The Alamance Gleaner
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Vol. LXXI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1945 ' Na 8
r WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Report German Peace Bids as
Allies Press Attacks on Reich;
Act to Assure Civilian Supply
Released by Western Newspaper Union. .
(EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these colamns, they ere these ef
Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and net necessarily ef this newspaper.)
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Indicating the modern network of roads over which the Germans have
been moving military supplies east of the Rhine, this aerial photo shows
the Adolf Hitler superhighway near U. S. 1st army bridgehead. Hap out
lines extensive road system in territory.
EUROPE:
Rebuff Nazis
Amid a flurry of talk that high
German groups; had sounded the
U. S. and Britain out on peace pos
sibilities, Allied armies maintained
their heavy pressure against Nazi
lines in both the east and west.
According to one report, Gen.
Dwight Eisenhower rebuffed Field
Marshal von Rundstedt's approach
for an armistice, under which the
latter offered to pull German
armies beyond the Rhine, where
they have been forced, and disarm
them.
Published in Sweden's Svenska
Dagbladet, the other report dealt
with German overtures to a British
official for an armistice for preserv
ing the Reich as a bulwark against
the "Bolshevik menace." To include
the retention of the Nazis in office
and the evacuation of occupied ter
ritory, the offer also was flatly re
jected, it was said.
Even as the reports came through,
Germany rocked under the tremor
of continued heavy aerial assaults,
aimed at Nazi industrial installa
tions, communication lines feeding
lown ouster Latest Bomb
To Britain's famed "blockbust
er" and "earthquake" bombs has
been added another, the 11-ton
"town buster," developed to
penetrate to the underground fac
tories the Germans established to
avoid surface bombardment.
Carried by Britain's four-en
gined Lancasters, the "town
buster" measures 25V4 feet in
length and almost four feet in di
ameter. Upon releasing the heavy
load, the huge planes have
bounced up as high as 500 feet
from relief of the weight.
Packing a tremendous wallop
in Itself, the "town buster"
supplements the six-ton "earth
quake" bomb, which sank the
German battleship, Tirpitx, and
penetrated lMoot-thiek concrete
roofs of U-boat pens.
their armies and troop concentra
tions massed to meet Allied attacks
in both east and west.
In the east, Russia grouped the
bulk of her manpower for the grand
assault on Berlin, heavily defended
by an extended network of pill
boxes, tank traps and infantry ob
stacles, which could. be flooded..
As the Russians built up their
forces beyond the Oder for the
smash on the German capital, other
Red forces were on the move in
both Upper Silesia and Hungary, in
an effort to pry open the roads to
the rich industrial districts of
Czecholovakia and Austria, feeding
the Nazi wehrmacht.
In the west, German war produc
tion was seriously threatened as
U. S. and British armies closed on
both the Ruhr and Saar valleys. Not
only was the Ruhr menaced by the
U. S. 9th and British 2nd armies
from the west, but Lt Gen. Court
ney Hodges' U. S. 1st moved up from
its Remagen bridgehead to threaten
it (mm the south.
The U. S. 3rd and 7th armies also
were applying a vise on the Saar
valley, with the 3rd pressing in from
the north and east, and the 7th
squeezing ahead from the south.
Taking full advantage of their ex
tensive road system and short
supply lines, the Germans fought
viciously to hold both all-important
regions.
FOOD:
Probe Supply
Following hard upon War Mobili
zer Byrnes' formation of a special
ffroun tn rpviorn all
demands for non
military exports to
protect essential ci
vilian supplies in
this country, senate
war investigating
committee an
nounced the conduct
of an inquiry into
the food situation
currently marked
by the growing
scarcity of meat.
ncvciauuii ui uie bcuaie cummu
tee's probe followed demands of mid-1
western senators for rectification of
government food policies, which,
they declared, discouraged fatten
ing of cattle because of failure to
bring prices and feed costs in line
with production, and failed to place
agriculture on a par with war in
dustry.
Just before the congressional
storm broke, Byrnes proclaimed the
organization of a special group to
determine that Europe's demands
for relief and rehabilitation would
not interfere with U. S. civilian
needs, and even to review past
commitments in the same light.
Following Byrnes' action, capital
circles buzzed with talk that the
War Food administration, for one,
had approached him for help in al
locating the shrinking food supply
during 1945, with prospects of from
20 to 25 per cent less meat, 10 to 15
per cent less vegetable oils and
fats, and 10 per cent less sugar.
