WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Attu Victory Brings U. S. Nearer Tokyo;
Flood Damage Menaces Food Output;
Labor Stirred by L-ewis Bid to AFL;
Churchill: ‘Bomb Jap Cities to Ashes’
(EDITOR’S NOTE: When opinion* are expressed In these columns, they are those of
Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
- Released by Western Newspaper Union. -■ ■■■..
Feted from one end of the country to the other for his exploits in
■hooting down the record number of 26 Jap planes, Marine Capt. Joseph
Fosa received from President Roosevelt the Congressional Medal of Honor
for “outstanding heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty.”
Photo shows, left to right: President Roosevelt; Mrs. Mary Foss, moth
er of the air hero; Captain Foss and his wife, June, adjusting the medal
around his neck.
ALEUTIANS:
Tokyo Gets Nearer
The Japanese government had
prepared the civilian population of
Nippon for the fall of Attu through
the medium of a report Indicating
that the last defenders of the Aleu
tian Islands outpost were making a
death stand against attacking Amer
ican troops.
While the Japs were singing their
Attu swan song, reports from Wash
ington had disclosed the strategic
moves that had succeeded in bot
tling the enemy up. Two American
columns, landed on opposite sides
of the island, had Joined and trapped
the Japs on a narrow front on the
northwestern end of Attu.
Japs Warn Reds
As American air power thus
moved closer to Tokyo, the Japs
showed their unrest. Apparently the
success of Allied bombings of Ger
many had stirred the Japanese gov
ernment to the dangers ahead
should the United Nations be per
mitted by Russia to use Siberian
bases.
The result was a Tokyo broadcast
reported by the British warning Rus
sia that "if in the future she ever
put her Siberian bases at the dis
posal of the United States, the Japa
nese army will resort to a blitzkrieg
and will deal upon her the heaviest
blows Russia has ever known."
AFL TO LEWIS:
*Come Back Home’
Unpredictable John L. Lewis
knocked at the door of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor carrying in
hit hand an application for the re
admission of his United Mine Work
ers. Just eight years before he had
torn the parent union asunder in the
greatest labor schism in history.
That the door would be opened
wide to the errant Mine Workers
was evident from AFL President
William Green’s announcement that
the federation’s executive council
was considering Lewis' application
In an "orderly and sympathetic
way.’’ Green said he personally
welcomed the miners and reminded
the public that for seven or eight
years he had said the latch string
was out and he wanted the miners
"to come back home.”
What effect Lewis' move would
have on the present peace negotia
tions between the AFL and the CIO
which Lewis founded and later quit,
was not immediately evident.
EUROPE:
Air Blasts Continue
In the wake of ebbing flood waters
that had swept disastrously through
Germany’s industrial Ruhr valleys
from the Eder and Moehne dams,
shattered by RAF bombs, American
Flying Fortresses inflicted further
punishment on the Nazis in attacks
on submarine and shipbuilding
yards at Kiel and Flensburg, 40
miles away.
Air Force communiques said the
unescorted bombers had left both
targets in flames and shot down
many enemy fighter planes that had
tried to ward them off.
FLOODS:
Peril Farm Output
Ruined crops, inundated cities,
damaged homes and casualties from
drownings resulted from the disas
trous flood that started in Midwest
ern farm states and spilled south
from rivers and streams flowing into
the Mississippi river.
As emergency crews and troops
had toiled to check the rise of flood
waters and hold down damage from
breaks in Mississippi river levees
protecting rich farm lands and war
plants, weather bureau officials at
tributed the flood to unprecedented
May rains.
In Illinois alone the continuous
rains had destroyed 100.000 acres of
corn, wheat and oats. Other states
reporting serious crop destruction
were: Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas,
Kansas and Oklahoma. The flood
losses represented a critical threat
to the nation's epochal wartime food
production crusade. The damage
resulted not only from crops already
in, but from serious delays in plant
ing com and other vital cereal
crops.
