| Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS By Edward C. C Wayne Communist Plot o Is s Charged are by Vichy Following Shooting Attack on Laval British Russian British Russian Forces Occupy Iran ran Senate Launches Gas as Shortage Probe EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE When NOTE When opinions are expressed In these columns they are au those of the news analyst and not Dot necessarily of thin this newspaper Released ed by Western Newspaper n Union nn ye f fa v r a a s st t p jj t I i Some of the workers in the Kearny Keamy N. N J. J shipyards arc are pictured pictured pictured pic pic- as the they went back to work after the U. U S. S navy had bad taken over supervision of the plant Producing defense shipping the yards ards had been closed for 18 days because of a CIO strike LAVAL And a Purge b bIn In Paris three men were guillotined guillotined guillo guillo- tined as the first action in a purge of Vichy anti-Vichy elements clements following the thc shooting of Pierre Laval and Marcel Deat Deal French leaders advocating advocating cating eating closer collaboration with Ger Ger- many Special courts convicted the assailants and it was declared that the attack on Laval was but part of ofa a vast Communist conspiracy IRAN An Occupation That the Russo British Russo-British British action against Iran would be virtually an occupation rather than a full fledged invasion was seen almost immediately immediately immedi immedi- after v the troop movement started Two things were early indications of this fact first the sending b by British transport planes of small detachments de der of troops far into the interior interior in in- to protect British industrial outposts second the fact that points like Bandar which could have been bitterly defended fell at once to the invaders In fact it was apparent that while the Iran government might have been under the Nazi thumb bec because because lUse I of the presence in Ul the country of hordes of fifth columnists it was not a heavily implanted thumb and within the government itself was apparently apparently ap enough friendly strength to create an early offer of peace That Russia and Britain would regard regard regard re re- gard this peace offer as acceptable acceptable acceptable accept accept- able only i if they were given control control control con con- of key points was obvious The refusal of the Iranians to expel the Germans as demanded by Britain and Russia was Nazi inspired ItIs it itis itis is true but the decision to offer to expel them after the invasion was under way and the Nazi bluff had been called was entirely too pat to suit the invaders A glance at the map was sufficient to show the tactical i importance of Iran in any defense of India and the Middle East and collaboration ration with Russia from the great centers of British supply would demand some point of land contact Also the oil establishments on both sides of the Caspian sea demanded protection and the position of Iran demanded control of that area in order order order or or- der to accomplish this The Berlin reaction to the Iranian adventure of the Soviet and Britain was not expressed until the campaign campaign campaign cam cam- was nearly over and then it was called a classical case of brutal attack on a neutral state which had done everything to prevent prevent prevent pre pre- vent war and respect the interests of third parties GAS Senate Probe It was forecast that Leon Henderson Hender Hender- son price administrator was con conS contemplating setting a ceiling price on gasoline in the East as reports of profiteering by individual filling tilling stations stations sta sta- sta poured in as the shortage real realor or imaginary began to be felt The senate undertook an investigation investigation gation to answer these questions 1 Is the shortage real or imaginary 2 Is there an organized effort to confuse the public 3 Was the country country coun coun- try justified in transferring 50 tankers tankers tankers tank tank- ers from the Ule gulf eastern trade to Britain 4 Are Arel the tank cars being used to their f fullest ability to overcome overcome overcome over over- come the shortage At the same time the President had signed an order giving the right of eminent domain to a company which was to build by December a 1200 mile pipeline from tram the central southern oil fields to the Ule southeastern southeastern southeast southeast- ern refineries The Thc mayor of Atlanta Ga showed how much confusion there was by informing the oil administration that the oil companies told him there was plenty of at fuel oil and plenty of gasoline and plenty of at transportation tion for Atlanta's needs He asked Why therefore should Atlanta be made the Ule victim of propaganda I RUSSIA Still Fighting b b Despite the loss of with or without the huge power dam and in spite of repeated German which announced announced announced an an- the continued successes of the thc Nazi arms at the north and south there was every evidence that the Soviet was continuing to fight and to battle with an organized army of sorts It was one thing for the German- German Finnish army to report itself 35 miles from Leningrad and another thing to explain the lack of announcements announcements announcements an an- of at airplane damage to the city of an any extent The Germans also reported advances advances ad ad- vances south of the city yet these were averaging eight to nine miles milesa a day as against the 30 or 40 miles daily gained in the ba battles tUes of France and Poland The Russians reported a fierce battle for the mastery of the skies over Leningrad with the issue in doubt The city they said was still Moscow also elicited the breathless praise of the British mission mission mission mis mis- sion for its defense against German air raiders There was every indication indication indi indi- indication cation that the Russian strength and ability had been underestimated both by Hitler and the rest of the world It was true that the third month of the war found the whole left bank of the in German hands but there was