EDITORIAL - COMMENT
j
POOR RECOMMENDATION
Reviewing the American economic policies in the
1930s, R. C. Leffingwell writes in the Yale Review:
“Restrictions on the hours and days of labor, and on
output, and restrictions on farm production, were
part of a planned economy of permanent depression
and artificial shortages. We were producing more
food than world markets would take, and our gov
ernment paid marginal farmers to stay in the farm
business instead of turning to something else; and
paid them not to produce so much, plow under crops
and kill little pigs. ‘The business of not raising hogs
was a highly flourishing industry,’ says the Statist.
The planners seemed to have lost faith in America.
They sought to benefit organized labor and farmers
at the expense of the general public. They could not
see that neither farmers nor laborers could prosper
long in an impoverished community. They could not]
believe in the economy of abundance and were con-;
cerned more with changing each man’s share of pov
erty than with sharing wealth.”
Commenting on the foregoing, the New York
Times says, it “is a harsh but basically true judgment
of our ‘planned economy’ of the ’30s. Is there any rea
son to suppose, political pressures being what they
aree, that a government planned economy in the post
war period would be any better? The history of plan
ning in the ’30s presents today one of the strongest
possible arguments for a genuinely free enterprise
system.”
I
IMPORTANT ISSUE INVOLVED
The attorneys general of 46 states have asserted
that the claim of the Secretary of the Interior that
the Federal government owns the tide lands ^yithin
the historic three-mile limit on state shores, “is a di-;
rect attack on state sovereignty.”
The brief filed by the attorneys general states
that the Secretary of the Interior has announced that
“he intends to grant certain application for Federal
oil and gas leases on tide and submerged lands,” and
that “the issuance of such leases would, of course, be
an actual assertion of title by an important depart
ment of the Federal government.” The brief holds
that the lands beneath tide water and navigable wa
ter belong t othe states in their sovereign capacity as
states.
Legislation is now being considered by the House
Judiciary Committee that would release any claim of
the Federal government to such lands beneath tide
and navigable water which have heretofore been con
sidered as belonging to the states.
The advocates of centralized government have
for the past decade been using every means at their
command to limit state jurisdiction over natural re
sources and limit state control over local affairs in
many ways. As the states are deprived of such rights
they become mere subservient agencies of the Federal
government.
SCIENCE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES
In discussing the subject of “Public Health Work
ers,” Walter W. R. May, editor and publisher of the
Oregon City Enterprise, and president of the Clacka- j
mas County, Oregon, Public Health Association, i
makes some very interesting observations. He says:i
“It is because scientific medicine is so far in ad- j
vance of the application of it that our job as public !
health workers is so important. If the public would
apply what the doctors know about diseases, the
drain upon human happiness would be still more re
duced. Ours is the task of bringing the world abreast
of what is available in medical and surgical science j
and creating a desire to use tht knowledge.
“Authorities agree that the reason in this coun
try that our life expectancy has risen from 49 years
to 60 years, and may go to 65 or 70, while in a country
like India it has dropped from 25 to 22 years, is be-1
cause of administrative health procedures. Science is
just as wise in faraway India as in the United States,
for there re no boundaries to science. The public I
health worker is the difference in a large measure.
“Good community health programs are possible
without pointing our efforts to communism and a so
cialized state. Public health nursing is a prper ad
junct of private nursing without destroying the lat
ter. Good state health departments and a good United
States Public Health Service are possible without
destroying the individualistic professions that gave
these state services being.
“We can avoid the pitfalls of political public
health if we can be sound and right in our social
thinking. If we are not sound and right; if we do not
shape the progress of public health within the pattern
of free enterprise, we shall find, I fear, a great rift in
the unbroken confidence the public has in us.”
____________________
LEARNING BY EXPERIENCE
“The year ahead,” says the Farm Journal and
Farmer’s Wife, “will afford striking material for
thoughtful farmers to consider. Wartime restrictions
have reached into every day of every one’s life. Farm
ers have taken rationing, price ceilings and floors,
and all else in their stride. Agreeing that some con
trols are to be expected in wartime, farmers have
seen that none has worked too w^ell.