CLOTHES:
May Avoid Rationing
Rationing of clothing and other
textiles may be avoided as a result
of plans worked out between offi
cials of the War Production board
and retail clothing dealers, it was
announced in Washington.
Under the new plan the WPB will
make possible increased production
of more essential types of clothing
and textiles. At the same time re
tailers have promised to revise cer
tain practices and develop new
methods designed to relieve pres
sure on the industry.
“We believe we can avoid clothes
rationing and other textiles this win
ter and perhaps indefinitely, if we
get adequate support from the pub
lic," said an official statement.
CHURCHILL:
‘Hitler First; Japs Next’
War to the death on Japan, but
defeat of Hitler first was the recipe
for complete United Nations’ victory
prescribed by Prime Minister Wins
ton Churchill in his historic speech
before congress.
Answering congressional critics
who predicted that Britain would
leave the burden of defeating Japan
to America, Mr. Churchill pledged
the empire to war side by side with
the United States “while there is still
breath In our bodies and while blood
flows through our veins.” He prom
ised, further, that British air power
will join with American to bomb Jap
cities and war Industries, adding:
“In ashes they must surely lie be
fore peace comes to the world.”
He defended present United Na
tions strategy founded on the judg
ment of President Roosevelt, him
self and their military advisers that
"while defeat of Japan would not
mean the defeat of Germany, the de
feat of Germany would infallibly
mean the ruin of Japan.”
Greater aid for both China and
Russia were promised by Churchill.
HIGHLIGHTS • • . in the week's news
CRAB8: For the first time in his
tory the giant king crab of the Ber
ing sea wilj be canned commercially
by Americans, Secretary of the In
terior Harold L. Ickes announced.
GASOLINE: No extra gasoline
will be available for vacation trips
this year, according to an OPA rul
ing. Holders of B and C cards must
not use them for holiday trips, the
ruling stated.
CASUALTIES: Axis losses in Tu
nisia totaled 324,000 according to es
timates of the Allied high command.
The losses included 267,000 prison
ers, 30.000 killed and 27.000 wounded.
BOMBERS: Production schedules
at Henry Ford’s Willow Run bomber
plant In Detroit are being exceeded,
Edward L. Cushman, local director
of the War Manpower commission,
reported.
GAS CRISIS:
Middle West Next?
As the gasoline supply crisis
mounted along the Atlantic sea
board, Price Administrator Prentiss
M. Brown decreed a complete ban
on pleasure driving in 12 eastern
states, part of another and in the
District of Columbia.
The states affected by the ruling
were Maine, New Hampshire, Ver
mont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New York, New Jer
sey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Mary
land and Virginia. In addition eight
eastern counties in West Virginia
were affected.
Previously the OPA had sought to
curb nonessential driving through a
voluntary “honor system.”
That additional restrictions loomed
ahead was indicated by Petroleum
Administrator Harold L. Ickes, who
said that the East would have to
cut its gasoline consumption still
further and that new restrictions
may be put into effect in the Middle
West so that some gasoline may be
diverted from there to the seaboard
area.
FOOD CONFERENCE:
Postwar Goals Outlined
Continuance of food rationing aft
er the war, the creation of a global
agricultural commission and the as
surance that the people of the world
will be better fed in the postwar
period were among goals agreed
upon by delegates representing the
"big four" of the United Nations—the
United States, Great Britain, China
and Soviet Russia—attending the
food conference at Hot Springs, Va.
In addition the delegates were
said to be in agreement on declara
tions advocating continued agricul
tural expansion throughout the pe
riod of post-war relief, on a state
ment favoring the reduction of world
tariffs and on educational measures
to promote better nutritional goals.
Although no binding agreements
linked the delegates, Paul H. Ap
pleby, undersecretary of agriculture
and acting chairman of the Ameri
ca* delegation, said that represen
tatives of 44 governments attending
the conference had come forward
with offers of co-operation.
FARM IMPLEMENTS:
Bigger Output Ahead
Production of farm machinery in
1944 at an estimated rate of 80 per
cent of the average annual output
in the 1940-41 period, and unlimited
production of repair parts was ap
proved by the War Production
board.
