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Show Troop Shift to the Pacific Big Job With Human Side Ned to Finish the Fight Against Japanese Prevents Wholesale Release of Vets; Move Will Tax U. S. Shipping. vJ -Ml ; WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS- By BAUKIIAGE jVews Analyst and Commentator. WNU Service, Union Trust Building, Washington, D. C. The American vocabulary hai been enriched by a new word which has burdened the notebooks of war department stenographers In Washington Wash-ington for a long time. When I was In San Francisco I saw its meaning iraphlcally illustrated. , The word is "redeployment." No, I didn't make a typographical error. er-ror. Reemployment we have heard about before. ReDeployment is different dif-ferent And in that word, as In Hauptmann's "tear," can sparkle "all the joy and all the sorrow of the world." This new word Isn't In any dictionary. dic-tionary. And in all the echoing acres of the Pentagon I could find no official of-ficial definition of it but in its cur-rent cur-rent application it simply means shifting a lot of American boys out of the European theater of war where the curtain has gone down. That process is causing many a headache in the Pentagon. It will cause many a heartache at home and abroad. It will cause some happiness, hap-piness, too. For the boys and the families of (he soldiers and sailors who are cast for the second act In the tragedy of World War II (and that Is most of them) redeployment means heartaches. heart-aches. For the others It means happiness. hap-piness. But whether they go back to Main street and take up the plowshare plow-share or the pen, the hammer or the school book, or whether they go on to fresh battlefields, it is a headache head-ache as well as a heartache for the high command. Japanese Mobilize HomeGuard; Political Problems Press Allies; Draft Eased for Men Over 30 -Released by Western Newspaper Union. U itf (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinion r oxpreaied In the '""'"V t?,y w.paper.) y, titer n Newspaper Union's news anaiyoU and not nocewarllr of tnit atwmvv Heartache, Headache For Officers Before writing this article I had long conversation with one of the highest of the high command and I can tell you redeployment is both headache and heartache for him. He and all his officer comrades who have sons and grandsons of their own fighting at the front want them back as much as any rear rank private's pri-vate's mother, dad, sweetheart or wife, wants him. But few outside those more or less Intimately concerned realize the mechanical me-chanical implications of managing this major migration of history in the moving of more than three million mil-lion men. pave you any idea how long the mere physical process of simply loading soldiers, one after another, on ships and sending them back to America would take? I do not have official figures although al-though they should be released shortly, but I have an estimate on good authority, of the time which would be required to transfer three million men now in Europe across the Atlantic to east coast ports. As suming that the transport facilities available were devoted exclusively to this mission, perhaps three hundred hun-dred thousand men a month could be carried home. That would mean that 10 months would be required to transfer them all. And, of course, that is a fantastic supposition, since ships as well as men, are needed in the Pacific and so are ships to carry the endless supplies .which the army of the Pacific will require to carry on all-out warfare. Redeployment, materially and morally, is a tremendous task and. as a result of personal conversations with the top men upon whom its twin burdens rest, I can assure you lhat the question of morale is, if anything, the greater of the two in their consideration. There is no question that the suf fering and the repercussions of the lengthy separation of young men from their normal life will become greater, now that V-E Day has come and gone. The army high command knows this and that is why so much time has been spent oil taking every possible step to minimize the suffer ing whichthis slash that cuts across the heartstrings of America's social life, will cause. I happen to know that busy with the terrific burden of bringing Eu- rope's war to a successful termina tion and beginning the final portion of chapter two, General Marshall himself for many long months has spent hour after hour of his crowd ed days and interrupted nights working on this problem. Everybody Must Play the Game There are some phases of this shift of our main war effort from one side of the world to the other which many do not realize but for which they must be prepared. In the first place, it will be no easy task for those who have fought the good fight in Europe to be transferred trans-ferred to the Pacific without a