nine different
major German citiet. These includ
ed Cologne, Dusseldorf, Munster,
Wilhelmshaven, Cuxhaven, Bremen,
Bochum. Kiel enH flharKoiiMn
Heaviest assault was reserved (or
Cologne, industrial capital of the
Rhineland and the third largest city
in the Reich.
In the Mediterranean, American
and British bomber fleets swarmed
over Sicily, attacking five major
Italian air bases and maintaining a
day-and-night marathon of disaster
to the Axis. The Allied fliers at
tacking Sicily reported tough fighter
opposition and strong anti-aircraft
fire, contrasting sharply with the
lack of Axis opposition over Pantel
leria.
PAYROLLERS:
300,000 Cut Urged
Charging that the government
payroll has more than tripled since
the First World war and that the
government could get along with
300,000 fewer employees, a joint con
gressional committee on reduction
of nonessential federal expenditures
recommended that the Civil Service
commission act to eliminate unnec
essary personnel.
"Wasteful personnel practices," a
committee report said, should be
prevented by a complete reorganiza
tion of personnel servicing and man
agement functioning.
The beneficial effects of a merit
system during the pest two years,
the committee charged, "have been
Impaired and federal funds have
been wasted through the negligent
attitude of personnel officers end op
eration officials."
Prisoners of War Are Held in 17 States;
Some Work on Farms and Public Projects
w
Defeated Men Happy
About Hearty Food,
Humane Treatment
Prisoners of war, principally
from North Africa, are being
shipped to the United States and
placed in camps, there to re
main until peace returns. Some
36,688 men have arrived, of
whom 22,110 are Germans, 14,
516 Italians and 62 Japanese, up
to the first week of June, the war
department announces. They
are confined in 21 camps, locat
ed in 17 states.
These former enemy soldiers ars
being treated according to the hu
mane requirements of the Geneva
oonvention, of which both Germany
and Italy are signatories, as is the
United States. Japan has never ac
cepted this agreement. .
These men may be employed,
within rigid provisions, on farms and
public works construction, thereby
possibly relieving the labor short
age in some regions. Another ad
vantage of having these prisoners
here, is that their presence here
keeps their friends and relatives in
the homelands anxious about their
welfare. This anxiety may help to
insure honorable treatment of
American prisoners in Axis camps.
On the other hand, the reports which
prisoners write home about the good
food and decent living and working
conditions here, should have a fa
vnrahlp nmnn onnHn vain*
Germans are housed in these 11
camps. These are: Camp Breckin
ridge, Ky.; Camp Chafee, Ark.;
Crossvilie, Tenn.; Camp Gruber,
Okla.; Hereford, Texas; Huntsville,
Texas; Roswel), N. M.; Stringtown,
Okla.; Angel Island, Calif.; Camp
Blanding, Fla.; and Fort Meade,
Md. There are some Italians at
Crossvilie. Angel Island, Camp
Blanding, and Fort Meade are tem
porary establishments.
There are 10 camps for Italians.
: These are: Camp Atterbury, Ind.;
Camp Carson, Colo. ; O^mp Clark,
Mo.; Weingarten, Mo.; Crossvilie,
Tenn. (separate from Germans);
Florence, Ariz.; Fort Leonard Wood,
Mo.; Ogden, Utah; Camp Phillips,
Kan.; and Camp Wheeler, Ga. All
these are permanent. The 62 Japa
nese are confined at Camp McCoy,
j Wis. (See map.)
Room lot 55,000 in Camps.
The present capacity of these
camps is stated as approximately
55,000. Present camps will be ex
| panded, and new ones established
as needed, the war department
says. Most prison camps are locat
ed within army camps.
The commanding officer of the
army installation is also the com
manding officer of the prison estab
lishment. Where the prison camp is
not within an army installation, ths
commanding officer of the prison
camp is designated by the com
manding general of the service com
mand area.
