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Show Washington, I). C. QUIET CONFIDENCE It brought no headlines, but Chief of Staff General Marshall made the first step toward better co-operation between Capitol Hill and the Executive Execu-tive Branch of the government by holding a quiet conference with key senators and representatives. He gave them an intimate, and on the whole optimistic, progress report re-port on the war, which left a good impression with congressional leaders. lead-ers. Both Republicans and Democrats Demo-crats were present, most of them from the military affairs commit-tees, commit-tees, and also the vice president, the speakers and other leaders. General Marshall gave the actual figures on American losses in North Africa. These must remain confidential, con-fidential, but they were encouragingly encouraging-ly small. He explained that one rea-son rea-son for the light casualties was General Gen-eral Eisenhower's peace arrangement arrange-ment with Admiral Darlan. General Marshall attached great importance to this, since the army, navy and civilian population in North Africa were under the influence of Admiral Darlan. Therefore he suggested sug-gested to congress that it would be very helpful if there were no critical crit-ical speeches of the admiral despite his Vichy connections. Admiral Darlan had come to visit his son who was stricken with Infantile In-fantile paralysis, General Marshall said, then had returned to France. But when his son suffered a relapse, Darlan came back to North Africa. Thus it was pure accident, but a very fortunate one, that he was in Algiers at the time. Darlan had given the order immediately which resulted in the saving of many American lives. General Marshall also paid high tribute to Robert Murphy, the state department's charge d'affaires in France, who spent most of his time in North Africa. It was Murphy who mapped out most of the advance political plans of the U. S. army. General Marshall was also optimistic opti-mistic regarding the amount of Nazi strength being diverted from the Russian front, especially airpower. He felt that Hitler would have to take more and more planes away from Russia to protect Italy, now considered the soft spot of the Axis, and that Hitler could not lick Russia without airpower. Another optimistic part of the war picture, the chief of staff said, was New Guinea, where he expects some real Allied progress against the Japs at Buna. Note: Secretary of the Navy Knox is now following Marshall's cue and has invited members of the senate and house naval affairs committees to have dinner with him some evening eve-ning soon. As a result of the elections, elec-tions, it looks as if the executive branches of the government had awakened to the fact that there was a congress. HITLER INFLUENCE If Hitler moves in on Spain, he may accomplish at one blow what we have failed to do in nine months of diplomatic discussions with Argentina. Argen-tina. He may force that South American Amer-ican country into a break with the Axis. It was Argentina which principally gummed the works at Rio de Janeiro last January, when astute Sumner Welles, undersecretary of state, was trying to line up all 21 Latin-American countries behind a resolution to break relations. There Argentina Foreign Minister Ruiz Guinazu insisted on "neutrality" "neutral-ity" and Argentina remained on the fence. Ruiz Guinazu is a great admirer of Spain, is proud of his own Spanish Span-ish blood. Furthermore, he points to Spain's "tradition of neutrality" as the best guarantee of peace. So If the Germans now attack Spain, the Argentine government would almost be forced to come to the defense of the mother cduntry by breuking relations with the attacking at-tacking country. Note: Resignation of Argentine War Minister Tonazzi, a friend of 'the United States, is regarded here as the first Important rift in the Castillo government. COURTEOUS MRS. CORDELL HULL Mrs. CoiMell Hull was leaving the Shorcham hotel one morning when she encountered Dr. Jose Richling, former minister of Uruguay. "Can I take you son. where?" she offered. "I'm going to the state department," depart-ment," said Richling. "Come along, I'll take you." "But are you going that way?" "No, but it doesn't matter. I have nothing to do. Anyhow, I want to see how my husband works." CAPITAL CHAFF Cln spite of space shortage, a mag-nlflcent mag-nlflcent suite of offices In the stale department is still reserved for the venerable "General of the Armies " Unfortunately Pershing has to spend all his time at the Walter Reed hospital hos-pital CThe U. S. army In North Africa will consume local fruits and vegetables, vege-tables, not lo mention lamb and mut-ton. mut-ton. produced there In large quantities, quanti-ties, and formerly shipped to Italy, France and Germany. |