Release of the official order await
ed completion of a farm-to-farm
check being made by the War Food
administration to determine specific
machinery items needed by 6,000,000
DONALD NELSON
.. . Concentration a “dead duck."
farmers, Paul Henry, head of
the WFA’s production equipment
branch, revealed.
Concentration of the farm equip
ment industry previously ordered in
a WPB directive, is to be eliminat
ed, Donald Nelson, WPB chairman,
announced that “concentration is a
dead duck.” Thus large farm equip
ment manufacturers whose sales are
over 110,000,000 are permitted to
come back into production.
RUSSIANS:
Reds Press Hard
Even as former Ambassador Jos
eph E. Davies was engaged in con
ferences with Russ Premier Joseph
Stalin in furtherance of his second
and historic mission to Moscow, Red
armies were reported by the Ger
mans to have launched major at
tacks on four points along a 1.100
mile section of the Eastern front
from the Volkhov sector to the Ku
ban valley in the Caucasus.
In the Caucasus campaign Red
army troops shattered two Nazi at
tacks, according to a Soviet report,
and blasted 14 boatloads of Nazis at
tempting to retreat over the Kuban
river
In the vicinity of Nuvorossisk, last
remaining Axis bridgehead in the
Caucasus, Russian forces continued
their pressure, breaking up Nazi
tank assaults and tightening their of
fensive ring around the key city.
CANNED FOODS:
More for Civilians
Civilian supplies of canned fruits
and vegetables will b® increased by
approximately 30,000,000 cases from
the 1943 pack because of reduced
military demands for these commod
ities, the War Food administration
announced.
Whether the new Allocation would
result in a lowering ot point values
for canned goods was not known.
Officials said this would depend on
the size of the 1943 fruit and vege
table pack.
American Propaganda
Strengthened by Victory
Triumph in Tunisia Furnishes Powerful Am
munition for Verbal Warfare; Axis
Policy of Suppression Backfires.
By BAUKHAGE
A'cifs Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, Union Trnst Building,
Washington, D. C.
As this is written, America is pre
paring for the greatest assault on
the German home front since the
war began. The new offensive is
made possible by two things: the
fall of Tunisia which weakened the
barricade of German morale, and
the capture of the City of Tunis,
where Africa’s most effective radio
station for reaching Europe is lo
cated. Because of the water-jump,
the transmission from Tunis is espe
cially favorable.
The members of the stafT of the
Office of War Information who man
the front in the battle of verbal war
fafe say that their fire power has
increased tremendously with the Af
rican military victory. They explain
it this way: propaganda is a strange
thing. Alone, it is not a very power
ful weapon—it has to be backed
up by events. Germany’s barrage
of words that had so much to do
with preparing the way for her sol
diers did not really become effective
until Hitler had begun to act; until
he could report his successful ag
gression, his blitz against Poland
helped against Scandinavia; his vic
tory in the low countries bolstered
his “Victory in the West”—the film
of that name was widely used as
defeatist propaganda.
Because of this principle, Amer
ican propaganda was handicapped.
Until November fifth of last year,
the only concrete thing which Auner
ica had to talk about was production.
But on and after that date, the at
tack from the radio stations in Af
rica jumped from the sniper to the
machine-gun class because the en
emy knew that not far from the
radio station were American sol
diers. America was actually in the
war, physically participating against
the troops of the Axis.
Truth Pays Dividends
Two things, the experts point out,
strengthen the American attack.
First, from the beginning, the Amer
icans told the truth; they didn’t
overshoot the mark. Second, the
Germans played down the Tunisian
campaign, failed to prepare the peo
ple for the humiliating catastrophe
ahead of them. And so Herr Goeb
bels, supposed to be past master of
the art of psychological warfare,
ignored one of its main thesis,
namely, that it is a weapon that
turns in your hands if it is forged
of lies.