chance of furlough in between. Some will have that privilege but not all. And even for the lucky ones the second sec-ond parting will be hard unless the families play the game. There is another group who will see America's shore but will not be allowed even to touch American soil. They are the ones who will pass through the Panama canal on a nonstop non-stop trip to points In the East. That will be a tough experience to see Old Glory waving from flagstaff s in the Canal Zone and to watch its colors fade in the distance. It simply sim-ply cannot be helped. But perhaps, temporarily at least, the hardest test of patience and self-discipline self-discipline will fall upon those who know that they are to be discharged, dis-charged, but who, because war takes the priority and the fighters must go first, can only sit and wait in Europe. Aside from the personal anguish which this delay will mean, it Is bound to raise a clamor from motives mo-tives natural enough but nonetheless nonethe-less selfish, of those whose economic situation is suffering from the necessary neces-sary delay in reinforcing our civilian civil-ian manpower with the soldiers whose services are no longer needed but who cannot be moved back home immediately. Before General Gregory, In charge of the great housekeeping department depart-ment of the army, the quartermaster quartermas-ter corps, left for France in anticipation antici-pation of V-E Day, I had a long talk with this gray-haired, fatherly man who is loved by his comrades with a warmth of affection that outglows the well-earned stars on his shoulder-straps. , When I talked to him about re deployment, although he is respon sible for the physical rather than the moral welfare of the soldier, it was of the latter of which he spoke first. How are the folks at home going to take it? That was the question on his tongue, just as it had been in the minds of the high officers and officials with whom I had talked be fore. I learned a lot from General Greg ory and his aides about the tremen dous industrial effort which it takes to produce what the army wears and eats and with which it is shaved and laved and sheltered. As long as there is a man in uniform he must be fed and clothed and furnished supplies from helmets and raincoats to socks and shorts to say nothing of a thousand odds and ends including writing paper, soap (they have a kind that will serve to wash clothes as well as bodies, and shave with too, and lather in salt water), tobacco, tobac-co, bug-powder, cigarettes, bandages, band-ages, shoelaces, razor blades, matches ... ad infinitum. Thousands of men clad In Woolens required by European weather will have to be supplied with cotton for the tropics. Thousands moving from the tropics toward the more northerly north-erly latitudes of the Japanese islands is-lands and China must have woolens to replace their cottons. Meanwhile, they will have to continue con-tinue to wear and to wear out what they now have on. Another factor is the length of the Pacific "pipe-lines" the great dis tances from base to front The "turn-around" time of the voyage of ships is longer than the voyage to Europe and there must be enough supplies at hand for the troops to cover the period between each de livery. All this will require continued manufacture by private industry for military use for a long time which means that much longer to wait for final conversion to civilian produce tion. This is why this new word "re' deployment" is not a happy one and why it holds within It so many headaches head-aches and so many heartaches which will try the coolest heads and strain the stoutest hearts. PAPER BALLOONS: Drop Bombs As a result of the appearance or balloon borne bombs in the West, the army and navy have undertaken an educational public safety cam-naien cam-naien in cooperation with schools and civic organizations in tne region to protect civilians against the dan ger of the explosives, Although no military threat, some live bombs may have descended to the ground In Isolated regions and wooded areas, or lay concealed De- neath melting snow, thus necessitat ing the utmost caution on the part of civilians. In informing tne pun- lie of the danger, the army and navy said the prevention of mishaps was of greater importance than the mere acknowledgment to the enemy that the bombs had drifted to the U. S. mainland. Borne by balloons of gray, white or greenish blue paper with a diam eter of 33 feet, the bombs are of no military significance because of their scattered and aimless appear ance, the army and navy said. Be cause of their haphazard nature, nei ther are they to be viewed with alarm by the- public, the services added. HOME FRONT: Reconversion Groundwork Until supplies of steel, copper and olnminttTYi arA rtihar TTlfltpHal are nk. of lor TT S rnnnnest of island. Isolated Jaos continue to hold . If VtM v. " ' - i