| Show Round Merry By Drew Pearson and Robert S. S Allen WASHINGTON With WASHINGTON With the world spotlight focused upon the Balkans the imp aU-imp important all situation in hi Italy has almost escaped public at at- at Real fact is la that Italy has been taken overby over overby overby by Germany and that Mussolini is virtually a prisoner of his axis partner Uncensored diplomatic dispatches report that the Italian people are dazed helpless can hardly hardly hardly hard hard- ly realize what has In the south they are apathetic But in the north around Turin and the industrial centers workers have sabotaged machinery stalled production and great numbers have been thrown into jai jaiL The jails are crowded but the sabotage continues Italian street crowds salute and cheer when black troops pass then curse under their breath afterward There is a growing rift between the black- black shirts and the regular army The regular army anny never did favor the invasion of Greece In order to understand the complete collapse collapse collapse col col- col- col lapse of Italian morale it is necessary to re remember remember remember re- re member that Italy has been fighting off andon and andon andon on for about five live years Her campaign against Ethiopia began in 1935 Next year came the civil war in Spain lasting until 1938 Then in 1939 came the pres present nt war Meanwhile the Italian people have finally realized that they have secured nothing from this war war not not even Tunisia which the French were on the verge of giving them Nor has Italy received any of the neighboring neighbor neighbor- ing French provinces demanded with so much noise and thunder by Mussolini In other words five years of fighting with nothing to show for it has put the Italian people in the same frame of mind as Germany when finally she surrendered in 1918 Argentine Canned Beef It has has' been only two years since every cattleman cattleman cattleman cattle cattle- man in the country was berating Roosevelt because he the purchase of pounds of Argentine canned beef for the navy But national defense and the good neighbor neighbor neighbor neigh neigh- bor program have brought revolutionary changes in two short years And today cattlemen cattlemen cattlemen cattle cattle- men are acquiescing to the purchase of not a amere amere amere mere pounds but pounds of South American canned beef Donald Nelson coordinator of national defense defense delease de de- de- de lease purchases already ha has has' the okeh of the American Livestock association for this pur pur- chase In return he told the cattlemen he would buy heifer beef from them also reduce the minimum weight standards on fresh beef purchased purchased purchased pur pur- chased for the army Now gentlemen in return for these concessions concessions concessions con con- cessions said Nelson I would very much like to have your approval of certain purchases of canned beef leef eef we are planning to make from South America If memory serves me the navy got into hot water last year year when it bought between and pounds from Argentina How much South American beef do you plan to buy Mr Nelson asked Elmer Brock president of the livestock association Well the defense commission has arranged for the purchase of pounds as fast asit as asit asit it can b be delivered replied replied- Nelson As a matter of fact domestic packers arent aren't able to supply enough canned beef at this time for the army's ration requirements But aside from that this is is' a friendly gesture to our neighbors to the south and good neighborliness gentlemen is vital to national defense perfectly true Mr Nelson said Brock Let me assure you that in view of the very fair concessions made to us by the war department and the national defense commission commission commission commis commis- sion the least we can do in the interest of national national national na na- na- na defense is to give our hearty approval of these South American purchases Mr 1 Smith Goes to Latin America It looks as if Senator Barkley was right when he denounced the box office smash movie Mr Smith Comes to Washington That film is now causing all aU kinds of headaches for the U. U S. S A. A m in South America where it is used by the nazis as one of their deadliest propaganda weapons John Hay Jock Whitney has just made this report to the Rockefeller branch of the national defense commission The story of a grafting senate ganging up on a young reformer Whitney says is being circulated through Latin America as an illustration of U. U S. S government graft Another big problem for Whitney is is' news reels Just how damaging a news reel can be to t the e good neighbor bor policy if even a slight detail of sequence is IS overlooked was illustrated m In a recent report to the state department by Norman Armour ambassador to Ar Argentina entina In a Buenos Aires theater one night Armour was was witnessing American Americ n news reel shots of an air raid on Great Britain Immediately following following follow follow- ing ng th the rai raid pictures a bathing beauty contest in m California was flashed on the screen seen The letdown of the audience was terrific Armour reported pointing out that the news newsreel re reel l made it appear the United States had its mind on bathing beauties instead of defense Distributed by United Feature Syndicate L. L i. i l' l K f |
