America at war! (1941–) – Part 5

Even capital goes meatless

Families dining out are cause of closing restaurants there, too
By John W. Love

Dorothy Thompson1

ON THE RECORD —
French begin to regard Americans as conquerors

By Dorothy Thompson

PARIS, France – If psychological factors influence political events more than charters and resolutions passed at international conferences, then we are heading not in the direction of better international relations, but of worse. This is obvious in Paris.

We came in as allies and liberators, greeted by embraces and flowers. But to the average Frenchman, we remain as conquerors and herrenfolk. This is due to a lack of psychological briefing and planned approach.

Vast masses of Frenchmen are hungry and for five winters have been horribly cold. The fact is that coal may determine whether France and, indeed, all Europe will or will not swing politically to violent extremes.

There is a terrible shortage of transportation. I have the impression Allied offices in Paris are unnecessarily overstaffed; and though it is true we are soon to transfer many agencies from here to Germany, Paris as well as other parts of France will continue to be furlough centers and masses of Americans will be moving in and out for a long time to come.

Americans take the best

We have requisitioned the best hotels, villas and apartments; only recently taking 8,000 more billets. Americans in Paris have coal to heat these and men’s and officers’ messes are plentifully supplied with every sort of food. In Paris, every taxicab is in the hands of the American and British forces. We are an army of haves in the midst of a country of have-nots.

If my limited knowledge of French politics is reliable, I sense a gathering storm. All the factors are here for a mass uprising – a resistance movement hungry for absolute leadership, a weak government, currency in which there is no confidence, frayed nerves, a widespread sense of inferiority, inflation which hits worst of all the salaried middle classes without whose leadership no mass movements ever succeeded, and a plenitude of weapons in the people’s hands.

It would be like our forces, from the highest level downward, to have some friendly contact with the French people; yet even our officers treat French military men of the same rank as though they were an inferior breed.

One little incident illustrates this. Recently, two French majors and a colonel walked into the bar of a luxury hotel which has been requisitioned as an American club and ordered drinks. An American sergeant put them out of the place – only British and American officers were admitted. Higher-ups sustained the sergeant.

One must only ask why such psychological stupidity? These officers entered a hotel in their own city where they had often gathered at the bar previous to the German occupation. Now they find they are in the same position as under the Germans except that they were not then in uniform, knew the position and were thus spared public humiliation.

American officers and others who eat extremely well at their own messes patronize the black-market restaurants to the fury of the left-wing movement, whose numbers are now augmented by returned concentration camp victims and who are trying to halt black market profiteering.

Comradeship lacking

No one can ask the Americans to eat less well, but certainly directives could prevent the undermining the French efforts and unnecessary flaunting of a superior status, snubbing fellow officers and avoiding any sort of effective liaison.

Political orientation courses for American officers and enlisted men are invariably addressed by Americans, although many distinguished Frenchmen and French women speak excellent English.

Due to lack of liaison and absence of constructive programs for collaboration, the Allies all are seeing the worst sides of each other – which, to say the least, is unfortunate for the world the San Francisco charter wants to build.

Lawrence: New Deal may wane as issue

Cabinet changes seen as Truman’s preparation for 1948 election
By David Lawrence

Yanks in Europe needing munitions, get wrong types

Axis leaders face death in Big Four court

Several dozen key men, thousands of members to be punished
By William H. Stoneman

Gracie Allen Reporting

By Gracie Allen

SEATTLE, Washington – Goodness, that line about “let’s give the country back to the Indians” is certainly no joke to the people of Troy, New York. It seems that a long time ago the Mohawk Indians rented Troy to the white man for four bolts of calico a year to every member of the tribe.

Some Mohawk chief must have been smart enough to foresee the wartime textile shortage. You girls know how hard it is to find a bolt of good calico now. Think of those officials who have to dig up four bolts for every Mohawk.

Remember those other Indians who thought they were so smart selling Manhattan Island for $24 in cash? Most of that money has probably been squandered by now, but an income of calico is an income you can live within.

The Syonan Shimbun (July 7, 1945)

Okinawa youths eagerly wait revenge chance

To evacuate is to cooperate with authorities, facilitate defence

Fierce battles in Syonan visualized

Heroes cited

TOKYO (Domei, July 6) – The War Ministry announces that a citation has been brought to the notice of the Throne of the gallantry of Lt. Kiyoharu Kawada and Pte. Shigeo Tsuchiyama who bodycrashed against the vanguard of an enemy B-29 formation which attempted to raid the Nippon mainland on May 29 this year.


U.S. war losses

LISBON (Domei, July 6) – Latest list of war casualties of U.S. armed forces since the outbreak of the war gives a total of 1,036,937 or an increase of 6,258 over last week’s figures, according to a U.S. War Department announcement. Total army casualties included 191,684 killed, 566,117 wounded, 38,343 missing, 115,253 prisoners of war.

