I
_WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
U.S. Moves to Take Over Japan;
See Early End to Rationing
As Reconversion Pace Quickens
Released by Western Newspaper Union ..
iRPITOR'S note When opinions ore expressed In these columns, they ore those el
Western Newspaper t oion's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
JAPAN:
Work Out Occupation
Its huge guns belching smoke
and fire and bofnbarding the Nip
ponese coastline just a few weeks
ago, the huge 45,000 ton U. S. battle
ship Missouri was to become the
peace ship of World War II. with the
Japanese formally signing surrender
papers aboard the vessel in Tokyo
bhy.
Taking place several days after
U. S. airborne troops were to de
scend on the Ataugi airdrome south
west of Tokyo to spearhead the Jap
anese occupation along with ma
rines landing simultaneously at the
Yokasuka naval base 20 miles be
low the Nipponese capital, the for
mal surrender ceremony was to
see General MacArthur signing for
the Allies as a whole, with Ad
miral Nimitz countersigning for the
U. S. and Admiral Fraser for the
British.
In working out the initial occupa
tion plans. General MacArthur and
his staff left no stone unturned to
assure the safe conduct of the
U. S. forces. At the same time, the
new Nipponese government headed
by Prince Higashi • Kunl strove
to prepare the population to accept
the American landings peaceably
and refrain from riotous outbreaks,
imperiling the whole surrender.
Under General MacArthur’s plans,
the Japanese were ordered to ground
all planes and disarm all ships at
sea several days before the first
U. S. landings Then, while sprawl
ing Allied fleets moved In close to
Nipponese shores, the Japanese
were to immobilize all vessels in
Tokyo bay and strip coastal guns
and anti-aircraft batteHes.
As a final precaution, the Japa
nese were ordered to evacuate all
armed forces out of the immediate
landing area, to forestall possible at
tack by fanatical troops. Guides and
interpreters were to be furnished to
facilitate General MacArthur’s con
trol of the occupation territory.
Jap Casualties
In the first full admission of the
intensity of Allied air attacks, the
Japanese news agency Domei re
ported that 44 of the nation’s 200 or
more cities were almost completely
wiped out by bombings, with a toll
of 200.000 killed, 412.000 wounded and
0.200,000 left homeless.
Of the total, the atomic bombs
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
accounted for 90,000 killed and 180,
000 wounded, Domei said. Declaring
the toll may be even greater, the I
Japs revealed that many of the
burned are not expected to survive
because of the nature of the wounds,
while persons only slightly touched
by the fires later weaken and often
die.
Reporting that 2,210,00tf homes
were completely demolished . or
burnt down, and 90,000 partly dam
aged, Domei said that in addition to
the 44 cities almost completely
wiped out, 37 others, including
Tokyo, suffered loss of over 30 per
cent of their built-up area. Of 47
provinces, only 9 escaped with rela
tively minor damage, Domei re
vealed.
CHINA:
Key Position
Relieved from Japanese encroach
ment. and pivotal point of the
Orient, China has
assumed a renewed
importance in the
far east, with
Chiang Kai • shek
and his Premier T.
V. Soong playing
their cards well in
t h e complicated
game of internation
al politics.
Backed by the
U. S., Chiang’s gov
ernment holds the
upper hand in the
vast, sprawling na
tion with its 400,
000,000 people, with
its position greatly
strengthened in
dealings with the
Chinese commu
nists, Russia and
even Britain.
Though the Reds
have openly defied
Chian* and
T. V. Soon*
Chiang, U. S. financial and material
support of his regime, plus efforts
of Ambassador Hurley to bring the
two dissident factions together, have
enhanced his standing. In his deal
ings with Russia. U. S. and British
pressure has resulted in recognition
of China’s sovereignty over Inner
Mongolia and Manchuria, though the
Reds have obtained a 50 per cent
interest in vital railways in the lat
ter province, secured Port Arthur
as a naval base and been allowed
use of the ice-frec port of Dairen.
By marching his armies into the
crown colony of Hong Kong, which
the British wish to retrieve, Chiang
even struck up a bargaining position
with London.
RECONVERSION:
Pace Quickens
Breathless trying to keep up with
relaxation of unending wartime con
trols, the nation contemplated early
removal of meat, tire and shoe ra
tioning, even as the government re
moved restrictions on Industry to
permit full-steam ahead on recon
version.