“... Agricultural price policies, for instance, have
been affected by the political demands that cost of
living be held down. Farmers have seen such policies1
defeat their own ends by creating scarcities where
plenty was possible, and by setting up black market
prices instead of fair prices. Watching the ponderous
efforts of government to meet the rapidly changing
situations of these months ahead, farmers will have a
chance to estimate how much government they want
in their affairs when the war has passed.
Encourage your white neighbors to subscribe
to THE OMAHA GUIDE and learn what the dark
er one tenth of the American population is think
ing and doing.
Country Warned to Guard
Against Race Disturbances
Insecurity in Reconversion Period May Be
Cause for Smouldering Resentment;
Minor Incident May Start Trouble.
By BAUKHAGE
Netis Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C.
There is a small group in Wash
ington very much concerned over a
matter which is a part of recon
version and about which they can
do very little. That is the question
of race riots likely to accompany de
mobilization.
I was surprised to learn how pre
dictable these clashes are, from the
following statement by Alfred Mc
Clung Lee in a pamphlet produced
by a non-profit agency, the Ameri
can Council of American Race Re
lations. It was this:
“The federal office of facts and
figures (later called the office of War
Information) had a confidential re
port 15 months before the 1943 De
troit race riot that included this
sentence: ‘Unless some socially con
structive steps are taken shortly,
the tension that is developing is very
likely to burst into active conflict.’ ”
The day after the rioting began,
the Detroit Free Press stated:
“Two months ago everybody in De
troit familiar with the situation knew
that race riots were inevitable.”
It is worth noting that the profes
sional observers were much farther
ahead than the newspaper — and
newspaper reporters are pretty
highly trained investigators them
selves. And they did know what was
coming well in advance.
But the fact remained that nobody
did anything about it.
And that is where you and I step
into the picture.
Now nobody but a very small
class of professional incitors of riot
want race riots anymore than any
one but a very small class of profes
sional criminals are in favor of
crime. But most people do not
realize that these clashes can be
avoided and very few indeed realize
that they are symptoms and not the
disease itself.
The basic cause of the group ten
sions wThich burst into savage flame,
destroy property, interfere with
business and nearly always cost
lives, is insecurity, just as insecurity
is one of the basic causes of wars.
A man with a job and firm pros
pects of keeping it who lives in
healthy and decent surroundings
does not want a riot with anybody.
It is the man who is unhappy and
because he is not able to do any
thing about it, who looks around for
a scapegoat upon whom he can
blame all his troubles. He na
turally turns against a group whose
members have a different appear
ance and different customs from
his own.
The long-range cure for this
disease is better living conditions,
housing and employment. But it is
not of the long-range treatment I
want to speak, but of the imme
diate, simple things that you and I
can do to stop these tensions before
they break.
Seven Steps for
Breaking Tension
First, there are seven things you
must know about. One of the first
signs of trouble is the rumor crop.
You begin to hear a lot of stories
most of which later will prove to
have been untrue. They may be
started by subversive groups; some
will have a grain of truth in them.
They will include tales of planned,
imminent violence; of some group
arming itself for attack or outbreak.
Then come stories of violent as
sault, crime and murder. This
creates the beginning of tension; the
group accused becomes frightened
and shows it. This lends color to
the tales.
Then come the “incidents.”
Incidents usually begin to occur in
crowded places. They might be
passed off and forgotten if a back
ground of hate, fear and suspicion
had not been built up. As one ob
server said to me: “Riots always
start when folks get out and bump
into each other.”
The third point to look for when it
is clear that rumors have been
thick and incidents have begun to
happen is some subversive group
which may be promoting the trouble
for its own ends. Some of these
groups will have very high and
mighty ideals and very frequently
they will be wrapped up in the flag.
(Ku Klux, Black Legion, etc.)
The fourth point to watch is crime
reports because it is really the
hooligan element which finally steps
in to do the actual rioting.
The fifth is the police attitude. If
there is evidence of increased
friendliness with the hooligan ele
ment and of a distrust of the police
by the minority group it usually
means that the tension has reached
a high point — the forces of order
and the forces of disorder are mak
ing common cause against the al
leged threat of the minority.
The two -other danger points are
congestion, of which I spoke before
(bumping into each other) which
may grow out of crowded housing,
and labor conditions where the
minority protests or appears to
threaten to protest discrimination in
hiring and firing.
