Germans fear deadly fire of warship guns
Just lie and wait for end, prisoners from Rome beachhead say
By Walter Logan, United Press staff writer
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President sidesteps issue in Russian-Polish dispute
But promises U.S. will make every effort to guarantee rights of small nations
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Slowdown protest threatens output in Ford factories
Production foundry employees go on strike after nine men are suspended for production lag
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In Washington –
Subsidy of press likely to double bond drive costs
**Present free advertising system holds budget to moderate $14-million outlay yearly
By Robert Taylor, Press Washington correspondent
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Poll: Republicans’ tide currently highest since 1940 election
Coast-to-coast survey shows two parties are evenly matched in voting strength among civilians
By George Gallup, Director, American Institute of Public Opinion
A higher percentage of voters today wants the Republicans to win the coming presidential election than at any time since the 1940 election.
The basic strength of the two parties today, as measured in terms of the number of voters who want to see the Democrats win as opposed to the number who want to see the GOP win, divides as follows:
| Want to see Democrats win | 51% |
| Want to see Republicans win | 49% |
Although these figures show the Democrats with a slight lead, normally the Democrats have to have more than this – usually more than 52% of the popular vote – to have a majority of the electoral votes.
Moreover, the real battleground of the election campaign will be in the 37 states outside the solidly Democratic South. In the area comprising these 37 states, the latest Institute survey shows the situation as follows:
| Want to see Democrats win | 48% |
| Want to see Republicans win | 52% |
Obviously, the candidates selected by the Republican and Democratic conventions, as well as war events of the next few months, will have an important influence upon the outcome of the presidential election. Nonetheless, party strength, as measured in the present survey, provides a useful chart of political tides at this time.
1940 pre-election survey
This is convincingly borne out by an Institute survey made four years ago at the same period before the nominating conventions of 1940. In its March 3, 1940, release, the Institute reported Democratic Party strength at 55%, GOP strength at 45%. It will be recalled that Mr. Roosevelt polled 55% of the total vote in the fall elections, to 45% for Mr. Willkie.
Analysis of the figures section by section reveals, moreover, that only the New England states changed in sentiment by more than two percentage points from these March figures. It is unlikely that 1944 will see a repetition of this situation, with so little net change during the eight months of the pre-convention and campaign period.
Today’s figures are based upon an estimated civilian vote in the coming election of 40 million. In the Congressional elections of 1942, the Republicans received 52% of the major party vote. But only 28 million persons voted in these elections. Today’s figures include not only a full representation of these people who voted in 1942, but also a proper representation of the people who vote only in presidential years.
When today’s results are analyzed by geographical areas, the Democrats have an advantage in three – New England states, Mid-Atlantic states, and Southern states. Republicans are ahead in four areas – East Central states, West Central states, Rocky Mountain states, and the Pacific Coast. This is shown in the following tables:
TODAY’S SURVEY
| Democratic | Republican | |
|---|---|---|
| New England | 52% | 48% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 53% | 47% |
| East Central | 45% | 55% |
| West Central | 42% | 58% |
| South | 71% | 29% |
| Mountain | 48% | 52% |
| Pacific | 49% | 51% |
1940 ELECTION
| Democratic | Republican | |
|---|---|---|
| New England | 53% | 47% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 53% | 47% |
| East Central | 51% | 49% |
| West Central | 49% | 51% |
| South | 73% | 27% |
| Mountain | 56% | 44% |
| Pacific | 58% | 42% |
MARCH 1940
| Democratic | Republican | |
|---|---|---|
| New England | 45% | 53% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 53% | 47% |
| East Central | 49% | 51% |
| West Central | 51% | 49% |
| South | 75% | 25% |
| Mountain | 59% | 41% |
| Pacific | 59% | 41% |
An interesting sidelight is that the loss of strength by the Democrats is progressively greater moving from the East Coast to the West Coast. In the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions, Democratic strength remains about the same as it was in 1940. In the East Central states, the Democrats have lost six percentage points; in the West Central, seven; in the Rocky Mountain area, eight; and on the Pacific Coast, nine.
