Editorial: Goodness me!
…
Editorial: Still on guard
From the Philadelphia Bulletin
Republican National Committeeman G. Mason Owlett, in a letter to The Evening Bulletin, insists his warning against the “post-war return of American-made, government-owned war merchandise to this country at bargain prices and duty free” has nothing to do with the repayment of war debts, our gold supply or Lend-Lease. It is Mr. Owlett’s opinion that the influx of such distressed merchandise after the last war “helped create a depression which ran six years.”
But Mr. Owlett himself in his letter worries about:
…the amount of goods and material of foreign origin which is apt to find its way into this market following the close of the war.
In capital letter phrases, he warns against such economic cooperation with the rest of the world as may make “American enterprise a decadent, retrogressive victim of low-cost foreign competition.”
It is clear that Mr. Owlett looks upon the import of foreign goods into this country with an unfriendly eye, as though they were a menace to be guarded against and not an asset.
Such an attitude does concern the repayment of Lend-Lease and the future of our foreign trade markets. For we cannot be repaid or expand our sales abroad unless we are willing to accept the goods of other nations in greater volume than before the war. Foreign trade is not a one-way street.
OPA will clamp maximum lid on vegetables
Consumers to benefit next month when local units set prices
…
Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
In Italy – (by wireless)
If you hang around a fighter or dive-bomber airdrome for a while, you will constantly hear about low-flying missions.
That means jobs on which you fly so low you are practically on the ground. Often you are so low you would hit a man standing on the ground.
On such a mission a pilot goes out “looking for things.” He will shoot at practically anything he sees. He’ll come whipping up over a slight rise, then zip down the other side, and in his gunsights, there may be a gun, a truck, a train, a whole line of German soldiers, a supply dump. Whatever he finds he shoots up.
The squadron of A-36 Invader dive bombers that I’m with has had some freakish happenings on these missions.
For example, Lt. Miles C. Wood of Dade City, Florida, almost shot himself down the other day. He was strafing, and he flew so low that his bullets kicked up rocks and he flew into the rocks. They dented his propeller and punched holes in his wings. He was lucky to get home at all. Even a hunk of mud will dent a wing at that speed.
Flies through eight-strand cable
Another pilot flew right through an eight-strand steel cable the Germans had stretched on poles above some treetops. This is one of their many tricks, and this one almost worked. The pilot landed at his home field with the cable still trailing from his wing.
My friend Maj. Ed Bland, the squadron leader, is so interested in his strafing one day that he didn’t notice a high-tension line just ahead. When he did see it, it was too late to pull over it. So, he flew under it – at about 300 miles an hour.
And since I’ve been on this field one of the pilots was diving on a truck and got so interested in what he was doing that he ran into a tree. The plane somehow stayed in the air, although the leading edge of the wing was pushed up about eight inches and was crumpled like an accordion.
He got the plane back over our lines, but finally it went into a spin and he had to bail out. He broke his leg getting out of the cockpit, hit his head on the tail as he went past, and then smashed his leg further when he hit the ground.
Apologizes for losing plane
He is the luckiest man the squadron has had yet. Everybody was concerned about him, and grateful that he lived. Yet when his squadron commander went to see him in the hospital, the first thing the injured pilot did was to start apologizing for losing the plane.
Dive-bomber pilots fly so low that they even have German tracer bullets coming down at them, from the hillsides, instead of coming up as they usually do. They fly so low that Italians behind the German lines come running to their doors and wave, while now and then some dirty guy who has different sentiments will run out and take a shot at them.
As I have said, the Germans are full of tricks. They send up all kinds of weird things from their ack-ack guns. They have one shell that looks, when it explodes, as if you’d emptied a wastebasket full of turpentine. They shoot all kinds of wire and link “daisy chains” into the air to snag our propellers.
Bullets ricochet off haystack
But the weirdest one I’ve heard of was described by a pilot who was on the tail of a Messerschmitt one day. Just as he was pulling the trigger, the fleeing German released out of the tail of his plane a parachute with a long steel cable attached to it. The American pilot by fast maneuvering got out of its way, but he did lose his German.