Meanwhile, it was revealed, lend
lease purchases in recent weeks
have been severely reduced be
cause of the growing meat shortage.
Although the government has been
receiving larger allocations than for
merly, it was pointed out, still the
drop in slaughtering has reduced the
volume available over last year, and
practically only military demands
are being satisfied.
As a result, lend-lease meat ton
nage has been slashed almost 80
per cent in the last two months, with
pork purchases in one week down
about 84 per cent from last year,
canned meats 86 per cent, and
other products from 93 to 97 per
cent.
PACIFIC:
Air Lashings
With long range U. S. bombers
based within flying distance of
Japan as a result of the recent con
quest of outlying islands in bloody
but valuable fighting, the enemy's
great industrial cities have more
and more been feeling the lash of
heavy bombardment
Carried on even as General Mao
Arthur's forces in the Philippines
tightened their grip on the sprawl
ing archipelago guarding the inner
China sea lane, and as begrimed
marines finished off a stubborn foe
on Iwo Jima, the B-29 raids on such
Jap centers as Tokyo, Nagoya and
Osaka are designed to cut down fac
tory production and impair the flow
of supply to the enemy's armies.
Meanwhile, General MacArthur's
forces moved toward the climactic
battle with the bulk of the enemy
cornered on northeastern Luzon,
and additional American landings
to the south secured the sea pas
sage through the Philippines to
Manila.
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YALTA:
Test Agreement
First put to the test in Poland,
the Big Three's Yalta agreement to
act jointly in the settlement of trou
bled political affairs of countries
was tabbed for a second trial in the
case of Romania, where the Rades
cu government reportedly had been
forced out by Moscow and replaced
by a communist-dominated regime.
At the time the Radescu govern
ment left office, with Radescu him
self seeking sanctuary in the British
embassy in Bucharest because of
fear of communist assassination, the
Russians contended that the regime
had failed to take proper action
against pro-fascist elements still
present in the country and threat
ening the Red army's supply lines.
Called at the instance of the U. S.,
the Big Three parley on Romania
could look to its settlement of the
Polish problem as a precedent,
with democratic elements being
brought into a new regime along
with the communists to furnish a
more representative pattern of gov
ernment.
FARM LABOR:
At Low
With total farm employment esti
mated at 8,400,000 persons, farm op
erators will start the important
spring planting season with the low
est seasonal level of workers in 21
years, the U. S. department of agri
culture reported.
Of the 8,400,000 persons, USDA
reported, 6,894,000 are family mem
bers, of whom a great number are
women or elder folk. Because of the
presence of the latter, it was said,
total operating efficiency has been
cut somewhat since the advancing
years have impaired the efforts of
many of the older people.
As the spring planting season ap
proached, with excessive moisture
retarding work in many sections,
farmers were promised some man
power relief by the employment of
30,000 German war prisoners during
the year. Despite the worker short
age, farmers are being asked to
match 1944's record production.
Butcher 01' Dobbin
Already evident before January 3, when
race tracks were closed, there has been a
decided rise in the sale of dressed horse
carcasses as the meat situation grows in
creasingly critical, packers revealed.
Although sold for human consumption
in Milwaukee, IVis.; Boston, Mass.; Cleve
land, Ohio; Detroit, Mich^ and some New
Jersey cities, if is not permissible in Chi
cago, III., where, oddly enough, sales to re
tailers have doubled since the beef famine.
In explaining the phenomenon of how i
sales to retailers could double if the latter
could not resell the product to consumers,
one packers' representative declared that
I butchers didn't know whether the buyers
were going to eat the horse meat them
selves or feed it to their pets.
SHOES:
To Cut Output
With most of the cattle hide sched
uled to meet greatly increased army
demands, allocation of leather for
production of civilian shoes during
April, May and June may be
trimmed down to about 10 to 15 per
cent of present allotments, further
affecting the future supply of men's
and children's footwear.
In an effort to meet the overall,
civilian requirement of 390,000,000
shoes for the year, it was said, gov
ernment officials are hoping to in
crease the production of fabric foot
wear, despite the tight situation in
worsted materials needed. Against
the 100,000,000 fabric shoes manu
factured last year, 50,000,000 more
may be produced in 1945.