COiaUUDUCU IIM 11UUUUIII1I1V1 . - out In cave positions on Iwo Jima, forcing marines to hole them out in production board has been setting laborious process. Here, one Leatherneck cocks grenade while buddies up machinery for more civilian stand by to cover bim. : v : - r: ; v ft ; . J v.. vM?? &A't'&4 l v - a i v . -J l 3 V if w x ' 'J -? " , PACIFIC: Bolster Home Front With heavy aerial bombardment heralding the approach of American Ameri-can forces to the Japanese homeland, home-land, Nipponese officials took measures meas-ures to strengthen enemy resistance even as rumors persisted that they were seeking an easy way out of the war now that Germany's defeat released re-leased full U. S. military might for the Pacific. Tearing a page from the Nazis' tattered book, the Japanese government govern-ment ordered the organization of 20,000,000 students and an agrarian militia Into a specially trained home guard reminiscent of Heinrich Himmler's ill-fated "volksturm." At the same time, steps were taken to crush pacifist sentiment and punish persons failing to turn in pamphlets dropped by U. S. bombers. . Japan sought to bolster the home front even as U. S. ground troops pushed the enemy back farther on bloody Okinawa, 325 miles from Tokyo. To-kyo. Progress remained slow and costly as the attackers were forced to move in the open under heavy small arms fire of the enemy to clean them from strong cave positions posi-tions dug in the hilly terrain. Despite De-spite Allied superiority, the Japs continued to send aircraft against U. S. shipping, with some vessels sunk and damaged. BARBS by Baukh'age Congress is going to look into the question of sugar being diverted into the manufacture of bootleg whiskey. Meanwhile tipplers say that a lot of sugar is being diverted into alcohol to dilute good whiskey. i The conservative is a man who has something to conserve to which ; he isn't too sure he has a legal title. I A radical is a guy who hopes so. , Ely Culbertson, former bridge ex pert, attended the San Francisco conference and gave suggestions (Not bad ones, either.) He also objected ob-jected to lack of leadership by the Americans. He didn't like the veto of aggressive action by the security council. o A woman is known by the enemies she makes (for her husband). British to Vote Again At the height of his popularity after the defeat of Germany, Win-ston Win-ston Churchill led the Conservative Conserva-tive party into Britain's first general gen-eral election in 10 years following the Labor party's failure to postpone post-pone the voting until autumn when enthusiasm cooled and itstood a better chance of winning. Incensed In-censed over the scheduling of the elections, the Lahoriles withdrew from the coalition government, leading to Churchis resignation as prime minister. However, he agreed to head a temporary regime until the outcome of the next balloting. EUROPE: Thorny Problems Diplomatic replaced military prob lems as Europe returned once more to peace, with ulti mate disposition of the Istrian peninsula penin-sula and major port of Trieste at the y Sii - riw':: ' Gen. Alexander Marshal Tito DRAFT: Younger Men to Go Coupled with the reduction of the size of the army, the services' request re-quest for younger men has resulted in the easing of the draft on men in the 30 to 37 years age group, with those engaged in essential activities virtually deferred indefinitely. With draft calls scheduled to be cut 30,000 a month to 90,000 after July 1, 45 per cent of those to be inducted will be 13-year-olds, 33 per cent 19 to 25, and 22 per cent over 26. Because of the services' Insistence on younger men on the ground that they respond more readily to military mili-tary training than do those over 30, 4-Fs in the 18 to 25 age group will be re-examined in the light of changed conditions since V-E Day and the possibility that some may have Improved in health since their rejection. Release of vets and displacement dis-placement of older persons from other war work also will allow the induction of men in the 26 to 29 class previously deferred because of their engagement in necessary industry. in-dustry. In considering deferment of men 30 and over, local draft boards were given the liberty to determine the importance of registrants' occupations. occupa-tions. Men previously deferred, however, will not be able to switch Jobs without their boards' permission. head of the Adriatic f sea between Italy and Yugoslavia tem porarily crowding f the troublesome Polish question into the background. Coveted and held by Italy because of its commercial importance im-portance to central ed by Yugoslavia because of its large Slovene population, Trieste became one of the early trouble spots of post World War II when Marshal Mar-shal Tito moved his Partisans into the territory and British Field Marshal Harold Alexander accused him of trying to