Following • previous announce
ment that the government had
abolished packer set-asides on beef,
veal and ham supplies for the army
and other federal agencies, an early
end of rationing was expected with
OPA's revelation that it would re
duce meat point values in view of
military cutbacks in orders and a
prospective heavy fall run of cattle
With the announcement that tire
production would be doubled to 4,
000.000 monthly during October,
With industry given the go-ahead
signal for civilian production, man
ufacturers strove for speedy output
for the pent-up postwar market.
Here, body is being slung on chas
sis of one of the first cars to roll off
of postwar production line.
November an-1 December, unoffi
cial predictions that rationing of
cords would be terminated within 90
days were strengthened.
Forecasts that shoe rationing also
may be ended shortly were sup
ported by an announcement of the
Tanners Council of America that
production of civilian footwear may
exceed 30,000,000 pair a month for
the rest of the year, the highest
level ever reached by the industry.
By lopping off most controls and
only retaining authority to assure
military and other emergency pro
duction, and break bottlenecks in
scarce materials for civilian output,
the government gave manufacturers
the go-ahead signal on such a wide
variety of items as refrigerators,
radios, distilled spirits, trucks, oil
furnaces, construction machinery,
metal furniture, motorcycles, photo
graphic films, storage batteries,
waxed paper, sanitary napkins, ma
chine tools, shipping containers,
pulp wood and commercial chemi
cals.
Removal of all lumber controls
except those necessary to fill prior
ity orders assured a speedy re
sumption of both industrial and
home building construction.
U. S. CREDIT:
Supplants Lend-Lease
Following termination of the 41
billion-dollar lend-lease program.
Foreign Economic Administrator
Leo Crowley revealed that the U. S.
was prepared to advance six billion
dollars in credits to other nations
for procurement of material in this
country to bolster sagging postwar
economies.
At the same time, Crowley said
that negotiations might begin with
in the next year for settlement of
lend-lease accounts, which find U.
S. contributions of 41 billions offset
by only 54 billions in mutual as
sistance.
Under plans outlined by the FEA
chieftain, the U S would furnish
3Vk billion dollars in long-term credit
to nations wishing to purchase goods
already contracted for to fill can
celled lend-lease orders. An addi
tional 2 billion 800 million dollars
would be advanced for procuring in
dustrial and other goods.
Marines Tell Pacific’s No. 1 Fish Story
Fish stories are generally tall stones, but two marines who landed on
Iheya island in the Ryukyus recently have an unusual fish story to
teU—and it’s true!
Shortly after the unopposed landing on this mile-long island, dwin
dling food supplies prompted marine officials to permit tlje island s
fishermen to make a fishing Jaunt inside the reef which parallels the
shoreline. Staff Sgt. Bob Hilburn reports.
Once fairly out in the water, the group divided Into two parties.
Each pair of craft rigged up a net between them and then the swimmers,
■tripped to loin cloths, went over the sides
Then—and this is the fish story part—the swimmers, by their antics
actually drove the fish into the nets.
Chieftains Meet
Here to discus* increased financial
assistance for rehabilitating t rance,
internationalization of the Rhineland
and re-establishment of his country
as a world power, Gen. Charles de
Gaulle (left) arrived in Washing
ton, D. C.f to be greeted by Presi
dent Truman.
Fighting back savagely, big, bulky
Vidkun Quisling was hard pressed
In defense of his collaboration with
the Germans in Norway as the
state presented an avalanche of evi
dence purporting to show that he
had co-operated closely with the
Nazis in their heavy-handed occu
pation of the country.
Quisling was first taken back by
state presentation of reportedly cap
tured German documents stating
that the Nazis had used information
supplied by him in their invasion of
Norway. The collaborationist also
was shaken by charges that he had
turned over to the Germans a com
munist leader blocking his political
program and also denied a reprieve
to an official sentenced to death for
refusal to force Norwegian girls to
work for the Nazis.
On Spot
Throughout the trial, Quisling de
fiantly asserted that he had played
with Naziism in an effort to prevent
British establishment of bases in
Norway in 1940 and possible inva
sion of the Scandinavian peninsula
by Russia from the north and Ger
many from the south to thwart the
move. He also claimed to have
worked fervently from 1918 for the
creation of a German, British and
Scandinavian bloc to arrest the de
velopment of Communism in Eu
rope.