Beyond the postponement of the
validation of the next shoe stamp
until sometime next summer instead
of May 1 as originally scheduled,
no change in footwear rationing is
contemplated as a result of the new
cattle hide allocation, OPA said.
HOLLYWOOD STRIKE:
Complex Scenario
Closure of American movie houses
was threatened as the International
Alliance of Theatrical Stage Em
QWees, AFL, considered exertion
of pressure on picture producers
in its fight to obtain recognition as
bargaining agent for some 70 studio
set decorators in Hollywood.
In vying for control of the 70
workers, the IATSE bucked another
AFL affiliate, the painters' union,
which bad been accepted as the em
ployees' bargaining agent by the
War Labor board.
Standing in the middle of the en
tanglement were the picture pro
ducers themselves, what with the
IATSE not only threatening to pull
its workers out of the Hollywood
studios but also to stop the showing
of movies throughout the country,
and the rival painters' union already
on strike because of the picture pro
ducers' hesitancy in recognizing
their group.
With a plot as complex as any
movie scenario, the case went up to
the National Labor Relations board
for settlement.
Little Known Stories
About Well-Known People:
His contemporaries thought Ted
dy Roosevelt was conceited. They
told this one on him. That Teddy
died and went to heaven where he
discovered the tamed choir had been
disbanded. He told St. Peter it
should be reorganized and that he,
Teddy, would conduct.
"Very well," said The Old Fellow.
"How many tenors should we have?"
Teddy suggested ten million ten
ors, as many baritones, etc.
"How many bass singers?" asked
St. Peter, pencil poised.
"Oh," said Teddy, "I'll sing bass."
FDB's guesting at the former
Czarist Palace in Yalta brings to
mind the yarn told about Teddy
Roosevelt's world tour. . . . While in
Stockholm h? lived at the royal pal
ace. When "Mr. Big-Stick" was
asked by a newsman how he liked
the sensation of living in a palace,
Teddy snapped: "I don't like them.
You can't ring a bell and complain
about the room!"
One of the staff offered his res
ignation to the executive editor
of the old New York World. He
explained that he was going to
start his own little country news
paper. "I'd like some advice '
from you," said the reporter,
"on how you think I ought to run
it."
"You've come to the wrong
person," said the exec. "Ask
one of our indignant subscrib
ers."
When President Roosevelt was
Governor of New York a film sales
man named Moe Schenck (he
worked out of Albany) was intro
duced to him. . . . The other day
Moe was in the White House to see
one of the secretaries about a film.
... As he came out of the office
FDR came along.
"Weill" well'd Mr. Roosevelt.
"How are you, Moe, you old sunuva
gun?what are you doing in Wash
in gtonT"
Moe explained his mission briefly
and started to go. FDR said: "Good
luck, Moe. Don't be such a strang
er. Come see me sometime."
"Mr. President," Moe intoned,
"I'm a very busy man."
At a social event which Thom
as Edison attended reluctantly
at his wife's urging?the inven
tor Anally escaped his admir
ers to sit in a corner. A friend
noticed that he kept looking at
his watch and, drawing closer,
he heard Edison sigh deeply and
murmur: "If there were only a
dog here."
The home of Beethoven in Bonn
has been converted into a memorial
museum. In one of the rooms, roped
off from curious hands, is the piano
upon which Beethoven composed
most of his famous music. A very
snooty girl visited the shrine with a
party of American tourists. She
looked at the piano with awe and
asked the guard if she might play
just a tew notes on it. She sat down
and playsd.a.few-bars of the Moon
light Sonata. As she left she re
marked to the attendant: "I sup
pose all the great pianists who have
come here at one time or another
have played on it."
The guard replied: "No, miss, not
at all. Paderewski was here sev
eral years ago, but said he wasn't
worthy to touch it."
At a dinner party Bea Lillie (Lady
Peel in private life) wai wearing the
family pearla. A feline meowed:
"What lovely pearla, Bea. Are they
genuine? Of courae, you can alwaya
tell by biting them. Here, let me
aee."
"Gladly," said Lady Peel, prof
fering her jewels "But remember,
Duchess, you can't tell real pearls
with false teeth."
One of the important Washing
too newspapers ouee reported
(on Ha treat page) a mBd in
disposition aI President Roose
velt with: "President Kept
to His Rooms by Coed."