With these points as a guide any
citizen can learn to recognize the
symptoms of danger. There are
plenty of people in any community
who know what is happening — the
people whose work takes them into
the danger zones, like social workers
and police reporters. A school teach
er can learn a lot from what the
children say and do.
But long before the situation
reaches even the rumor stage there
must be emergency planning in the
community. A program must be set
up in which certain groups have cer
tain definite things to do the moment
the “observers” see the danger sig
nals. Here they are:
Be sure the mayor knows exact
ly what steps to take to get the help
of the state militia. Have the clergy
men lined up to use their influence
and if necessary appear in person
—mobs respect the church. Work
out school programs, radio pro
grams, newspaper campaigns—the
veterans organizations and the boy
scouts will help, the civic and pub
lic utilities, labor and business will
co-operate.
• • •
While President Truman was still
on the high seas en route for home,
he and his staff began the careful
briefing of the correspondents, tell
ing them many detais which were
not for publication but which will
gradually find their way into the
public prints.
They also gave out specific news
items for publication, one of which
stated that it was largely the sug
gestions of the American delegation
which made up the agenda. This [
President Harry S. Truman
may or may not have been aimed
at comments in Washington by anti
administration spokesmen who
charged that the communique of the
Big Three seemed to reflect chiefly
Russian demands.
I believe that history will show
that the President’s claim will be
literally true. This may not mean
that America got the majority of
the things she wanted but rather
that what could be agreed upon wras
largely the result of the President’s
policy of insisting on a solution by
compromise rather than a stale
mate.
The great test of America’s posi
tion will come later. We are the
most conservative of the great ■
powers. We are the only one in 1
which capitalism is threatened by
attack from within more than from
without. 1 mean that the ma
jority of the nation undoubtedly fa
vor capitalism whereas the present
British government (the only other
large democratic power as we ac
cept democracy) is socialistic. Dan
gers to the American capitalistic sys
tem, most observers in Washington
agree, come from a small group
whose selfish interests are the
greatest threat to the system of
private enterprise.
BARBS . • . by Baukhage
They call the counterfeit squad
the mince-pies and I suppose since
money talks you could call the grunt
from a buffalo penny mint sauce.
• • •
It is easier for a man to get into
the army than it is for a dog to
join the famous K-9 corps. G.I.s
sometimes get into the hoosegow but
you seldom see a war-pup in the
dog-house.
The census bureau says the aver
age father is 44 years old. Aver
age wife’s age (confidential).
• • •
The best epigram on the victory
of the labor party in England was
made by Sir Wilmct Lewis, veteran
Washington correspondent of the
London Times. He said, “My coun
try. may she always be right, but
my country right or left.”
' 1
Army Teaches G.I.s Virtues of Thrift
How widely the members of the
armed forces have beeta taught the
virtues of thrift is indicated by fig
ures supplied by the war depart
ment office of dependency benefits.
As of the end of June, there were
3,714,910 active monthly Class-E al
lotments-of-pay, which are volun
tary assignments of pay to a sol
dier s dependents, a bank, an insur
ance company, etc., and are dis
tinct from the family allowances to
which the government contributes.
Over 40 million dollars have gone
to insurance companies in the last
three years to pay premiums on
soldiers’ civilian life insurance.
In June alone, $263,227 went to
building and loan and savings and
loan associations under the recent
ly authorized plan permitting G.I.
Joe to save for a home.
UteJlome,
*7o4U4t
Rep&UeJi
I in WASHINGTON
By Walter Shead
| WNU Correspondent
l
WNJJ Washington Bureau
621 Union Trust Building.
What Congress Left Undone
\ | EMBERS of the 79th congress
are now back in their home .
towns for their summer vacations, j
lasting until congress convenes
again on October 8. Some few of
them contrived to take junkets to
Alaska, Europe or the Pacific “on
business of congress.”
This session will go down in his
tory as the one that abruptly re
versed the traditional isolationist
policy of self-sufficiency, to one of
full co-operation with other nations
on military, social, economic and
cultural questions.
Ratification of the United Na
tions charter by the senate,
adoption of the Bretton Woods
agreement, the Reciprocal
Trades agreements and the
Agricultural and Food agree- <
ments by both houses of con
gress mark important mile
stones in the life of the nation to
ward world peace and security.