L’Aube (July 7, 1945)

Huit ans de guerre héroïque et de résistance indomptable a l’envahisseur Japonais

Le « double-sept », fête de la Chine au combat, sera célébré aujourd’hui à Paris

Le mois prochain, à Washington –
De Gaulle rencontrera Truman

Les Nippons évacuent le nord de l’Indochine

Salzburger Nachrichten (July 7, 1945)

Polenfrage endgültig liquidiert

Exilregierung in London wird aufgelöst

England vor erstem Kriegsverbrecherprozess

Okinawa größter Flugstützpunkt der Welt

GUAM (Reuters) – Interessante Einzelheiten werden vom Ausbau Okinawas zum größten Flugstützpunkt der Welt gemeldet.

Es sind Rollbahnen in einer Gesamtlänge von 40 km vorgesehen, die Asphaltfläche dieser Flugfelder kommt einer doppelspurigen Autostraße von 640 km Länge gleich. Auf dem kleinsten dieser Flugfelder wird es möglich sein, einen doppelt so starken Verkehr abzuwickeln, wie auf dem La Guardia-Feld in New York, dem größten Flugfeld des internationalen Flugverkehrs. Die Ingenieure haben mit sehr großen Schwierigkeiten zu kämpfen. 14 Meter hohe Korallenriffe müssen eingeebnet werden. Der Zeitpunkt der Vollendung dieses Wunderwerkes moderner Technik ist ein militärisches Geheimnis. Wichtig ist, dass die in den Kämpfen auf den Philippinen eingesetzten Luftstreitkräfte von vorgeschobenen Basen direkt gegen Japan schon jetzt starten können. Da nach einer Meldung des Unterstaatssekretärs im Kriegsministerium der Vereinigten Staaten, Robert Patterson, die Überstellung amerikanischer Truppen von Europa nach dem pazifischen Kriegsschauplatz die geplanten Zahlen bereits überschreitet, werden derartigen Anlagen eine immer entscheidendere Bedeutung im Verlaufe der militärischen Operationen gegen Japan zukommen.

Über die wechselvollen Operationen, die sich zurzeit bei dem Endkampf um Burma abwickeln, berichtet Reuter: die Japaner versuchen westlich Sally den Sittang-Fluss nach Nordosten zu überschreiten, um ihren im Pegu-Abschnitt eingeschlossenen Truppen Hilfe zu bringen. Es handelt sich um unbedeutende japanische Einheiten, denen es bisher trotz mehrfacher größerer Offensivunternehmen in den letzten Tagen nicht gelungen ist, den Anschluss an die übrigen japanischen Streitkräfte wiederherzustellen. Die Japaner versuchen auf jede Weise, zum Teil durch Angriffe gegen die britischen und indischen Truppen, die den Sittang gegen Norden abschirmen, ihren abgeschnittenen Einheiten den Übergang über den Fluss zu ermöglichen, oder ihnen durch Bindung starker alliierter Truppenverbände ein Durchbrechen in südöstlicher Richtung zu erleichtern. Entsatz Einheiten der japanischen Armee stoßen ihnen von dort entgegen. Bisher haben alle diese Operationen den Japanern keinerlei militärische Entlastungsmöglichkeiten geschaffen.

Die Armeen des Generalissimus Tschiang-Keischek stoßen gleichzeitig auf Hongkong und Haiphong in Indochina vor und haben die Stadt Fashien auf der Liutschau-Halbinsel, die am Dienstag in japanische Hände gefallen war, zurückerobert.

Goebbels Leichnam gefunden

MOSKAU (Reuters) – Radio Moskau berichtete, dass der Leichnam des Nazi-Propagandaministers Josef Goebbels im Hof der Reichskanzlei in Berlin gefunden wurde.

Der Versuch, den Körper mit Petroleum zu verbrennen, misslang. Die Entdeckung von Goebbels Leiche machte ein Kameramann, der einen Dokumentarfilm über Berlin dreht. Laut Radiobericht werden die Bilder von Goebbels Leiche im Film gezeigt werden, wodurch sich jeder Deutsche selbst davon überzeugen kann, was von dem Mann übriggeblieben ist, der das deutsche Volk mit seinem verbrecherischen Geist vergiftete Reuter fügt hinzu, dass Goebbels vor dem Fall Berlins Selbstmord begangen hat Unbestätigte Meldungen haben schon früher von der Auffindung von Goebbels Leiche berichtet.

The Pittsburgh Press (July 7, 1945)

B-29s burn path across Japan

600 Superforts attack; enemy termed wide open for invasion

Aussies win key Borneo bay

Make new landing near Balikpapan

BUTTER TO BE CUT TO 20 POINTS JULY 29
Less buying by U.S. permits ration slash

10 million more pounds for public

PULLMAN TRIPS UNDER 450 MILES BARRED
Public faces further cuts to help G.I.’s

Day coach only order effective July 15