Baruch post-war program facing battle in Senate
Senator George: Question is whether U.S.’ economic destiny is to be settled by President or Congress
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Death gratuity paid survivors of servicemen
Backpay and pension may be given them, as well as insurance benefits; recipients are specified
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U.S. pipeline in Near East faces fight
Congress may intervene in plans for $165-million project
By Marshall McNeil, Scripps-Howard staff writer
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Jack and Heintz invites all Congress to dinner
Invitation to affair in Washington’s Mayflower Hotel believed to be first of its kind
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Roosevelt vs. Senate –
‘Power’ battle looming again in Washington
Electrification head charges White House aides want him to quit
By Jay G. Hayden, North American Newspaper Alliance
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To save his neck, not break it –
There’s a technique to abandoning ship, as Red Cross teachers show servicemen
Blazing oil, debris in water are perils
By Elizabeth Warner
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Peacemaking days of 1919 told by ‘insider’
Col. Stephen Bonsal, confidant of President Wilson during World War I, tells of petty intrigues of many world-famous men
By John D. Paulus
When the firing ceases in World War II, will the heads of state – Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, et al. – sit down in person to dictate the peace and draw blueprints for the “world that is to come”?
Or will that job be delegated the experts in international affairs, the foreign ministers of the various governments, with a consideration for the economic as well as the political welfare of all the nations involved?
Those two questions will concern many thinking persons in the months to come. And they should concern every American, since the fate of the world and the course of history can be decided by the capricious or deliberate actions of one man or one group of men.
Thus, we are deeply indebted to the publishing firm of Doubleday, Doran for bringing out at this time a new book, Unfinished Business, by Stephen Bonsal. Col. Bonsal was President Wilson’s confidential interpreter and a confidant of Col. House, the Harry Hopkins of World War I.
Unfinished Business contains extracts from Col. Bonsal’s diaries covering such historic subjects as the attendance of the President at the Peace Conference, the clash with the Allied powers over the Fourteen Points, the struggle over ratification of the Peace Treaty, the troubles at home with Senator Lodge and his colleagues, and the influence of Col. House on Mr. Wilson.
Results of policies
This is the inside story of the mysterious and troubling period in 1919 during which the events of the next 20 years were actually decided. The rise of National Socialism in Germany, the advent of Hitler, the coming of World War II, the emergence of Japan as a world power, the unskilled manipulation of territorial boundaries of little nations – all these historic events and many more are the results of policies (and politics!) which Col. Bonsal witnessed.
The reader is dismayed at the petty intrigues, the smallness of big men, the vanity and self-interest of a handful of “nationalists” in all countries. Col. Bonsal’s diaries are replete with accounts of personalities and clashes between those personalities – and those passages are easily the most interesting parts of the book.
President Wilson’s insistence on attending the Peace Conference and actually taking part in the formulation not only of the Peace Treaty but of the League of Nations is an interesting part of the book. Col. House and other U.S. Delegation leaders, plus many leaders of Allied countries, urged Wilson to stay in Washington as a kind of great referee over the momentous deliberations.
But Wilson insisted on going to Europe, insisted on becoming a delegate and becoming embroiled in the petty arguments that inevitably were stirred up in the historic sessions.
Would the world have turned out better if Mr. Wilson’s decision had been different? Would the French have been easier to get along with if he had remained in Washington? Would Clemenceau have been more tolerant toward the fallen foe? Would Mr. Wilson have seen clearer the role of the Japanese delegates?
Shows glaring failures
The questions can be answered by each individual for himself as he reads the book. For Col. Bonsal points out the glaring failures, hoping that our leaders will not make similar mistakes when World War II ends.
This book should be “must” reading for the fourth-term candidate, for Messrs. Willkie, Dewey, Bricker, Taft, MacArthur, for every candidate to every public office in the national government in this historic year. Every thinking voter will want to read it.