But this reporter feels that when
congress adjourned for the sum
mer it did so with some trepidation
over sins of omission. It had left un- i
done many things necessary to safe- ,
guard our domestic economy — I
things dangerous to postpone until
after next October, particularly re
conversion plans.
I
Grave Matters Shelved
It did nothing on full employment,
except to hold some belated hear
ings on the Murray bill, introduced
last January. It did nothing on the
“human” side of reconversion, such
as acting on President Truman's
proposal for an emergency $25 per
week for 26 weeks for laid-off work
ers. It did nothing about sub-stand
ard wages among some 17 million
white collar and other workers to
raise minimum wages to at least
65 cents an hour. It did nothing
about enlarging the social security
program to include farmers and
small business and professional men
as provided in the Murray - Wag
ner bill. It did nothing about the
report of the Mead War Investi
gating committee which urged im
mediate control of all war agencies
by the office of war mobilization, and
severely criticized government de
lay in reconversion plans. It did
nothing about government work pro
grams to tide over any emergency.
It did rush through a measure in
tended to give some tax relief to
business, but did nothing about a
general interim tax revision, consid
ered necessary for reconversion.
We Will Be Unready
For Peace
This twinge of conscience was ap
parent in a meeting of some 20 sena
tors and a published outline of a pro
gram of pending legislation, made
the day before adjournment. The
Mead committee report declared
that if the war in the Pacific ends
soon, it will find us largely unpre
pared to overcome our domestic
problems. Unless reconversion is
speeded up, unemployment on a
large scale will ensue.
Many folks here believe that
end of the Jap war will come
within the next two to four
months, and the feeling among
those in position to know best is
divided about half and half on
that proposition. Congressional
leaders apparently are among
the 50 per cent who look for a
longer war in the Pacific.
Another thing left undone was
establishment of presidential succes
sion which President Truman urged
be done immediately. Many leaders
here think this to be one of the most
important and vitally essential
questions at this time.
So if the end of the war in the
Pacific does come sooner than con
gress thinks, the expected tempor
ary chaos in which our domestic
economy will flounder can be laid
directly at the door of congress.
They have been forewarned, not only
by the President, but by reports of
conscientious and authoritative I
committees of their own member- |
ship.
Planning Takes Time
This business of reconversion, or
getting back to normal after the war,
requires planning and thinking
through of tough problems on both
temporary and long-range domestic
questions. It cannot be done on the
spur of the moment, and likely will
take weeks or months after con
gress comes back next October.
Witnesses on the full employment
bill, including senators and repre
sentatives of labor and business,
were all agreed that sudden end
of the war will mean “quite a period
of lay-offs.” Meanwhile Sen. Elbert
Thomas (D., Utah) delcared that
legislation to boost the minimum
wage under the Fair Labor Stand
ards act from 40 to 65 cents an hour
is “one of the first important meas
ures for consideration of congress.”
At the same time, labor leaders are
urging congress to restore War
Labor board authority to order sub
stantial wage adjustments.
CONSUMER BACKLOG:
Big Order
The American people bought near
ly 23 billion dollars less of automo
biles and parts, and furniture and
housefurnishings in the three yeais,
1942-44, than they would have if
these goods had been available in
prewar volume, the department of
commerce estimates.
In automobiles and parts actual
expenditures totaled 1.8 billions, with
expected expenditures under nor
mal conditions, 16.2 billions and the
deficiency in purchases, 14 4 billions.
The Omaha Guide
+ A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER +
Published Every Saturday at 2^20 Grant Street
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Entered as Second Class Matter March 15. 1927
at the Post Office at Omaha. Nebraska, under
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,— -WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS_
Japs Guard Against Uprising;
Plan to Demobilize 7,000,000;
Nation Shifts to Peace Economy
_ Released by Western Newspaper Union. —————
(EDITOR’S NOTE: When opinions are expressed in these colnmns, they are those of
Western Newspaper Union’s news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
Following the joyous news
of Japan’s capitulation, many
persons the country over rev
erently made their way to
church to offer prayers in grati
tude for the cessation of hos
tilities. The crowd worship
pint: on the steps of St. Pat
rick’s cathedral in Sew York
City was typical, with a con
stant stream arriving to express
their thanksgiving.
