America at war! (1941–) – Part 5

NAM assails royalty demand

Public bill may total $3 billion

Prisoners coming home

Saturday, April 7, 1945

SAN FRANCISCO – More than 800 rescued U.S. prisoners of the Japs are due to arrive at a U.S. port “soon.” All are civilians who had been interned in Santo Tomas and other Philippine Island prisons.

Roosevelt, aides cite war output, proclaim their faith in future

Leaders confident of creating employment and in world’s ability to insure peace

Third war plans of Nazis revealed

State Department tells of counteracts

Roosevelt slur costs 20 years

Saturday, April 7, 1945

NEW ORLEANS (UP) – Hugh Callan, 37-year-old native New Yorker, today faced 20 years in prison at hard labor after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his court-martial sentence for slurring President Roosevelt.

Callan was found guilty by court-martial in May 1942 of using disrespectful language against the President and the Allied cause.

Sentenced to the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, Callan was ordered released in September last year when U.S. District Judge E. Marvin Underwood sustained a writ of habeas corpus on Callan’s claim that he never had taken an Army oath and therefore was not properly inducted and not subject to court-martial. But the Appellate Court held that Callan was properly inducted and reversed Judge Underwood.

One circus aide released – terms of 3 others reduced

Sentence of superintendent is suspended – judge refuses leniency to two


More gardens urged by Army

Union urges guaranteed annual wage

Shipyard unit also for 35-hour week

Perkins: Hershey-union dispute aired – but unsettled

Draft head insists on veterans’ job rights
By Fred W. Perkins, Pittsburgh Press staff writer

Poll: Public wants U.S. to join world league

81% would use force to keep peace
By George Gallup, Director, American Institute of Public Opinion

General pictures Okinawa as potent advance base

Much work needed to use its advantages – plans made by men who never saw island
By William McGaffin
Saturday, April 7, 1945

WITH THE U.S. TENTH ARMY ON OKINAWA – The general, who will command this island after its capture has been completed, is looking ahead to the time when it will be the Pearl Harbor of the Western Pacific – a more potent advance base even than Guam.

Among its assets, according to his view, are:

  • It has a good fleet anchorage – one of those considered among the finest in the Far East.

  • It has plenty of room in its 485-square-mile area for use as a staging base for troops and planes.

  • It is close to Japan. From Naha, its capital city, to Kageshima, capital of Kyushu, southernmost of the Japanese mainland chain, is only as far as the distance from Chicago to Kansas City. Medium bombers can operate an effortless shuttle run to the mainland, a couple of hours’ flight.

Extra bombing arm

Thus, an extra bombing arm can be brought to bear, in addition to Superfortresses, flying out of the Marianas and Liberators, capable of attacking Japan from recently-captured Iwo Jima.

We have come a long way since December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was our nearest bombing base to Japan.

Much labor and material must be poured in, of course, before the island commander’s vision of a remodeled Okinawa becomes a powerful reality.

Some of the tasks

Here are some of the tasks on his list:

  • Dredging of and pier construction on Nakagusuku Bay, the superior anchorage on the east coast, and on Chimu Bay, her sister anchorage on the north side of the west coast.

  • Development of Okinawa’s six airfields into longer, sturdier airdromes.

  • Transformation of the present “excellent network of poor roads” into several hundred miles of two-lane, modern, coral highways so that approaches can be made from two directions to any point on the island, at present a physical impossibility.

  • Hospitals for Navy and Army personnel and Okinawa civilians.

  • A health program for civilians, who are fortunately proving to be friendly, and a general effort to improve island sanitation.

Twice size of Guam

Okinawa, 60 miles in length and three to 10 miles wife, is more than twice the size of Guam, and it has a better climate. At present what construction is being done is exclusively for tactical purposes. but the island commander is ready with complete plans when his Marines and doughboys finish occupying the ground.

Incidentally, the commander is pretty proud of these plans, which bright young men on his staff drew up while thousands of miles away, with the aid only of photographs and maps. None of these “architects” had ever laid eyes on the place. Now they are able to start walking over the ground and checking their plans.

And the plans are proving to be so well drawn, according to the commander, that no changes are necessary.

“Even the sites we chose for dump locations are right on the beam,” says he, proudly.

Japs willing to gamble on German cards, Reds say


Chinese stealing U.S. Army stores

Gen. Chennault: War effort hindered

MacArthur fliers blast 9 more ships

52 enemy vessels in 4-day attacks

Patton’s son-in-law freed by Seventh Army

Saturday, April 7, 1945

WITH THE U.S. SEVENTH ARMY (UP) – Lt. Col. John C. Watters, son-in-law of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, was liberated from a German prison camp north of Wuerzburg today by tanks of the 14th Armored Division of the U.S. Seventh Army.

Col. Watters was captured during the North African campaign. Another armored task force almost succeeded in freeing him two weeks ago but he was spirited away by the Germans.

Mayor of captured town likes Hitler, blames aides

Mayor, like most Germans, defends Fuehrer – Adolf may end up a martyr
By Henry J. Taylor

Air Force shift to East promised

Gen. Arnold: Plans made to blast Japs

Fifth Army takes 3,000-foot peak

Tax relief due for business this year

Senate move called to help reconversion
By Roger W. Stuart, Scripps-Howard staff writer

U.S. airlines do great job since war’s outbreak

Agencies reveal dramatic story
By Henry Ward, Press aviation editor

REISS: ALL HOPE GONE, NAZIS SPEED RETREAT TO ALPS
Elite troops pour into last stronghold

Hitler’s top leaders already in south
By Curt Reiss

Secrets of Nazi V-2 rocket slip completely out of bag

Trainload of 40-foot-long bombs captured intact by Yank division
By William Stoneman


Industrialists considered Nazis’ underground threat

Influential businessmen try to save factories – Yanks wary of ‘friendly’ offers
By Helen Kirkpatrick