On nearly every page is a grim contemporary ring, a warning to the men of 1944. We read Mr. Bonsal’s story with a new perspective and with an acute awareness of the terrible parallel between Wilson’s time and ours.
It isn’t often that the common man gets to see what goes on in the councils of the great. Col. Bonsal’s book succeeds not only in giving us a good look, but also in affording an insight into the all-too-human differences in 1919 that made another war inevitable in 1939.
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Johnson: Who’ll be victors in film poll?
Here’s a forecast on winners of the ‘Oscars’
By Erskine Johnson
Hollywood, California – (Feb. 19)
Hollywood has named its best as candidates for Oscars in this year’s 16th annual voting of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and today we’re going to stick out our neck and tell you who will pick up the blue chips on March 2. Here are the final results as we see them:
The best motion picture of the year: The Song of Bernadette.
The best feminine performance of the year: Jennifer Jones in The Song of Bernadette.
The best male performance of the year: Walter Pidgeon in Madame Curie.
The best performance by an actress in a supporting role: Katina Paxinou as Pilar in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
The best performance by an actor in a supporting role: Akim Tamiroff as Pablo in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
The best direction of the year: Henry King for The Song of Bernadette.
Maybe we’re wrong – but it’s our neck.
Hope vs. bear!
Any time you can get Bob Hope to clown around with a 400-pound bear, something’s bound to happen. Even if the bruin is trained and docile as a kitten. Paramount dreamed up the idea for a scene in The Road to Utopia. Seems Hope mistakes the critter for Dorothy Lamour, who has been wearing a bearskin coat. The scene takes place in a darkened cabin and Hope thinks the bear is Dorothy.
“Why didn’t they just drop my option?” moaned Hope as he started to film the scene. When the bear growled, Hope looked forlornly at director Hal Walker and said, “This is the way they weed out stock players in Paramount.” And when the bear lightly cuffed him on the arm, Hope crackled: “I’m glad we have a direct line to the county morgue.” They finally got the scene – and some of the year’s best adlibbing.
Boy meets girl
RKO’s new find, Kim Hunter, met her husband-to-be, Capt. William Baldwin of the Marine Air Corps, on the set of Tender Comrade. She was posing for still pictures with Ruth Hussey and the captain was properly thrilled when he was introduced to Ruth, but remarked, “I never heard of Kim Hunter.” Kim overhead him, came back with, “But you will.” He did.
Pat O’Brien’s youngsters have instructions not to telephone their mother while she is working at the AWVS, or the treasury office, except in an emergency. Other day, daughter Mavourneen dialed the number and on being told her mother could not be disturbed, insisted: “But it’s a matter of life or death.” The switchboard operator immediately put her through. Little brother Sean was so impressed that a few minutes later he called and said to the operator, “I must speak to my mommy, dead or alive.” Mommy got the call.
For a dining room scene in National Velvet, director Clarence Brown insisted on having real British cooking for the table. An English cook prepared the meal, including Yorkshire pudding. Brown himself sampled the pudding.
He said:
Hmmmmm. I never tasted anything like it.
Mickey Rooney spoke up:
I did. We used to paste kites together with it.
Butler type
Ask almost anyone about Alan Mowbray and they’ll say, “Oh, yes, he plays those funny butlers on the screen.” It’s strange the way one or two roles will type an actor in the minds of moviegoers. Mowbray, a very versatile gent, has played 160 roles in pictures, but only five were butlers.
He’s played George Washington, and Metternich, the Premier of Austria. He’s played the Grand Duke of Russia, the King of England, de Sarnac of France and a Roman senator. A week after playing Vivien Leigh’s husband in a film, he went to another studio and played an American Legionnaire in a two-reel comedy called French Fried Patootie, in which he played two scenes with a monkey and got hit in the face with a custard pie.
Alan isn’t worried about being typed, yet to moviegoers he’s a butler. Sometimes, he admits, it worries him.