PEACE:
Tighten Imperial Grip
Even as General MacArthur ar
ranged the complicated procedure
for Japanese surrender and occupa
tion, the U. S. prepared for the ma
jor readjustments looming ahead be
fore the nation once again could
tread the paths of peace.
With the Japanese government
anxious to bring about a cessation of
firing before the preliminary surren
der parley in Manila, the conference
was postponed to permit members
of the imperial household to fly to the
far-flung Asiatic battlefronts to en
force the emperor’s orders to lay
down arms.
Appointment of tough and able 57
year-old Prince Higashi-Kuni as Jap
premier disclosed an effort to bring
all of the weight of the imperial
family behind the surrender accept
ance to avert any outbreak of die
hards which might upset the inter
nal situation. A second cousin of
the emperor and an uncle of the
empress, Higashi-Kuni has had a
long career in the Jap army, serv
ing as chief of the military aviation
board, commander of defense head
quarters and a member of the su
preme war council.
While it was expected that some
fanatical officers may try to fight
on, or commit hara-kiri, the great
mass of Japanese were expected to
give up peaceably. “There will be
no trouble when American soldiers
go to Japan if it is the wish of the
emperor,’’ said one Jap naval of
ficer. “The army, navy and Japa
nese people exist only by the will of
the emperor.”
U. S. Demobilizes
With the end of the war, the serv
ices’ carefully prepared demobiliza
tion plans were scheduled to be put
into effect, with the draft continuing
for men under 25 years of age un
less the President or congress or
dained otherwise.
Approximately 261,000 enlisted
men and 40.000 officers are eligible
for release under the navy's newly
announced discharge plan requiring
44 points for the enlisted men and 49
for the officers. Under the program,
one-half point is allowed for each
year of age up to the nearest birth
day; one-half point for each full
month of active duty since Septem
ber 1, 1939, and 10 extra points for
dependents regardless of number.
Requirements for WAVES are about
14 pojpts lower, with the same cred
it computations.
Designed to relieve men with the
longest service, the navy program
will permit release of about 2,000,000
men within the next 12 to 18 months,
which, with the army’s plan for dis
charging 5,000,000 G.I.s within a
year, will result in a total demo
bilization of 7.000,000 by 1947.
Except for four categories of spe
cialists, all army personnel with 85
points or more will be immediately
released, along with men 38 years
of age or over. Until such a time
as the size of the occupation force
needed in Japan can be determined,
however, there will be no reduction
in the present point system, it was
indicated.
With G.I.s in the Pacific eligible
for discharge due to be released,
men with low-point scores in the
U. S. or with only brief European
service mast prepare to accept over
seas assignments, the army de
clared.
Ease Controls
Though five million people were
expected to be discharged from war
work following cessation of hostili
ties, industrial plans for a rapid re
conversion to civilian manufacture
promised early re-employment.
Fortunately, such basic industries
as steel will be able to furnish civil
ian materials with little delay, and
plans have been set up to continue
government supervision over scarce
items to permit more even distribu
tion and prevent speculative hoard
ing and pressure for price increases.
With its financial position greatly
bolstered by heavy wartime produc
tion, and with banking funds avail
able before settlement of cancelled
war contracts, industry generally is
strongly heeled for reconversion.
Meanwhile, civilians have record
cash balances and bond holdings,
Economic Stabilizer Davis (left)
and Secretary of Labor Schwellen
bach leave White House after re
conversion confab.
and will be able to draw unemploy
ment compensation to tide them
over the early transition period.
While manpower controls were re
moved with Japan’s defeat, wage
checks were retained to prevent an
inflationary spiral, and efforts made
to minimize strike threats.
With another bumper crop on tap,
farmers could look to continued
heavy government purchases for the
large military and nayal establish
ments and foreign relief, and an un
certain domestic market dependent
on the speed of the reconversion
program. Under congressional leg
islation, however, farmers have
been assured of federal price sup
port for at least two years after the
war.
Among the first effects of reduced
military requirements was the re
moval of gas, fuel oil, canned fruits,
vegetables and juices and other
processed foods from the rationing
lists. At the same time, price con
trol was lifted from such items as
jewelry, sports equipment, toys sell
ing at 25 cents or less, cigarette
lighters, pipes, luxury furs and gar
ments, some photographic apparatus
and notions.