FDR heard at H and requested
several copies, which he shows
to visiting diplomatic bigwigs la
their moments of relaxation.
This Is bow one of the world's clas
sics was written: Nathaniel Haw
thorne worked as a bookkeeper. One
day he was fired and came homo
depressed. But his wife wasn't. She
told him that she had secretly saved
money from household expenses so
that he could one day afford to write
the book be was planning.
That is how Hawthorne wrote
"The Scarlet Letter."
Merchant Marine Academy
Develops Fighting Officers
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combat Training Is
Part of Extensive
Cadet Requirement
'TPHE nation'! newest service
A academy sends its undergradu
ates to sea as part of their normal
course of training. During war, they
go to sea just the same; consequent
ly, they're participants in sea war
fare. They've withstood torpedoes,
bombings, strafing, coast artillery
and fire from fenemy raiders. They've
performed heroic acts under fire
which would do credit to battle
experienced veterans.
Cadet-midshipmen in the United
States merchant marine cadet corps
have participated in every landing
and invasion operation of the war
and have reflected creditably upon
the cadet corps while serving
aboard merchant vessels. Seven
have won distinguished service
medals; more than 600 have been
forced to abandon ship as a result
of enemy action; more than ISO
have been killed in action; many
have been credited with saving
lives of shipmates and others have
spent as many as 40 days in life
boats.
The United States merchant ma
rine cadet corps includes the U. S.
merchant marine academy, Kings
Point, L. I.; a basic school at San
Mateo, Calif.; one at Pass Chris
tian, Miss.; and a revolving group
of 2,600 to 3,000 cadet-midshipmen
serving at sea at all times. Upon ad
mission to the cadet corps, a cadet
midshipman is assigned to one of
the . basic schools for training of
about four months, after which he
goes to sea for a minimum of six
months. This sometimes last as long
as 12 months, because the cadet
midshipman's ship may be in the
Indian ocean when bis six months
is conpleted, and he, of course, must
serve until his ship returns to the
United States.
Has Sea Training First.
After sea duty, a cadet-midship
man is assigned to Kings Point for
advanced training during which he
assimilates knowledge acquired in
classrooms and laboratories with
that which results from sea train
ing to qualify himself to become a
deck or engine officer in America's
ever-expanding merchant fleet.
Upon graduation a cadet-mid
shipman is licensed as third mats
or third assistant engineer and is
appointed an ensign in the U. S.
maritime service and in the U. S.
naval reserve. Many of the 5,000
graduates to date have gone into
active duty with the navy.
The U. S. merchant marine cadet
corps, authorized by the merchant
marine act of 1936, is to be a per
manent institution, serving the na
tion just as do West Point, Annapo
lis and the coast guard academy.
The academy at Kings Point is
situated on Long Island Sound,
two miles from Great Neck, on what
was previously the site of several
swanky estates. There are 30-odd
new and modern buildings on the
66-acre campus which also includes
parade grounds, an athletic field and
an obstacle course which Is quite
tough. At the academy's private
dock, there are half a dozen vessels
WIHVH MUVIU MIC UCBl ^VHiUlC IIICCUIS
of learning that multitude of sub
jects and details embraced in the
term, "seamanship." Laboratories
are equipped with actual Liberty
ship engines and boilers, Diesels,
radio and other signal equipment,
refrigeration units, and machinery
and equipment of all types en
countered aboard ship. Adminis
trative officers of the cadet corps
make the training thorough and far
irom easy in order to live up to the
creed, "... Got to make cure
that no boy'a ghost will ever say,
'11 your training program had
only done its job' . . ."
Because of the sea duty require
ments, every cadet-midshipman
at Kings Point actually is a vet
eran of sea warfare and many wear
war-zone ribbons indicating service
around the world.
Among several cadet-midshipmen
who participated in the Invasion of
France were Louie B. Wood Jr., of
Atlanta, Ga., and John F. Steed
ley Jr. of Tallahassee, Fla., who
witnessed all the fire and action of
American warships and planes and
German E-boata and coast artillery
during the first three or four days
of the historic landings.
"Our ships moved into the Eng
lish channel on D-Day, carrying
trucks, jeeps, small arms and about
400 soldiers, and we, of course,
were exposed to the German bomb
ers, E-boats and coast artillery. We
didn't worry about the Nazis too
much, though, when we looked up
and saw our own fliers in action
and watched American and British
warsmps uuung care 01 me coasi
emplacements," Wood relates.