PACIFIC:
Ask liases
Taking a realistic view of the Pa
cific situation, in which the U. S.
looms as the greatest power, the
house naval affairs committee de
manded that this country be given
control over both Allied and former
Japanese bases for the construc
tion of a powerful defensive system
capable of resisting attack from any
direction.
Issued by Chairman Vinson
(Dem., Ga.) the congressional
proposal urged U. S. domination of
the whole Pacific area stretching
from the Hawaiians westward to the
Philippines and Ryukus, and in
cluding the Marshall, Caroline and
Marianas islands. In addition, the
house committee said, the U. S.
should take over American devel
oped bases in the Manus islands in
the Australian Admiralties; Guadal
canal in the British Solomons; Es
piritu Santo in the British-French
New Hebrides and Noumea in
French New Caledonia.
Justifying American control over
Pacific bases, the house committee
cited "the loss of American lives
in taking these bases. The expendi
ture of vast sums of American mon
ey in establishing and equipping
these bases. The great depend
ence of the world upon the United
States for maintaining peace in the
Pacific and world. . .
SALARIES:
liar Lifted
With President Harry S. Truman
having set the pattern fitr removal
of controls over wages and salaries
under jurisdiction of the War Labor
board, the treasury announced re
laxation of restrictions on salaries
of administrative, executive and
professional personnel under its
wartime supervision.
In both cases, employers will be
able to grant raises to workers pro
vided they do not use the increase
as a basis for requesting higher ceil
ing prices. In instances where price
changes are involved, government
agencies will retain authority over
proposed raises.
At the same time, the WLB is
empowered to grant wage increases
where substandard rates are tn ef
fect to bring them more evenly in
line with living costs.
SKIN TREATMENT:
Establishment of eight centers
specializing in the treatment of
tropical skin disease was announced
by Maj. Gen. Norman T Kirk, sur
geon general of the army.
At the same time the army said
that there is no basis for fear of
tropical skin infections spreading in
this country because practically
none of these diseases are conta
gious and no patient with a trans
missible skir. disease would be
' allowed out of an army hospital un
| til he was noninfectious.
Washington Digest;
Stricken Europe Needs
Large Imports of Food
Never Able to Raise Enough Fare for Its
Teeming Masses. Old World’s Demands
Aggravated by Ravages of War.
By BAUKHAGE
IVnii .Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, 1616 Eye Street, NW,
Washington. D. C.
I’ve Just come up from the barn
yard of a Maryland farm. In the
barn was a comfortable crop of hay
and wheat, outside a herd of fat
Guernseys of all ages from a two
weeks’ old calf up. Most of the
chickens were already cooling them
selves in a locker. There was only
one thing for the fartner to com
plain about and the hogs got a
break out of that—the oats.
"Just too wet this year,” he said.
For fear it would set the bam
aftre, if he stored it in that condi
tion, the farmer explained that he
‘‘had to dump it” and a batch of
shoats were leaping around in the
spoiled grain like jack-rabbits. Most
of the farmers hereabouts lost their
oats, too.
All week in Washington, I'd been
reading, talking and thinking about
farm products along with our other
reconversion problems We, in the
United States, are going to get only
about three-quarters of what we
raise this year, according to unoffi
cial estimates. Europe is going to
need about 25 per cent more food
and textiles than she normally
needs.
I hear the questions asked: Why
should we be expected to send all
this food to Europe? Why can’t she
produce her own? Are the people too
lazy, or inefficient or what?
I put those two questions to a
member of the department of agri
culture who is just back from an in
spection tour of Europe.
"Europe has always imported
food, in peace and in war, in fat
years and lean,” he answered. “To
send food to Europe is the natural
thing. Not to send it would be un
natural.”
Food Production
To Dip Further
"In 1945, Europe’s production was
10 per cent under her normal pro
duction. Next year, production will
be 15 per cent under this year. That
means the people of Europe will
need 25 per cent more than in nor
mal times. It does not necessarily
mean that the United States will fur
nish a total of 25 per cent more of
everything. For instance, Canada
will furnish more wheat than before
so we won't have to increase our
quota, but we shall probably be
called upon for more of the protein
foods, especially the milk products.”
Before answering my second ques
tion, my friend explained the para
dox that peace has cut down Eu
rope’s producing power. While the
European nations were overrun with
a conquering army, he elucidated,
while part of the fields of the con
tinent were being riddled with shells
and later gutted with tanks, produc
tion fell off only some 10 per cent
from normal. This is the reason:
The Germans had to maintain a
working economy in the nations
they occupied and also they did not
wish to destroy the resources of
territory which they hoped to ex
ploit. When they knew they were
beaten, they stole what they could
eat or carry and tried to destroy
what they couldn’t move: much
breeding stock had already been
slaughtered.