back up his demands for it by force. With Allied troops also moving into the Trieste region to take over the port area to assure shipment of supplies to U. S. and British oc cupation forces in Austria ana southern Germany, and Alexander alerting his men for eventualities, there was an electrical tension to the situation until Tito finally backed down and indicated his will ingness to talk the things over. But if the Trieste incident seemed to come off smoothly, the Polish question continued to stick out like a sore thumb, with Marshal Stalin reiterating that the Moscow-spon sored Warsaw provisional govern ment must remain the core of any reconstituted regime and ex-Pre mier Stanislaw Mikolajczyk declar ing tha a communist dominated administration was unacceptable. Leader of the Polish Peasant party, and respected by Moscow, Mikolajczyk charged that until Rus sian troops and secret police were removed from Poland no free and open elections could be held to determine de-termine a representative govern ment. FREIGHT RATES: Territorial Equality First major victory in the South Vet(J Pact and West's fieht for equality in freight rates, the Interstate Com' merce commission ordered rail charges for manufactured and higher high-er grade goods raised in the East and lowered in the foregoing tern tories to bring them in balance Until a permanent system can be set" up, roads were directed to temporarily raise the so-called class rates 10 per cent in the East and scale them down 10 per cent in the South and West. Though Gov. Ellis Arnall (Ga.) said that the South would continue to press for other readjustments, the ICC action placed both the South and West in better position to compete with the East in industrial production. Confined to manufactured and higher grade goods, the freight rate revisions do not apply to bulk ship ments of such commodities as coal livestock, lumber, grain, cotton and sand. At the present, the South and West eniov lower rates on these items. goods output so that manufacturers will have a clear field when they get the "go" sign. . In preparing the ground for the resumption of civilian goods output, out-put, the WPB announced plans for production of 200,000 cars by the end of 1945; 530,000 refrigerators; 700,000 washing machines and nu merous common utility items. At the same time WPB removed the quota limitations from the out put of farm machinery and parts, with all manufacturers with over a $500,000 volume of business In 1941 compelled to submit their produc tion schedules for approval, however. how-ever. In revealing that output will be limited solely by material and manpower available, WPB an nounced restrictions had been tak en off a large list of rubber-tired equipment including wheel-type tractors, trac-tors, combines, hay balers, corn pick ers, beet, cotton and vegetable thinners, thin-ners, mowers, threshers and corn huskers. - Though 1945 output of 200,000 new automobiles is expected to rise to a rate of 2,000,000 annually by 1946, little of the early production will be available to other than essential users, what with the present stockpile stock-pile of cars down to 8,000. Although none of the new models will be radically rad-ically changed from 1942, they will sport new fender arrangements and ornamental trim and incorporate im provements in carburetion, braking, distributors, oil filters and water cooling. As in the case of automobiles, most of the early refrigerator production will be set aside for such essential users as hospitals and blood banks, it was said. In line with its anti-inflation anti-inflation program, OPA will strive to keep prices at the 1942 level, plus allowances needed for covering higher high-er material and wage costs incurred since. With postwar demand for washing machines set at 5,800,000, plans for production of 700,000 units this year will represent a drop in the bucket Should manufacturers be able to get additional materials, motors and parts without priority help, howev er, production may be expanded be yond the 700,000 level. Of equal importance to home- makers is WPB's removal of re straints on production of electric floor and table lamps, ironers and driers, coat hangers, bathtubs, mop wringers and pie plates among numerous other commonplace util ity items. HARD COAL: Operation of hard coal mines virtually vir-tually returned to normal as the War Labor board considered a new anthracite contract awarding workers work-ers underground travel pay and shift differentials for the first time in the industry. Concluded by United Mine Worker Work-er Chieftain John L. Lewis and operating oper-ating companies as the government took over hard coal mines after a three-week - walkout, the new contract con-tract granted employees $1.13 for 45 minutes of underground travel time. Workers on the second shift would receive 4 cents an hour more and those on the