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Show War Bases in England DECAUSE of the tense Berlin situation, what amounts to revival re-vival of wartime American air bases will be set up in England almost immediately. Two groups of B-29s of about 30 planes each are re-establishing active American bases in England. They will be under the command of Gen. Curtis Le May, who also commanded the wartime operation of B-29s from the mid-Pacific against Japan. Air force officials, while withholding with-holding comment, admitted that the two groups of B-29s operating operat-ing from England will take no part in ferrying food to Berlin. Their function will be to "growl." It has been an open secret for some time that in case of a showdown show-down with Russia, American air bases would be set up in England. In fact, this was discussed with the British government through diplomatic diplo-matic channels some months ago, and it was agreed that England would make, bases available to the United States in case of a European crisis. Sending the two groups of B-29s is interpreted as the first step to establish bases which could be used in case the United States had to withdraw other air bases from German Ger-man soil. The Russian blockade has not been able to keep the stork out of the American sector in Berlin. Ber-lin. In fact, the stork has an especially easy time there, for hospital charges, including prenatal pre-natal care, are only $15. . . . One of the hardships suffered by blockaded Americans in Berlin is tearfully told in the official U.S. bulletin: "Owing to gasoline rationing, house delivery of Coca Cola Will be temporarily suspended." sus-pended." Showdown in Berlin Ire against Russia is so tense In Berlin that certain high-placed U.S. officials (civilians) have been urging urg-ing Gen. Lucius Clay to break the Soviet blockade by force. They want him to arm a food tram in the American zone of Germany Ger-many and send it speeding through the Russian zone to Berlin with U.S. troops in armored cars riding just behind the engine ready to shoot if the Russians resist. These U.S. officials go so far as to plan counter measures in case the Russians sabotage the rail line. They propose that a corps of U.S. army engineers be sent along to repair any torn-up rails, also to repair the River Elbe bridge if it is blown up by the Russians. Some officials, quite close to Clay, claim that Russia is not ready for war and would try to "localize" any trouble with the United States. There might be some clashes between U.S. and Red army troops around Berlin, Ber-lin, they advise, but Russia would not let them spread to the rest of Europe. She would back down first. General Clay, however, doesn't . agree. So far he has rejected this explosive advice. He says that if an Incident took place, you never can control men's passions. Trouble might spread whether Moscow wanted it or not. Privately, Clay has described such measures as "unwise and dangerous," likely to "commit us to war." Instead General Clay favors economic eco-nomic sanctions, before making a move which would convert a cold war into a shooting war. For instance, in-stance, Clay thinks that we have been too lenient with the Russians regarding shipping and air facilities, facili-ties, that we should crack down on the Russians economically. This would hurt, but not risk war. In brief, here is one historic case where a soldier is reluctant to use force though civilians urge it. McCarthy's Crusade A one-man crusade to liberate the millions of war prisoners still held as slave laborers in Russia, France and Britain, has been launched by Wisconsin's Republican Sen. Joe McCarthy. The ex-marine officer, who flew as a tail gunner against the same men he now hopes to sot free, is bringing a lot of political pressure to back up his humanitarian appeal. McCarthy cannot speak out against Russia for holding German and Jap prisoners in forced labor as long as France and Britain are guilty of the same tactics. The plight of these prisoners, still in bondage three years after the shooting has stopped, is described in Red Cross reports re-ports to McCarthy. It is estimated esti-mated that nearly five million war prisoners are still held by the victors, much as slaves were brought back by the conquerors con-querors of the dark ages. Most of these are working off reparations inside the Soviet union. How many have died from exhaustion, exhaus-tion, overwork, undernourishment and bitter cold is impossible to say. |