Because of the shortage of sup
plies, and no possibility for imme
diate increases, rationing will be re
tained on meats, fats and oils, but
ter, sugar, shoes and tires.
In the case of tires, OPA an
nounced, drivers of cars used for
occupational purposes will continue
to receive cords according to the
importance of their work, and "A”
card holders will be given consider
ation in cases of unusual hardship.
Though a check will be kept on
shoes, men’s and women’s wear
manufactured before March 1, 1944.
and priced at $3.50 or less a pair!
will be ration-free through to Sep
tember 29.
CROPS:
Another Good Year
Owing to record yields of wheat,
oats, peanuts, rice, peaches, pecans
and commercial truck crops; near
record prospects for hay, tobacco,
soybeans, sugar cane, and large pro
duction for potatoes, sorghum grains
and flaxseed, the department of ag
riculture predicted the 1945 harvest
would be the third best in history.
With the wheat crop estimated at
a record 1,146.283,000 bushels on the
basis of conditions as of August 1,
and with oats at 1,546,032,000 bush
els, feed grain production was at a
high level despite the estimated
drop in the corn harvest to 2,844,478,
000 bushels.
One of the bright spots in the
picture was the estimated increase
in sugar cane production to 6.976,000
tons, and rise in sugar beet output to
9,332,000 tons, promising to relieve
the tight supply in the commodity.
Conservation Needed
After the most extensive study of
farmland resources ever under
taken by any nation, the soil con
servation service reported that more
than 90 per cent of the country’s
farmland was in need of treatment
to protect it from erosion and main
tain fertility.
More than 3,600,000 man years of
labor would be required for the huge
task, the service said, along with
327,441 years of motor equipment;
1,089,978 years of horse-drawn fa
cilities, and 2,544,106 tons of seed.
Of the 417,561,000 acres of farm
land now under actual cultivation,
the service said that 43,000,000
should be retired because of steep
ness, erosion, wetness and stone.
LABORITE BRITAIN
With Great Britain and all the
rest of the world awaiting the
pattern of postwar life in the
United Kingdom, King George
VI presented the victorious La
bor party’s legislative program,
with nationalization of the Bank
of England and the coal mines
heading the agenda.
At the same time, the king
revealed that the war’s end
would not bring about a release
of wartime restrictions, with the
Laborites seeking power during
the reconversion period to main
tain control over materials and
services to assure proper distri
bution at fair prices.
Besides nationalizing the Bank
of England to promote employ
ment and development, and so
cializing the coal mines as part
of a program to integrate the
fuel and power industry, the La
borites propose to reorganize
transport; provide social secu
rity and industrial insurance;
buy land for housing, and set
up machinery for planning in
vestments in new. business.
WORLD RELIEF:
Needs Boosted ■*
With the termination of the war
in the Pacific expected to multiply
its problems, the United Nations Re
lief and Rehabilitation Administra
tion Director Herbert Lehman de
clared that more than two billion
dollars in additional funds would be
needed to help stricken countries
before their restoration of stable
economies.
Speaking at the third internation
al conference of UNRRA at London,
Lehman revealed plans for coping
with the Asiatic relief problem, dis
closing that plans already have been
formulated for the shipment of sup
plies to China over the Stilwell road
and through coastal ports. Of the
100 million Chinese reported des
titute, many are expected to suc
cumb even if relief should be of
fered immediately.
The London meeting was enliv
ened by Australia’s demand to
broaden the UNRRA control council
to nine members instead of the pres
ent Big Four to provide smaller na
tions with greater representation in
the allocation of funds.
FRANCE:
Break Marshal
Leader of France's liberation move
ment, Gen. Charles de Gaulle spared
the life of Marshal Henri Petain by
commuting his death sentence for
plotting against the internal safety
of the country to life imprisonment.
Nevetheless, the jury’s additional
sentence of national indignity stood,
imposed even after Petain’s final as
sertion: “My thought, my only
thought, was to remain with the peo
ple of France as I promised instead
of abandoning them in their agony.
. . . My honor belongs to your
country. . .
Most controversial rench case of
the century, Petain’s trial found the
country sharply divided, with
charges on the one hand that the old
marshal had delivered the state up
to the Germans, and counter
charges on the other that prewar
politicians were using the proceed
ings ' ■> whitewash themselves.