The standard stockade at each of
the prison camps is an enclosure
within a double barbed wire fence,
with guard towers covering a nar
row alley between fences. This
stockade is divided into three com
pounds, containing hut shelters, mess
halls, toilet facilities and other in
stallations to provide for 1,000 men.
Within their respective compounds,
the prisoners may circulate freely,
but guarded gates restrict passage
* German and Italian soldiers, herded into hnfe barbed-wire eaetoenres
after surrender in Tunisia, lean ? fence, weary and broken in spirit.
Some appear to be crying. But the two grinning fellows (right) plainly
show their Joy that it's all ever, as they anticipate transfer to Canada
or the United States.
from on* enclosure to another.
Guards and administrative person
nel are housed outside the stockade
in nearby barracks and offices.
Win Werk as Harvest Hands.
The office of the provost marshal
general has found that many of the
prisoners were tradesmen, including
carpenters, stone masons, .house
painters, but the use to which their
skills may be put is restricted.
Many others were farmers. Their
use in farming will be confined to
those operations which require a
dozen or more men at one time, such
as cotton picking and harvesting.
Prisoners must be under guard at
all times. Being soldiers, they can
not be placed in the custody of a
civilian, and it is impracticable to
send a guard out with small groups.
Other occupations which will em
ploy lasge numbers of prisoners are
road building, irrigation develop
ments, dam construction and proj
ects of a similar nature.
All of the enlisted prisoners,
whether working or not, receive an
allowance of 10 centa a day for the
purchase of toilet goods or other
articles from the stockade canteen.
Their pay when working, 80 cents a
day, is deposited in a credit ac
count. The prisoner may withdraw,
in the form of canteen coupons, one
half of each month's credit up to a
maximum of $10 per month.
When working for a state tyr pri
vate contractor, the rate of pay is
decided upon In advance ~ between
the employer and the camp com
mander. The rate, however, may
not be less than that of 80 cents a
day paid when the work is done for
the federal government.
Officer prisoners are not com
pelled to work. If they choose to
work, they are paid the same basis
as the enlisted man. Regardless of
whether or not the officers work,
under the Geneva convention they
are paid in accordance with their
grade and in line with specific ar
rangements between the enemy
powers. This pay for German and
Italian officer prisoners is the equiv
alent of $20 per month for warrant
officers and first and second lieu
tenants; $30 for captains, and $40
for those in the grade of major and
above.
Sports and Reading Rooms.
Facilities for recreation are pro
vided at all of the camps. Equip
ment supplied by the war depart
ment is supplemented in many cases
by gifts from private organizations.
Because the prisoners naturally fa
vor the sports of their own coun
tries, standard army athletic equip
ment kits have not proved generally
satisfactory.
National preferences and tastes
are taken into account in planning
the meals for the prisoners. These
menus, covering meals for a month,
are prepared in the office of the
quartermaster general. Substitu
tions may be made from a list of
foods indicated as approximately
equivalent in food value to any item
on the specified list. For instance,
the Italians at Camp Atterbury,
Ind., asked for more bread and
spaghetti instead of their meat al
lowance. The camp now gets more
flour and less meat. The menu for
a typical day at that camp consists
of spaghetti, pork, potatoes, cole
slaw, canned pears, coffee and thick
crusted Italian bread. It is men
tioned that the men leave their
plates clean.
The administration of each prison
camp follows a well-established pat
tern. A typical prison camp, for ex
ample, housing 3,000 prisoners, re
quires the services of 500 officers
and enlisted men of the United
States army. This detachment is
made up ot three military police es
cort companies, 21 additional offi
cers, and three attached officers.
These companies usually are rotat
ed, one being on actual guard, man
ning towers and gates, while an
other is in alert and another is en
gaged in tactical and other train
ing exercises or in supervising and
guarding work details.
The prisoners are organized into
companies of 290 men each, with
each company under an officer of
the army of the United States. In
turn, battalions are formed within
the camp, all under the camp com
mander.