"A day or ao alter the initial
landings, we were ordered to an
chor a quarter mile off Normandy
and discharge our cargo into LSTi.
This job took about 13 hours," be
said, "and the ship pulled away and
anchored to await formation of a
convoy to return to England.
"On D-Day phis four, ME 100a
were dropping IWO-pomid bombs la
our vicinity. One had our number
on it and struck the ship squarely
in No. five hold, killing seven sol
diers of the stevedore crew and a
merchant seaman."
Steedley was busy helping to
man an antiaircraft gun on the
bridge, and Wood was assisting to
extinguish a fire on deck. When the
fire was out, Wood went below to
help remove the dead men from toe
hold.
"The concussion had ripped large
holes in both sides and the bottom
of the ship, and she settled fast,
the stem resting on the bottom to
seven fathoms of water," he re
counts.
The order to abandon ship was
given after as much gear as pos
sible had been removed to nearby
vessels.
Next day, it was thought that
there might be a chance to save,
the ship, and an emergency vohm
teer crew was sought to go aboard.
Both Wood and Steedley volun
teered, but after a few hours all
hope of saving the vessel was aban
doned. The two cadet-midshipmen
were returned to England and werw
back in New York on July 7, anw
month after participating in too
greatest invasion in history. Their
ship had been lost, but the preciows
cargo of soldiers, jeeps and guns
had been put ashore in France.
They're at Kings Point now.
Dudley Example of Sea Herecs.
Almost two years earlier, on the
other side of the world, another
cadet-midshipman had played a dra
matic part in a landing operation.
He is Robert H. Dudley of Yankers,
N. Y., who was assigned to a trans
port in the task force which took
the first contingent of U. S. marines
to Guadalcanal. Dudley was ptoeaA
in charge of landing boats from
his vessel, and the disembarking
was proceeding successfully when
23 Japanese torpedo planes at
tacked the ships.
Antiaircraft gunners on merchant
vessels and warships alika mesh
into action immediately, and top ,
pers of the various vessels ordered
maneuvers to dodge the torpedoes
from the enemy planes. The ac
curacy of the fire from American
guns excelled that of the Jap avi
ators, however, and every one of ton
23 planes was shot down.
One ship in the landing (sacs
was lost?when a darning Jap plana
struck on its deck and set it adra.
TV, I. .... ? *
which all marines and carfo had
been disembarked.
Dudley was assigned to snolhai
ship loaded with provisions bowl
for Tulagi, and a few days after
the Guadalcanal episode, Dudley
again heard the order, "Abandwa
ship!," as this vessel was torpedoed
and sunk on August 21.
Dudley and 12 members of the
crew spent the ensuing 14 day*
in a lifeboat with the most meager
supplies of food and water.'
"On the 14th day, we lighted
land, and naturally exerted nay
ounce of our fast-waning energy
to pull ashore," Dudley reported.
"We landed on a coral reef, and
every man fell face forward, ex
hausted. The sharp edges at the
coral inflicted severe cuts about the
body of every one of us, but we
Just didn't seem to have the strength
to move again, so we lay there tm
the reefs, almost unconscious, far
several hours. The natives found ae
and brought us water."
Dudley spent the next two moulhg
in army and navy hospital before
returning to Kings Point, where be
graduated on February 3, 1943, re
ceived his license as third mate, and
went back to sea as an officer help
ing deliver the goods.
Saved Shipmate's Life.
An example of valor and die
regard of his own safety was shorn*
by cadet - midshipman William M.
Thomas Jr. of Alameda, Calif., whs
was awarded the Distinguished
Service medal by FiealflanT Roose
velt for his heroism in dramatfcnfe
I saving the life of a shipiaatfa
Upper: Graduatinc regimental commander, WlQard B. Kitchen and
other cadet ofllecra aalnte as tape la blown In honor oI former ended
midshipmen loat or mlssinf In action. Left: Training vessel, Emery
Rice, nnder full sail. Ri|kt: Cadet-midshipmen taking obaerrationa few
longitude daring training cruise.
Cadet-midshipman laying aloft
the main mast.
Mm orerboard rescue practice at Pass Christian. Miss.
H.kioK nffo.J tka V__a t?-e- I .LI a.ta . .. _