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Show I WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS . J. Edgar Hoover Says Potential Fifth Column of 540,060 in U.S.; Wheat Crop to Miss Billion Mark (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) I Jailed - $ 4f I ' , FA J V' ' j CONSUMERS: Buy More Heavily The commerce department has announced consumer incomes, the mainspring of retail buying, rolled up to $212,800 million a year rate during April. The April showing constituted a $600 million annual-rate gain over March and was the second consecutive consecu-tive monthly increase. The gain "reflected an expansion In payrolls that was largely offset by declines in proprietors' income and transfer payments", the department de-partment said. The decline in proprietor's income occurred chiefly in farm income as livestock marketing receipts declined de-clined in a season when they normally nor-mally rise. "The net Income of farm operations opera-tions for the first four months of 1950 was about one-fifth less than in the same period last year," the department said. "The rise stemmed primarily from increased activity in the durable dur-able goods and manufacturing industries. in-dustries. Higher employment and a longer work week in factories producing transportation equipment, machinery, machin-ery, and other fabricated metal products were mainly responsible for the advance of total wages in durable-goods manufacturing." POTATOES: Shoot-in' Bug Dust Now It can be told. A hundred million pounds of surplus American Ameri-can potatoes have been sent into Soviet Germany to feed victims of the potato bug fantasy. Recently the Soviet controlled radio ra-dio and press went into a song and dance about American planes dropping drop-ping potato bugs in the Soviet zone. The Communist propaganda said the United States sewed insects to blight the east German crop, to lest out germ warfare, and sell capitalistic bug poison. American officials called the charges ridiculous and said the Communists apparently were trying to condition the pepole for crop failure. The continued broadcast by the Communists on the potato bug theme and the silence maintained main-tained over the shipment of un-branded un-branded American potatoes were looked on as evidence of a campaign cam-paign to cover up production failures. fail-ures. The potatoes were shipped by a New York broker to a Swiss firm in Hamburg. Another deal was reported re-ported underway to ship 18,000 tons to Frankfurt in Western Germany. In both cases, state department officials suspected that the potatoes po-tatoes were going to the Communists. Commu-nists. RENT CONTROL: Senate Extends With what observers called an eye for the November elections, the senate passed, 36 to 28, a 6-montb 6-montb extension of rent control. The law is due to expire June 30. Many of the Democrats who voted for extension did so frankly in response re-sponse to an appeal made in party caucus by majority leader Scott Lucas. He told his colleagues his chances to defeat his Republican opponent in Illinois, Everett Dirk-son, Dirk-son, hung on Democratic support for rent control. The following day the house voted 202 to 163 to extend the rent control measure. The house measure, meas-ure, however, would extend rent control seven months. Now the two chambers must appoint ap-point a committee to iron out the length of extension before the bill can be sent to President Truman. Like the senate bill, the house measure provides that when extended ex-tended federal law again runs out on December 31, 1950, or January Janu-ary 31, 1951, depending on which version is adopted the governing bodies of municipalities can vote an additional extension until June 30, 1951. Primary Winner FIFTH COLUMN: 540,000 in U. S. Of all the men in high government govern-ment security posts, J. Edgar Hoover, director of the F.B.I., possibly pos-sibly commands more respect than any other. For that reason, his statement that the Communists have a potential fifth column of 540,000 people in the United States, made public some four months after he testified before a senate committee, gave Red conscious Americans a shock. He was explicit on two points: (1) Communists are seeking American Amer-ican atomic, military and industrial indus-trial secrets with every trick and means at their disposal; (2) Subversive Sub-versive Communists are more active ac-tive now than the Nazis and Fascists Fas-cists ever were during World War II. The "orbit of Communist control," con-trol," he said, has increased from one seventh of the world's population popula-tion in 1917 to one third of the world's population today. "The intensification of communism commu-nism and underground activtity In the United States has increased proportionately. If we are to preserve pre-serve our internal security in times of emergency, it is incumbent incum-bent that the identities of those who work against the peace and security se-curity of America be established." The F.B.I, chief revealed that native-born Communists and sympathizers sym-pathizers are after information on atomic research, radar, jet propulsion, propul-sion, coastal maps, military airports, air-ports, biological warfare, and Industrial In-dustrial resources. His agency is handicapped In dealing with them because present espionage laws are intended mainly main-ly for aliens. Hoover also reported, "To counteract coun-teract the F.B.I.'s penetration of the Communist party, its leaders have established a far-reaching and vigorous loyalty program of its own, calling for establishment of investigating committees in each state and a thorough investigation investi-gation of each member of the part as to personal history, activities, associations, contacts, and length of membership." SENATOR TAFT: War if Necessary Senator Robert Taft of Ohio, the Republican policy chieftain who has as good a chance as any for the GOP presidential nomination In 1952, has issued a frank and complete, if somewhat startling, one-package statement on U. S. foreign policy. The main points: (1) The United States should go to war if Russia moves into western Europe; (2) He doubts there ever can be a complete