As Elmer Davis, director of the
Office of War Information, recently
put it in an article in the spring is
sue of the Public Opinion quarterly
—"Thanks to . . . the endeavor of
the totalitarian governments to sup
press all news and all opinion ex
cept what they choose to give out,
the truth has become a more power
ful weapon than ever before.”
The American campaign now un
der way takes advantage of this fact,
plus the fact that the Americans
now have new and important truths
to report.
There are twi-separate fronts: the
people in the occupied countries; the
enemy countries. To the former will
go much of the same material as is
directed at the enemy plus the warn
ings against premature uprisings
and encouragement to the under
ground organizations to which the
British have long been directing
their broadcasts.' They will be cau
tioned not to risk their lives until
the final word is given.
Revolt in Holland
Recently, it was reported that a
revolt had broken out in Holland
after the prime minister of the Neth
erlands had ordered the Dutch ex
servicemen to resist the German or
der to report for internment. This
was not an attempt at involution.
Those in the know understood the
prime minister’s message which was
in no way different from the instruc
tions to the Frenchmen to resist the
conscription for labor in Germany.
The -French did resist and the whole
plan was sabotaged.
What the Netherlanders will do
can be imagined. As the Germans
themselves put it. “The widespread
stubbornness of the Dutch sticks un
til this day to the saying: ‘The Ger
mans have invaded our country,
have not conquered it.' ”
For the second front at which the
Allied propaganda is aimed, the
civilian population in the enemy
countries, the story is a little dif
ferent. It is specialized for Italy
where the people are frankly told:
"If you want to stop the bombing of
your cities, make peace now.” The
Germans are not ready for such a
message as this is written but they
may be before long.
To them, defeatist propaganda will
be served in large doses now much
more effective since they have tast
ed real defeat in Africa. Instead of
hammering on the theme as former
ly, "the Allies will win,” the radio
now tells them in a cool and factual
statement, “the Allies are winning.”
The unbeatable Germans were beat
en in Africa.
The second line of attack is a
variation of the invasion warning
which now also is much more tell
ing. No actual information can be
broadcast on this subject and every
thing that is said is carefully
checked by the general staffs but
it follows the line of the President’s
statement after Casablanca, "We
will attack the continent from the
northern capes of Norway to the
eastern islands of the Mediter
ranean”—and right now, the Ger
mans are beginning to feel the truth
of this statement.
Deadly Parallel
Details of the surrender at Tunis
and Bizerte and on the Cape Bon
peninsula will be repeated. Coolly
and objectively, the deadly parallel
will be presented; what the German
government told the people would
happen; what did happen; what the
German communiques said had hap
pened; what actually happened—the
‘‘fight to the last cartridge” versus
the, huge stocks of ammunition cap
tured by the Allies and the German
troops marching up without guards
to report to the prison camps.
So Herr Goebbel’s weapon, which
has turned in his hand, is given a
slight push.
The Germans are brilliant stu
dents but somehow their learning
always seems to fall just a little
short of practical application. Lis
ten to what Herr Hitler himself
wrote in "Mein Kampf” about Amer
ican and British propaganda in the
last war which he praised highly and
which he admits he used as a model
for his own in this war:
“The war propaganda of the Eng
lish and Americans was psycholog
ically correct,” wrote the fuehrer
to-be as he sat in jail after his first
putsch. “In the beginning, it sound
ed crazy and impudent; later, it was
no more than unpleasant; and finally,
it was believed. After four and a
half years, there broke out in Ger
many a revolution whose slogans
came from the enemy’s war propa
ganda.”
Hitler didn’t know it but he was
writing history that is about to re
peat itself before long.
• • »
Planners for the
Postwar World
Never before in history have men
expended as much time and money
in an effort to plan a better world.
Kites rise against the wind and the
demonology of Nazidom has swept
away the gilt and the gee-gaws of
our civilization and left bare the
foundations with all their potential
strength and pitiful weakness. The
positive forces of evil have generat
ed positive forces of good to oppose
them.
