WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS congress backs pearl harbor probe but still stiff fight looms over truman s domestic policies released by western newspaper union selu they are tho thole 0 ot of presses expressed in these columns runs are western EDITORS newspaper NOTE when unions union opinions news analysts and not necessarily lly of this i newspaper afa kywe Y P n n 5 4 t W M home as well as factory industrial facilities felt the lash of U S air raids with only the machinery standing in the ashes of this burned out residential shop in tokyo CONGRESS fight looms highlighted by an word message from president truman congress went back to w work ork after a brief recess to tussle over legislation extending the draft tiding the nation over holding the price line until volume production develops readjusting the farm economy to peacetime and providing credit for foreign countries the first congressional move however concerned none of these weighty problems but rather the pearl harbor debacle of december 7 1941 stealing the ball from the republican opposition senator barkley dem ky called for a joint senate house inquiry into the disaster with an amendment by senators rep mich and ferguson rep mich broadening the probe to include the philippine wake and midway islands setbacks as well matching speedy passage in the senate house speaker rayburn dem texas assured prompt action in his chamber Bark leys resolution for an investigation followed on the heels of congressional clamor for an inquiry as a result of general feeling that the army and navy board reports constituted a whitewash of political Z xa 1 1 speaker rayburn left pres president ident i truman center and majority leader barkley higher ups barkley himself took recognition tion of this sentiment declaring that the probe should bring out all facts relating to civil as well as military responsibility with no effort to shield any individual though support for a joint con gressional investigation of pearl harbor was nigh unanimous the administration faced rougher sledding on other important legislation with the republicans threatening a bitter fight against so called paternalistic na listic aspects of mr Tr domestic program and liberal foreign lending provisions particularly acrimonious debate was expected to develop over such administration supported measures as increasing unemployment compensation pensa tion to a maximum of 25 a week for 26 weeks entrusting the government with providing for full employment banning racial or rell religious discrimination in hiring and extensive federal public works building opponents also girded to fight the administrations pricing ng policies which seek to hold charges to 1942 levels until mass production permits volume in military matters a lively ight fight f loomed over extension of the draft for 18 to 25 year oldsters with the issue somewhat tempered by efforts to boost voluntary recruiting by pay inducements JAPAN details defeat lie because cause of the disruption of communication muni cation lines and the blasting of heavy industries in the wake of the U S s relentless forward advance japan was finished last june premier pre ier higashi kuni told the session e on of f the imperial diet the premiers analysis of japans defeat followed emperor Hiro hitos appeal to the japanese people to fulfill the obligations of the unconditional dit ional surrender and work to regain the confidence of the world in detailing the nipponese downfall higashi kuni revealed that combined U S sea and air might had sharply reduced nipponese shipping and rail communications and cut down the flow of materials to war industries in turn these plants suffered heavily from air bombardment declaring that the ruins of hiroshima and nagasaki were too ghastly to even look upon higashi kuni admitted that the use of the atomic bomb proved the real turning point of the war with dussias Rus sias entrance capping the disastrous turn of events even as higashi kuni Kunis spoke U J S forces continued to pour into ja japan pan for occupation duties with an estimated to men eventually needed to complete the operation with U S troops fanning out over the japanese home islands efforts were made to speed up the release of american war prisoners many of whom charged mistreatment during their captivity aviators especially were singled out for abuse first being pummeled by any civilians upon parachuting to safety before being turned over to military guards redeployment revise plans considered its answer to widespread criticism on the part of servicemen benien as well as the public the army revised its redeployment bans plans to free an estimated vets from pacific duty under the new plan GIs exempt from overseas service will include those with 45 or more discharge points those between 34 and 37 years of age with a year of service or those 37 or over previously the army had required 75 points for such exemption meanwhile army officers looked forward to early release following the announcement of discharge plans based upon the point system with points computed on the basis of one for each month in service one for each month of overseas service five for each combat award and 12 for each dependent under 18 colonels lieutenant col anels and majors need points for discharge captains first and second lieutenants 85 and warrant and flight officers 80 employment set goal speedy re hiring of many discharged war workers by reconverting industries will be feces necessary sary if the war manpower commissions goal of an im mediate immediate postwar factory employment of 14 million is to be achieved the necessity of speeding up to absorb the postwar labor glut was pointed up by the own estimate that four million persons would lose wartime jobs within the next six months aire aircraft raft plants alone will discharge one million with gordn ordnance ance releasing oo shipbuilding and government over manufacturing industries cannot sop up all of the available labor supply said declaring that increasing numbers of men and women will have to enter mining building trade and farming because the war restricted much activity in these enterprises and anticipated postwar markets will lead to business expansion predicted wider employment in in these fields QUISLING defends sell self with death staring him in the face pale and grim vidkun quisling was pictured as a constructive european statesman and passionate foe of bolshevism by his counsel henrik bergh during the closing stages of the celebrated treason trial in oslo norway though no political disciple of the notorious collaborator lawyer bergh depicted quisling as an idealistic eccentric who while contacting hitler in 1939 also communicated with chamberlain in an effort to bring about peace between germany britain and france bergh attributed the collaborators sympathy with the nazi occupation of 1940 to a desire to prevent norway becoming a battleground like poland through a british landing and subsequent german counterattack first sympathetic to communism while doing relief work in russia in 1923 quisling changed his attitude in 1930 upon seeing mass imprisonments prison ments starvation and plagues in the soviet bergh said strikes interfere 0 inthe first serious work stoppage in the period production was cut sharply at the ford and hudson automobile plants following a variety of labor disputes in washington D C the government remained in close touch with the situation in keeping with president Tr avowed determination to prevent a slowdown through labor differences at fords over workers were laid off as a result of strikes strike S at parts suppliers plants with the walkout of employees of the kelsey hayes wheel company over the discharge of union stewards chiefly interfering with production the stewards had been fired for instigating sti a brawl with a foreman curtailment of production at hud sons followed the walkout of workers in sympathy with foremen striking in protest over a reduction of wartime wage rates