third 6 cents. Other features of the new contract call for an increase in vacation allowance from $50 to $75 and overtime over-time rates beyond 7 hours a day and 35 hours a week. Like the soft coal contract recently okayed by the WLB, the hard coal pact is dependent de-pendent upon government approval and increase in price to cover added costs. FARE ENOUGH FOR EVERYBODY, SAYS USDA The over-all food supply for civilians civil-ians in 1945 will be from 5 to 7 per cent smaller per person than last year's record consumptim but about 2 to 4 per cent above tne average aver-age level in 1935-39, the department of agriculture reported, with most foods in good supply, only meat will be relatively short Difficulties of distributing the smaller supplies' of some foods among civilians will be increased The reduction in over-all civilian food suDDlies from last year comes principally in the supplies of pork. lard, butter, other fats and oils, sugar, sug-ar, and canned fish. Smaller sup plies of these foods greatly increase the problems involved in tneir attribution at-tribution throughout the country. Larger noncivilian requirements than in 1944 are in prospect this year for canned fruits and vegetables, evaporated milk, and vhicken. so supplies may be shorter WORKERS' BENEFITS Revising unemployment compensation compen-sation laws to increase weekly benefits ben-efits and lengthen their riura;nn core of states have acted so far this year to insure an adequate standard of living for workers and tneir lamuics tnrough a reasonable period of reconversion and . vv, mini mize deflationary effects of unemployment unem-ployment Minimum benefits in most of the states were increased along with maximums, with the range between tne two anoui sio m most states. Washington, D. C. STRATEGY AGAINST JAPAN Back in 1937-38, Adm. William Leahy, now "chief of staff to the White House, devised a strategy against Japan, which, If put into effect, ef-fect, might have prevented Pearl Harbor and even World War IL Today, the old Leahy strategy Is being dusted off, especially on Capitol Capi-tol Hill, as the best means of finishing finish-ing the war with Japan. It would save thousands of American lives, Its proponents claim, and would serve as an example of how wars can be won or prevented by naval blockade. The proposals made by Admiral Ad-miral Leahy constitute one of the most Important and unwritten unwrit-ten chapters In the history of what happened shortly before the war began. Leahy, then chief of 'naval operations and one of the best strategists the navy has seen In years, saw all too clearly what was coming both in Europe and Asia. At that time, 1937, Japan had Just begun her full-scale invasion of China, and It was Leahy's Idea to make an example of Nippon which would show Hitler and Mussolini then feeling their oats that the United States meant business and would stand four-square behind the peace machinery of the world. ' Therefore, he proposed to Roosevelt Roose-velt a naval blockade of Japan In cooperation with the British fleet, using the peace machinery of the League of Nations and the nine-power nine-power pact which guarantees the sovereignty of China. Leahv argued that bv keeping the U. S. Navy In the Philippines and the British fleet at Singapore, we could cut off all oil scrap Iron, copper, cotton and other war materials ma-terials from Janan. Without these. he argued, the Japanese war ma chine would be powerless and would fold un in six months. Leahv fig ured that the United States would lose its gunboats on the Yangtze river, but that aside from this the main U. S. fleet would not have to fire a single shot British Start Blockade. President Roosevelt agreed. So did the British, And in the late summer sum-mer of 1937. the British actually de tailed 6 battleships, 12 cruisers and 20 destroyers to leave British home waters for Singapore. Just at that moment, however, the axis capitals capi-tals apparently got wind of what was happening, and Mussolini started his unofficial submarine campaign off the coast of Spain which detained the British fleet at Gibraltar. The Panay Incident. At any rate, the plan to blockade Japan, following the failure of the Brussels conference in October, 1937, was dropped. But, Admiral Leahy revived it again a year later, when, in December, 1938, the Japs sank the U. S. Gunboat Panay and the British Gunboat Ladybird. Leahy recognized this for what it was, a deliberate attempt by the Jap war lords to test out how much insult the United States would take, and to make Britain and the USA lose face with the Chinese. Accordingly Ac-cordingly he rushed to the state department and all one Sunday afternoon, December 13, 1938, one day after the sinking of the Panay, he urged Cor dell Hull to seize this psychological moment to put the blockade of Japan into effect The British were also willing to cooperate. And, Leahy