Although the company command
er is assisted in administering his
company by enlisted members of
the army of the United States, in
cluding a first sergeant, a mess and
supply sergeant, a clerk, an inter
preter and cook, the prisoners them
selves are permitted to organize and
administer their own affairs as
much as possible. From their own
ranks they may choose leaders to
serve as their spokesmen in mak
ing requests or complaints to the
company or camp commander.
Cooks, barbers, tailors, cobblers and
other essential personnel also are
chosen from among the prisoners.
Location of Camps for War Prisoners
Who's News 1
This Week
By
Deloe Wheeler Lovelace
NEW YORK. ? John Jeremiah
Pelly, president of the Associa
tion of American Railroads, takes a
rightful pride in his contribution
ThU Man Fulfilled
Boyhood Promu, What his
Had, to Mother
dona in
hauling war supplies and moving
troops on top of their regular Jrafflc
makes every railroad man tram
president to brakia hold his head
high. This is the second war Pelly
has had to contend with. Twenty
five years back he was keeping
soldiers and munitions rolling suc
cessfully over the Illinois Central,
for which he eras then superintend
ent of the Southern division.
Leaving the University at Illinois
early because his family needed an
extra bread winner, he started oat
teaching school in Anna, IQ-, aheia
he was born 69 years ago.
When the llhasis Central gave
Has He fast Job as a sleek at
he?'give Ca*ride' mmo day
fa his special ear. Be kept Ms
had heeain sectfan hand. The
kf with each am. WW? ha
left the fflleaii Central h I9H
to head the Ceatnl af Georgia
Railway, he had hmat me
In 1929 ha moved to New York
aa top man at the New Haven. Five
years later even the Uatel wurn
commuters mourned when he left
(or his present job.
ASKED once what his bobby was.
James Vincent Forreatal re
plied "obscurity." That's something
he gets little chance to enjoy these
Ha, Otecsnsfy far%???Z
Hobby?NeverAbl* dersecrc
Te Meet Up With It tary ed the
navy. In
(act. ever since he took over that
job in August, IMA, just two months
alter congress created it, and ba
came the illiting force behind the
production of ships, planes and gtas,
he has been very much hi the tee
ground. Blunt in speech, quick
in his grasp of new and iiitris ate
problems, steady under IS lawn?.
this civilian from Wall Street hits
it off well with the Annapolis trained
career officers.
F arrests! is a prefect af toe
Beacea, N. T? a years age.
After tndnittog (rem Mgh
ithsal there, he tried Ms hand
at newspaper upssltog bates
catering eaOege. He started at
Pitostton. Despite toe fast that
be had to warfc Us way tkringh.
he (sand time to edit the DaBy
The last war, in arhich he eras a
naval aviator, interrupted his ttoan
cial career for a couple of years,
but soon after the Armistice he eras
back at it. The twenties were still
young when he became Clarence DO
lon'a right-hand man In June, lMt,
when President Roosevelt relied
him to Washington as an aaecotnra
assistant, ha left the proaalanry ad
Dillon Read ft Co. to accept.
?*?
D RIG GEN. Patrick Jay Hurley's
u tasks in the present war haee
been as minister to New 7>alawd
and as President Rooserelt's ape
Kiclfd at Miming SSL*?*
fa Soom Acmmftmf p*- ^Iwy
haven't
kept him clear of excitement and
danger, though. As a result his cooe
try has just awarded Mm the Die-<
tinguished Plying Cross. He hss
mads extremely haiardous Sights to
the South Pacific, the Orient. the
Middle East and Russia. On these
he displayed "conspicuous courage
and initiative." his citation read.
Early la the war ha was Mak
ing that he had mimed afl Ms
shssttog. Ihsa while he was M
Peat Darwta, toe Japs sat Mass
with aa air raid, and ha was
twe other ilaaa eafta. Last
toft ky tha Nasto M 'll*
jft^torety*gwf"?1*hash ^a