bipartisan foreign policy poli-cy to cover all areas of the world. The senator, however, did not entirely abandon the music of isolationism iso-lationism with which he has often been associated. He added that he believed the U. S. can contribute most to meeting the challenge (of Russia) if it maintains "a free hand" and avoids any committments, committ-ments, such as arms aid, now or "land-mass fighting in Europe" if fighting breaks out. On the bipartisan foreign policy problem, Taft was not jumping completely to either side of the fence. He wanted it understood he believed a bipartisan policy could be achieved on "specific projects" when there is advance consultation consulta-tion with "elected Republicans In congress." He was critical of two recent developments, de-velopments, particularly the "balanced "bal-anced collective forces" concept agreed upon by the Atlantic pact foreign minister in London, and the $1,222,500,000 second-installment arms-aid program. He said the building up of European forces might incite Russia to attack on grounds that it constituted "aggressive "ag-gressive action." NEW CAMERA: 26 Miles in Picture The Air Force has announced the development of a camera that will take 26 miles of picture from 10,000 feet. The picture can be taken in two seconds. The air force said the camera tests to determine its value in reconnaissance. re-connaissance. Whether it will be Installed in new aircraft was not disclosed. The distance can be increased by a corresponding elevation of the plane, the air force reported. INVASION: Red Youths Threaten Ever since the gigantic Red youth rally in Soviet Germany it has been apparent to observers that the Communists, were not satisfied sat-isfied at all with the results of that rally. Now East Germany threatened to send its blueshirted Communist youths marching into West Germany. Ger-many. And western leaders warned they would "shoot If necessary" to keep them out. John Howard Lawson (left) and Dalton Trumbo (right) are shown on the way to jail to start a year's imprisonment for contempt of congress. Hollywood Hol-lywood writers, they refused to tell the bouse committee on un-American activities whether wheth-er they were Communists. WHEAT CROP: Miss Billion Mark For the first time In seven years, the nation's farmers will fail to harvest a billion-bushel wheat crop this year, , the agriculture department depart-ment has predicted. This means, the government forecasters said, the income of wheat farmers will be down some $400,000,000. The government predicts a harvest har-vest of 944,514,000 bushels as the result of voluntary reductions in plantings under the government's acreage allotment program, and from bad weather and insects. The record crop was harvested in 1947 and amounted to 1,367,186,-000 1,367,186,-000 bushels. Last year 1,146,000,000 bushels were harvested. The forecast, fore-cast, incidentally, is well under the 10 year average of 1,032,000,000 bushels. Observers pointed out it means the government may have to dip into its big price support wheat surplus to meet the combined domestic do-mestic and export needs in the year ahead. The government now has approximately $4,000,000,000 invested in-vested in farm surpluses. The agriculture department said prospects for the corn crop now generally are favorable. Plantings are expected to be smaller than a year ago because of the acreage allotment program. The report forecast an oat crop of 1,380,000,000 bushels, four percent per-cent more than last year. Rye production, pro-duction, forecast at 22,400,000 bushels, bu-shels, would be 20 percent larger than last year but still smaller than average. DISARMAMENT: U. S. Just Talking Sixteen outstanding scientists, educators, and clergymen have issued is-sued a five-point program calling for total disarmament and accusing accus-ing the United States of just paying lip service to disarmament while actually discouraging such a step. The five points: 1. An immediate halt to atomic bomb production, with stockpiles to be taken over by the U. N. pending pend-ing further negotiations. 2. Acceptance of the Soviet proposal pro-posal for national rather than international in-ternational atomic ownership, under un-der an agreement blocking large-scale large-scale production. 3. Acceptance of the American proposal for international inspection inspec-tion of atomic resources and production. pro-duction. 4. A compromise in the U. S.Soviet S.-Soviet disagreement over whether atomic stockpiles should be destroyed des-troyed before or after international controls go Into effect. 5. Abolition of all armies and conventional armaments at the same time atomic weapons are destroyed. de-stroyed. The report was signed by Albert Einstein and novelist Louis Brom-field, Brom-field, among others, and said in part: "Officially appointed representatives representa-tives to the UN tell the world that the U.S. wants disarmament and only Russia stands in the way. Yet other American officials do what they can to discourage disarmament. disarma-ment. Most observers agreed the program pro-gram proposed was idealistic, but hardly practical in the light of world events. 10 Million to I While much of the nation was reading about methods to curb gambling, a story from Las Vegas, Nev., reported a gambler made 28 passes at the dice table, something that happens once in 10,000,000 times. The gambling casino said it lost $150,000 and the gambler, who won only $750, could have taken $268,-435,456 $268,-435,456 had he let his bets accumulate. i ( X i James Roosevelt gives out with the famed Roosevelt smile after winning the Democratic Demo-cratic nomination for governor govern-or of California. He will meet Governor Earl Warren, Republican Re-publican nominee. In November. Novem-ber. REMINGTON: Resigns Post William W. Remington, commerce com-merce department employee, who with Michael Lee, another $10,000 a year man in the department, were handed a "quit or be fired" order last May. has resigned his post. Remington is under indictment for perjury. He is accused of lying ly-ing when he denied ever being a Communist. Lee has refused to resign until the loyalty board has ruled on his patriotism. |