pointed out, In another year, war, inevitably breaking out in Europe, would tie up the British fleet and they could not possibly help us in the Pacific. Russia, he 'also pointed out, had 60 submarines at Vladivostok, ready to help us cut off all scrap Iron, all oil, all cotton and copper from Japan. Without these, he 'argued, the Japanese war machine would be paralyzed. Pacing the floor of Hull's office with Leahy was Hugh Wilson, ex-ambassador ex-ambassador to Germany and one of the state department's foremost ap-peasers. ap-peasers. He opposed Leahy at every ev-ery turn, finally convinced cautious Cordell Hull that Leahy was too vigorous, vig-orous, that it was best to appease Japan. Less than one year later, Hitler had invaded Poland, the British fleet was desperately needed to defend British home waters, and the fat was in the fire. From that point on there was no possible way United States could blockade Japan -though many people have never understood why we went to the opposite op-posite extreme and Increased our shipments of oil and scrap Iron to Japan so that she laid in tremendous reserves before Pearl Harbor. Japan Can Be Starved. But beginning with V-E Day the Posset, -of blockading j.pjj for nlete? r SinCe 1939 was completely com-pletely reversed. Since V-E Day the !,L 6 PaCific- So Russian J?e.y- S- Navy. now no. longer needed to watch for submarines in the Caribbean or the Atlantic. Notes of a New York e, An Argentine official J I ln . gathering of CoL p '1 cers clique. He shouted- crats who are respite? war must not go i? ! Yankee and British im3 are trying to squeeze 02 Argentina to the wall ? do the same to Jj why the German nati,. Hitler struck back at jl Nor can we allow the 11 shevik alliance (Which J from Moscow) to hero mi too, must try to 'save! from the Red menace!' 1 At that moment a J placed a slip of paper into tW er's hand. He glanced at read, "Argentina invited I Security Conference." 1 Startled, the official clei throat and resumed: "Ar conclusion, gentlemen, I ,af live Democracy!" i Eat-Your-Own-Words Dei ward R. Stettinius, in a Rep. Jack Anderson of Cj (dated January 28. Jj the U. S. "should not S normal aipiomauc relations! Fascist military clique whj control oi Argentina." A couple of dainty debs Into a swank bar. "I never the afternoon," said the first neiuiug nerseu on the ltd I'm simply beat Gotta ha tmng to pep me up." "Me, too," moaned her "What were you doing?" "Oh, gahd," was the ti Just came from the most awl tau party." At the Metropole Cafe (J cussing the pro-and-conferenj mentioned that "Frisco" I term San Franciscans prefrf referring to that great city "Hmmmm." remarteit "whaddaya hear from J Francisco lately?" s A San Francisco gazette crime - ridden Gold Rush ! carried this item: "Some that there are really no force here but the divine li the law of nature; while are of the opinion that tha laws in force here, if they cc4 be found" . . . Newspaper i that day hurled insults both v and In print. Somewrote cal verse. They took sif political quarrels to the point fights and duels. One editor hung a placarf bis desk, reading: "Subscrip: ceived from 9 to 4; challeng 11 to 12 only." In the course of one of t ture tours, Mark Twain m stopover at a small Califomii Before dinner he visited the shon for a shave. . . . ' m stranger in town, aren't you' led the barber. "Yes," Twain replied. "IM first time here." "You chose a good time to ! the barber continued. "Mark is going to lecture tonight you'll be going?" "Oh. I euess so." "Have you bought your ticl you haven't you'll have 'cause everything Is kM warned the barber. "Doggone!" cussed Twai never saw such confounded Every time that fellow M have to stand!" A west coast war plant discovered a unique : r.hffpklnir absenteeism. A management committee iTj gates all employes w report for work. If K 1 that an Individual hi' ' needlessly absent, the iJ Ing payday he receiT -Jap currency In Us and a note which reads: j u m bonus by the Mikado. It Is Hko4 personal reward lor y nrnnrt far WOrfc. glad to pay you for a Ing the war maieiw diers need." The mother of a bobbysf a n,d mrnkMlinS the Otl She learned her daughter longer a child. The ! i u.j .ioTnn1 a gather1" a group of youthful sailors, cently pressed into the wnen tne teen-ag the house, the mother i" . v,a nartV. " a gooa umc i r -be a good girl." io wnicn aaugin." mother, make up your Gelett Burgess edited . H called "The Lark" m i oi its lamous cu""'"- -.- ense verse was Carolyn " j was in "The Lark'' that R classic, "The Purple peared, and also this to go to lectures, d ence stare, by walking their heads and spoilt r Burgess was wise. (: magazine while it fs tta explaining "I wanted" " and In Its freshness. 5C pi er lit 5 as :iio I. 1 v fcis. DC lard 'Jte tl Aim iied ;;be!o m am it 1.7" ;0 intri ton So 'Ho U "Un hi K J m hi si ;vi iC -a M; ill 4 J . |