At this moment more than 137 im
portant government agencies in
Washington and private organiza
tions scattered throughout the coun
try, not counting various state and
smaller local groups "are engaged
in research or public education on a
national scale on the problems fac
ing the United States when the war
ends,” according to the findings of
a recent investigation by the Twen
tieth Century Fund, a research or
ganization.
The interesting thing about these
studies is that most of them agree
on one constructive peacetime goal
which is considered essential to
bring about necessary reforms and
that is "full employment”—in oth
er words, a job for everybody who
can and will work. The war has
shown what tremendous, potential
production is possible. If it is main
tained, most of our other ills will
fade.
BRIEFS. . . by Baukhage
During 1S43, one out of every four
nurses will be in the armed forces.
• • •
All soldiers can get financial pro
tection through the National Service
Life Insurance program if they act
before midnight of August 10. the
war department has announced.
Maximum policy is $10,000. The
payments will be made to benefl
| claries »*-• in monthly installments.
For the first time, civilians may
earn an official service bar similar
to the campaign bars of the armed
services, according to a recent an
nouncement of the Civilian Defense
director.
• • •
Traffic on rural roads in the east
ern rationed area was 48 per cent
less in March than the same month
of 1941.
Enlisting Idle Acres
For Food Production
New Goals Demand Full
Use of Available Land
Getting idle acres back on the job
is high on the list of “must” activi
ties for the farmer-committeemen of
the Agricultural Adjustment agency
during ’43.
With production goals adding up
to a tremendous total in food and
fiber, maximum use of all agricul
tural resources will have to be em
ployed to meet minimum demands
for farm products. Secretary of Ag
riculture Claude R. Wickard has an
nounced. Land as well as machin
ery, labor and other tools of produc
tion is included in the department of
agriculture's program.
As with other aspects of the
Triple-A farm plan, each com
munity will do the job of enlist
ing its own Idle acres and idle
farms for duty on the food front.
Secretary Wickard has requested
that Triple-A committeemen, both
county and community, locate avail
able tracts of land in their districts
which are not now producing, and
take whatever steps are feasible to
put them into useful activity.
Assistance will be given by the
county USDA war boards where
cases cannot be taken care of lo
cally, and these boards have also
been instructed to be prepared to
help wherever possible in locating
operators, in financing operations if
Modem Bo-Peeps
Two girls are pictured inside the
sheep pen at the University of New
Hampshire, where they are taking a
war course in agriculture and hus
bandry.
required through available loan pro
grams, or in helping the operator
obtain labor or machinery should
these items stand in the way of
any land use.
Farmers have also been urged
through Triple-A to rent to other op
erators acreage they themselves
cannot put to work. Persons capa
ble of managing a small farm, or
of taking on additional cropland, will
in turn be able to rent acreage
from operators who already have
under cultivation all they can pos
sibly handle but who wish to see
every square yaTd of their land in
production.
Grow Some Crops Seed;
Country Will Need It
If you have a field to spare, put
It to work for Uncle Sam and grow
seed of grasses and legumes on It
The nation needs such seed for mili
tary, lend-lease and domestic use,
and will pay you fair prices for what
you produce.
This suggestion is made by C. S.
Garrison, assistant extension agron
omist at Rutgers university, in
pointing out that the department of
agriculture has developed a price
support program on 20 kinds of hay
and pasture seeds as an incentive to
production.
"The list includes seeds of crops
such as alfalfa, timothy, orchard
grass, meadow fescue and red,
sweet and alsike clover,” Garrison
says. “And where a farmer has a
field which could be harvested for
seed, this program will guarantee
him a minimum price, as well as
the satisfaction of helping to insure
adequate supplies for 1944.
“It is important to maintain the
supply of good seed of the legumes
and grasses since they are playing
a large part in the war production
program,” Garrison reminds farm
ers. ‘‘Legumes and grasses used in
crop rotation have shown them
selves to be effective in maintaining
crop yields.
Agricultural Notes
Since meat rationing has gone into
effect the raising of rabbits for meat
has been given considerable im
petus.