Of course, we must not be led
astray by this figure of 10 per cent
—the decrease in the total produc
tion in Europe in wartime. There
was a sharp cut in certain products
and an increase in others. The en
tire pattern of the agriculture was
altered. For example, the livestock
raisers always imported feed.
When it was cut off there had to be
a shift from livestock to root crops.
Potatoes and beets make for a very
monotonous diet, but they were fill
ing while they lasted.
The Germans organized and regi
mented farm labor in all countries
including their own. They main
tained transportation fairly well un
til just before the invasion. Now
transportation is utterly disrupted,
there are millions of displaced per
sons, farm machinery is broken
down.
But this doesn’t answer question
number two: Why can't Europe
feed herself in normal times* Are
the people so much lazier or be
hind-the-times that they can’t make
things grow as we do’’
Before answering that question,
my friend reminded me that it was
true that nobody always works at
maximum efficiency, that most peo
ple can do more when they have to
than when they don’t, especially
when there is some ext ^ordinary
urge such as war. Take our own
case: with thousands of farm boys
in the munitions factories and with
the armed forces, what did America
do?
American farm production in 1944
was increased, despite its handicap.
36 per cent beyond the 1935 to
1939 level.
Britain’s Farm
Output High
But what about England where the
boys were in the army and the muni
tions factories, too; where farmers
had to farm in the blackout and
around the shell-craters in their
fields? The British increased their
production 65 per cent — they were
nearer to the front than we were.
They had a greater incentive.
For the same reason, the distribu
tion was far better than in Ameri
ca. Regimentation was more strin
gent. The government in England
bought all the food and distributed
it itself. It cracked down hard on
the black markets. In this country,
popular opinion prevented such in
terference with private enterprise.
And so in America we permitted
the processing and distribution in
dustries to operate at a profit. In
Britain, it was a non-profit, govern
ment operation. Rationing was
stricter, too.
So much for Britain’s wartime ef
fort. Now, what about the efficiency
of her production in normal times?
My informant gave me some im
pressive figures.
He pointed to America’s two typi
cal farm states which taken together
are just about equal to Britain in
area: Iowa and Indiana. Believe it
or not in normal times Britain pro
duces more wheat, barley and oats
than those two states combined.
Britain also produces more cattle
than Texas which is six times as
large—more potatoes than all our
chief potato states including Maine
and Idaho, more dairy products than
Wisconsin.
“Then why on earth,” I inter
rupted, ‘‘can’t they feed themselves
over there?”
Back came the answer: “For the
same reason that New York state
with its skilled farmers, its splen
did soil, its up-to-date methods,
can’t feed itself any more than the
District of Columbia can. In Europe
as in these more heavily populated
areas in the United States, there are
just too many people."
if we want these Europeans to
live and prosper and earn the money
to buy our automobiles and type
writers and other gadgets which
keep our factories running, we’ll
have to keep on sending food to Eu
rope as we always have.
Recently I was asked to make a
recording which was to be deposited
in the archives of George Washing
ton university, as part of a series
made for the use of the class of the
year 2007. It is a somewhat fantastic
idea to be sure, but it is seriously
undertaken and I responded in as
serious a vein as I could muster. I
can’t repeat what I said as that is
supposed to be held as a big sur
prise for the class of 2007 However,
the whole idea intrigues me so much
that I have been thinking about it
ever since.
The fact that this year begins
what some people call the "atomic
age” makes the speculation all the
more interesting. In 1939 when the
first successful experiment in “split
ting the atom,” and releasing the
vast power which literally holds the
world together was reported chiefly
in scientific publications, as of great
academic importance One writer
said the experiment might have no
results of interests beyond the labo
ratory. Six years later continua
tion of those experiments ended
the Japanese war.
The forces released, however,
were largely uncontrolled and pure
ly destructive.
Will the class of 2007 have to look
up the word "coal" because it has
been forgotten’’ Will all our mod
ern means of generating power be
displaced by the atom's forces, care
fully controlled and directed to the
uses of peace and progress?
BARBS . . . by Baukhage
If the boys have to sell apples
this time they may get them mixed
with hand grenades.