On a low-flying mission you’re justified in shooting at anything. One day, one of our pilots, after a boring mission in which he saw nothing worth destroying, decided to set a haystack afire. He came diving down on it, pouring in bullets, when suddenly he saw his tracers ricocheting off the haystack. Now you know bullets don’t ricochet off ordinary haystacks, so our pilot gave it the works – and thus destroyed a brand-new pillbox.
Maj. de Seversky: Heavy losses in raids over Germany suggest need for greater firepower
By Maj. Alexander P. de Seversky
…
Poll: Majority sees European War ending in 1944
Average is October; guesses on Pacific conflict, generally two years
By George Gallup, Director, American Institute of Public Opinion
As of today, a majority of the American people agrees with Gen. Dwight Eisenhower’s prediction, “We will win the European War in 1944.”
The average of all guesses in an Institute poll just completed would put the end of European hostilities in October of this year – only a few weeks before the presidential election.
Public thinking continues along more sober lines, so far as the Japanese conflict goes. Only six of every 100 U.S. voters think the war with the Japs will be over before we enter 1945. The average of all guesses would end the Pacific War in two years.
On Germany, on Japan
As in past polls on the question, field reporters for the Institute put the problem to a representative segment of the total voting population as follows:
How much longer do you think the war with Germany will last?
The same question was asked with reference to Japan, but with sharply contrasting results, as the tables below indicate:
LENGTH OF WAR WITH GERMANY
| Will end in first half of 1944 | 12% |
| Will end in second half of 1944 | 46% |
| Will end in 1945 | 31% |
| Will end in 1946 | 5% |
| Will end in 1947 or later | 1% |
| No opinion | 5% |
LENGTH OF WAR WITH JAPAN
| Will end in first half of 1944 | 1% |
| Will end in second half of 1944 | 5% |
| Will end in 1945 | 33% |
| Will end in 1946 | 33% |
| Will end in 1947 or later | 20% |
| No opinion | 8% |
Women pessimistic
Other interesting facts brought to light in the present poll:
-
Women are more pessimistic about when the war in Europe will end. Sixty-two percent of the men think the war with Germany will end in 1944; only 52% of the women hold a like opinion.
-
Approximately one year ago, the average guess was that the war with Germany would be over by now. In the summer of 1943, the guess was that the European phase would end in July of this year. Now the average guess is October, or nine months from now.
1 Like
Völkischer Beobachter (January 23, 1944)
Anglo-amerikanische Hoffnung im Abbau –
Tito klagt die Westmächte an
…
U.S. Navy Department (January 23, 1944)
Communiqué No. 499
North Pacific.
On the early morning of January 23 (East Longitude Date) two groups of Navy bombers bombed enemy installations on the south and west coasts of Paramushiru Island. Anti-aircraft fire was encountered, but no enemy planes were met. All U.S. planes returned without damage.
The Pittsburgh Press (January 23, 1944)
Allies within 16 miles of Rome; trap threatens 15 Nazi divisions
Yanks, British in surprise attack seize beachhead near Eternal City
By C. R. Cunningham, United Press staff writer
…
Roosevelt sets up board to rescue victims of Nazis
Hull, Morgenthau and Stimson told to act for ‘persecuted minorities of Europe’
…
In hotel slaying –
Lie detector may be used on daughter
Will of diplomat’s wife will be opened in Chicago Monday
…
Union blasts two men –
Suspended ‘fast workers’ rapped as ‘stool pigeons’
But Ford official charges UAW is using contract as ‘whip’ to ‘slow down’ production
…
Chicago chosen for convention –
Democratic leaders back fourth term for Roosevelt
Approve resolution asking President to continue as ‘our great humanitarian leader’
By Arthur F. Degreve, United Press staff writer
Washington – (Jan. 22)
The Democratic National Committee, in a thinly-veiled appeal to President Roosevelt to seek a fourth term, today unanimously approved a resolution calling on him to continue as “our great world humanitarian leader” and declaring his liberalism “must be imprinted in the peace.”