• • •
When planting potatoes this should
be remembered. Blocky seed pieces
with one good eye should be used,
for they dry out less readily and may
be handled more easily than long
pieces.
Even Cupid Is Living Up
To the Rules These Days
, Being of a very kindly nature,
the foreman of the munition plant
took a great interest in the love
affair of one of his pretty “muni
tioncttes.”
Then one day he was surprised
to hear that it was broken off.
But that very evening he was even
more surprised to see the young
lady in question out with the newly
discarded young man.
“Why, Doris,” he said chidingly,
“I thought you had finished with
that young man. And here you
are out with him.”
“That’s right, I have,” was the
reply from Doris; “but I had to
give him seven days’ notice,
didn’t I?”
What is the mo6t welcome gift
you can send to a man in the
service? Well, surveys among
service men themselves show that
one of the favorite packages from
home are cigarettes. And first
choice among men in all the serv
ices is Camel, based on the actual
sales records in Post Exchanges
and Canteens. Though there are
now Post Office restrictions on
packages to overseas Army men,
you can still send Camels to sol
diers in the U. S., and to Sailors,
Marines, and Coast Guardsmen
wherever they are.—Adv.
CLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT
GUERNSEY HEIFERS
HIGH GRADE GUERNSEY HEIFERS,
under one year and yearlings past. Also
springer heifers. Special price on four.
FRED CHANDLER. CHARITON, IOWA.
FARMS FOR SALE
EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITIES IN
HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE
IOWA CORN LAND
• 200 acres exceptionally well im
proved dairy' farm north of Leeds,
Iowa, on highway 75, $26,000.
• 416 acres well improved, 2 mi.
east of Luton, Iowa, on gravel, $72
per acre.
• 160 acres, excellent improve
ments, one mile west of Climbing
Hill, Iowa, $76 per acre.
• 80 acre feed lot, 17 mi. south of
Sioux City, on paved highway 141,
running water, perfect protection
and drainage, excellent improve
ments for 3,000 feeder cattle.
• 220 acres Missouri Valley, all in
bluegrass, 14 mi. south of Sioux
City, all level, no hazards, will
raise 100 bu. corn per acre, $80
per acre.
• 80 acres Missouri Valley land all
in bluegrass, rented $5 cash per
acre. No hazards. Joins above
land, $80 per acre.
• 200 acres 4 mi. west of Bronson,
Iowa, adequate improvements, ex
cellent repair, $60 per acre.
Payments 20% down, balance 4%
over term of years, will handle
most of these farms. For full par
ticulars on these and o4her excep
tional buys write MARK & PACE
WOODS, 132 So. 13th St., Lincoln,
Nebr.
RAZOR BLADES
KENT BLADES
FEATHERS WANTED
Wanted—New goose, duck feathers, also old
used feathers. Top prices, prompt returns.
Ship to Farmers Store, Mitchell, S. D.
FEATHERS WANTED, NEW OR OLD
Ship or write to Sterling Feather Company.
M9 N. Broadway, St. Loots, MiosOsrl.
PLANS—FORMULAS
B Batteries. Build your own. recharge old
B's. C’s flash light cells. Hot shots. Plana
and formulas 35c. H. Rose, Franklin. Nebr.
1 SNAPPY FACTS
ABOUT
RUBBER
Considering cost of ell, gee,
tires and upkeep, it is esti
mated that the cost tdriving
the average car for lOOO
miles st 45 miiss par hour is
522.03. At 23 mph the cost ie
cut to 514.38 and at 35 mph
it is bald to $17.88.
Malaya and the Netherlands
Indies were the only sources of
natural rubber in the world
which had been successfully ex
ploited to an important extent
prior to the present war.
Rubber and gas rationing did
not drasticaliyiut motortruck
operations last year. Official
figures show that during 1942
trucks hauled an estimated
46 billion ton miles of freight
on main rural highways, com
pared with 46.7 billion in the
more normnl 1940.