The surrender day vigil at the
: White House spawned many epi
grams. The secretary of state dis
appeared at one time. The officials
would tell us nothing, so: “The state
department fiddles while Byrnes
roams.”
Reconversion query: Will rede
ployment mean re-employment, or
how soon will the redeployed become
the re-employed?
• » •
Don’t say American business
can’t come back fast — the day
after surrender day a silk hose
salesman called at my office. And
I expect the re-tired auto salesman
will be next.
IketJlame
loum
(l&p&ite/i
in WASHINGTON
By Walter Shead
WNU Cormpondtnl
WNU Washington Bureau
621 Union Trust Building
Congress Veering to Left
WITH congress back in session
and unusual activity evident
: about the headquarters of both na
tional political committees, politi
cal leaders here are looking toward
the 1946 elections, just about a year
off, and scanning the political hori
zons for the signs of the times.
With these elections in the offing,
congressional legislation on recon
version will be tempered by politi
cal expediency, and it is likely the
Truman administration will take a
gradual shift more to the “left.”
While the results of the British
elections served to bring into clear
er focus the trend of mass thinking
of the “common man,” we have
only to recapitulate the results of
the last national election in this
country to note the power and
growth of labor as a political force,
and note the leftward trend.
Despite this trend, however,
there is little or no indication
that labor in America will ever
go so far to the left as to ad
vocate state socialism, at least
if the government of the United
States remains a liberal govern
ment.
But whether politicans of either
party will admit it or not, the fact
remains that the Political Action
committee of the CIO, John L. Lewis
and his united mine workers, and
various factions of the AFL did play
an important role in the last elec
tion. These labor organizations are
now laying plans for the active part
they are to play in the elections next
year, both congressional and local.
Some weeks ago, your Home
Town Reporter wrote that a new
line-up of contending forces would
see the mass thinking of the large
areas of population pitted against
the individual thought of the small
towns and rural sections. That is
exactly what happened in England.
In some few agricultural sections,
however, the farmers voted with the
Labor party in the British left-swing
toward a Socialist government.
England Won’t Go ‘Red’
According to the political dope
sters here, the Socialist leanings of
the Labor party in England do not
mean that England will abandon the
capitalistic system. Rather, as Sir
Stafford Cripps put it, the Labor
party seeks a greater degree of
economic liberty for the common
people "by a wise combination of
state ownership and private enter
prise with effective control and plan
ning of our natural resources.”
And then he cites our TVA sys
tem in America as an example.
He might well have cited our
Federal Reserve system, the Re
construction Finance corpora
tion, the Federal Housing ad
ministration, social security, the
Commodity Credit corporation,
the Agricultural Adjustment act,
the Federal Deposit Insurance
act, the Federal Land banks—
for all these reflect the "wise
combination of state ownership
and private enterprise with ef
fective control, etc.” These activ
ities are now integral parts of
our governmental system, and
are here to stay.
So, despite any left swing in this
country, political leaders believe
that so long as this wise combina
tion exists, that is, a partnership ar
rangement between government and
people, there is little danger of
either a Labor party, as such, or
other than our traditional form of
government in this country. As a
matter of fact, neither England or
Russia, both classed as democra
cies. have any sovereign power or
rights vested in the people.
How Powerful Is Labor?
Political leaders here are watch- j
ing the power of the Labor lobby j
here as reflected in two bills before
the congress, one the Murray full
employment bill, also sought by
the administration, and the other
the Hatch - Burton bill which pro
vides a new approach to settlement
of management - labor controver
sies. Labor wants the Murray bill,
but is against the Hatch measure. ]
The action of President Truman in
calling a labor-management confer
ence under the genera) supervision !
of Secretary of Labor Schwellenbach j
has also drawn some political com
ment. Some leaders profess to see
a move to block participation of Sec
retary of Commerce Wallace, since
labor had asked that the conference ,
be under the jdint supervision of i
Wallace and Schwellenbach.
Speaking before the senate com
mittee, Sen. Wayne Morse (R.,
Ore.) said: “The British election
shows a determination of the com
mon man and woman to obtain eco
nomic security. American democ
racy rests on capitalism, and capi
talism rests on democracy; both
must work in order for the system
to last.” Senator Murray <D.. Mont.)
said: “I see nothing but conflict and
recrimination for capitalism in
America unless we provide a pro
gram which will insure employment
opportunities for all Americans
who are able and willing to work.”
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