The resolution, the last of 12 approved without dissent, said:
We pledge full and unflinching confidence in President Roosevelt’s leadership at home and abroad.
The action came after Robert E. Hannegan of St. Louis, a 40-year-old lawyer-politician, had been named national party chairman as successor to Postmaster General Frank C. Walker, who resigned to devote his entire time to his federal post.
Coincident with his election, the White House announced Mr. Hannegan’s resignation as Commissioner of Internal Revenue. In accepting Mr. Hannegan’s resignation, Mr. Roosevelt avoided all mention of politics, but said Mr. Hannegan had “my continued good wishes and confidence.”
The committee chose Chicago as the site of the forthcoming national convention – when, if the delegates’ wishes are followed, Mr. Roosevelt apparently will be named the party’s standard-bearer for the fourth time – but left to Mr. Hannegan’s discretion the time. The Republican National Convention will be held in Chicago beginning June 26, and the Democratic meeting is expected to be late in July.
Show of sentiment
The first show of delegate sentiment on a fourth term came early in the meeting when James P. Aylward, Missouri national committeeman, recommended Mr. Hannegan as Mr. Walker’s successor.
He began:
When the history of the next campaign is written and we win another presidential election with President Roosevelt for a fourth term–
He was interrupted by cheering delegates.
In accepting the post, Mr. Hannegan described himself as a “plain, everyday, 100%, straight organization Democrat.” He said he was “frightened up here – this is the big league for me and I’m used to the bush leagues out in the Ozarks.”
To avoid party feuds
Mr. Hannegan made it plain that he would remain aloof from party feuds. He paid tribute to James A. Farley, former national chairman who managed the first two Roosevelt campaigns and then broke with his political partner over a third term, and said he would seek advice from him.
At the same time, however, he emphasized he would also consult with Mr. Walker and with Edward J. Flynn of New York, who succeeded Mr. Farley to the chairmanship.
Mr. Walker left the chairmanship expressing confidence in a Democratic victory and warning that the nation must elect a President and a Congress in November who “will fearlessly lead America to victory in war and to victory in peace…”
Green reports resolution
The resolution soliciting the President to “continue as our great world humanitarian leader” was reported by a committee headed by Senator Theodore F. Green (D-RI), a strong administration supporter and fourth-term proponent. On the group were also other fourth-term supporters as Mayor Edward J. Kelly of Chicago.
The Democratic chieftains will leave for home as much in doubt about the President’s fourth-term plans as they were when they came here. Mr. Roosevelt gave them no hint of his intentions at a tea given in their honor at the White House Friday.
There was general agreement that the party could not win in 1944 unless the President headed the ticket. But one committeeman described the feeling of his colleagues toward a fourth term as one of acquiescence rather than appeal.
Wants two-thirds rule
Former Governor E. D. Rivers of Georgia protested against the view “that this party will go by the boards with the passage of time and unavailability of the President.”
He said:
We know that any two men nominated and backed by the sincere support of the party, including Mr. Roosevelt and Jim Farley.
He precipitated a brief skirmish by proposing that the party readopt the two-thirds rule under which it nominated presidential and vice presidential candidates until 1936. The delegates tabled Mr. Rivers’ proposal.
Anti-New Dealers out to stop Roosevelt
Omaha, Nebraska (UP) – (Jan. 22)
Anti-administration Democrats will open a drive Feb. 4 at Chicago against a fourth term for President Roosevelt, Robert O’Brien of Des Moines, president of Tabor College, said today.
The drive will be spearheaded by a speech of former Secretary of War Harry Woodring of Kansas before the Chicago Executives Club, Mr. O’Brien said.
Mr. O’Brien, former Iowa Secretary of State, added:
Mr. Woodring’s speech will be the initial move of anti-administration Democrats to prevent the President from running for a fourth term. We must eliminate from the Democratic Party all terms of New Dealism.
Mr. O’Brien said he expected attendance from all parts of the country at the Chicago meeting.