evidence that the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans had planned to conquer what they sought of ot Russia in one month and then to offer peace to Britain The peace offer was still in the offing so offing so was the German drive on Russia as far as the objectives were concerned Any serious capitulation on the part of the Soviet seemed asfar as asfar asfar far distant as ever The Russians had reported a daring daring daring dar dar- ing adventure on the central front the sending of a well-equipped well army in a southerly direction to attempt to cut the German lines at Gomel and to trap the entire advance force No definite report was forthcoming ing as to the outcome of this effort but British hints sent out over Aver the wire after bright hopes had been entertained for tor nine days das during which some 20 villages were retaken retaken retaken re re- taken finally seemed to show a growing belief that the effort had failed J JAPAN P AN Again Storm Center The official Japanese mento that it would consider the shipping of at oil to Vladivostok by Britain the United States or the Dutch East Indies an unfriendly act again placed Nippon in the Ule center ofa of ofa a storm especially as this was considered considered con con- Japans Japan's official answer to the warnings of Churchill Russia's answer to Japan was that she would consider it distinctly an unfriendly act if Japan interfered in any way with Russia's commerce through her principal Siberian port The Russians Russians' called to the attention atten atten- a attention tion of Japan that the material thus received was not in any way to be used as a reservoir for any attack on the Japanese but solely to defend defend defend de de- fend herself against the invasion of at Germany Any child could see the truth of this statement but the more that Russia was on the Ule defensive in the west the bolder Japan was bound to be Japan however much she might be worried by possible British British-Amer Dutch ican-Dutch military and naval action against her could not be expected to lose much sleep over Russia which she had whipped In 1904 and which now was was' embroiled in hi a war to the death with the Nazis But if it Russia's attitude was to be actively backed up by Britain was another picture and if the Ule United States was to become active in a Japanese British war then the picture picture picture pic pic- ture was still different again To most observers Japan seemed to be feeling her way ARMY ARl Praise From Stimson Secretary Stimson gave the army a pat on the back when he said those troops maneuvering in the Pacific zone which he inspected were far far ahead in their training of any of the divisions sent to France in the first World war Stimson and General Marshall looked them over and expressed pleasure at the job being done with the West coast troops The general said The army has shown tremendous tremendous tremendous tre tre- improvement since the maneuvers in April The object Isto is isto isto to permit soldiers to make all the mistakes when they are not too t to too costly cost cost- cost ost- costly ly and can be corrected corrected corr He indicated that the army will not be caught napping when the time comes to expand its numbers again He said Camp sites are being selected and preliminary surveys made for 20 cantonments If the need arises we shall shan be in a position to start building immediately If it doesn't we can file the plans away ICELAND 1 News at Last The ban of the government on news from Iceland was I lifted ted and returning correspondents began picturing picturing picturing pic pic- turing to Americans what I life e is like on the newest frontier to the east cast One of them described the country as a fishy smell surrounded by piles of cinders and quoted the first soldiers he talked to as saying it aint much compared to the USA U.S.A. The town of Reykjavik they reported reported reported re re- ported has two movies but both have their ticket windows closed at 3 p p. p m. m sold m.-sold sold out However the Americans had seen all the pictures before so they didn't mind mind much much The only refreshing beverage was beer beer l 1 per cent The stores open at 1 a a. a m. m and close at 6 p. p m. m and at noon Saturdays The girls the American soldiers reported were like the climate cold climate cold Yet the economic conditions the wealth of the people and the character character character char char- acter of the buildings were uniformly uniform uniform- ly reported to be good Most of the houses and buildings in Reykjavik were said to be of sturdy reinforced concrete and would have done credit to any modern American city TAXES Still in ill Making b bIt N It was evident that the huge tax bill which many thought was all set for passage after the house got through with it paring the expected down to was still in the making For the senate more operative co-operative with Capitol Hill was quick to recommend recommend rec rec- recommend a widening of the income tax base bringing about more into the fold and later engaged itself with a move to raise corporate taxes as well weIl The income tax recommendations alone if carried out and put through the house in conference later would increase the total amount to be raised to and many expected still more to be tacked on What would be the reception of these Ulese ideas in the more recalcitrant house was difficult to foresee but that there would be bound to be some increase over the amount set down by the lower chamber seemed fairly obvious The main thing was that the tax bill generally believed to be ready for tor passage still stin faced rehashing before a final vote FAST HOP Atlantic 2 71 Hours A new achievement for the high- high powered motored four Libera Liberator tor bombers made by Consolidated for forth forthe forthe th the B British Hish was reported when the company announced that one had flown the Ule Atlantic 2350 miles from Newfoundland to Ireland in TA 72 hours The details of the flight were sent to the company by the British minIstry ministry ministry min min- for aircraft production and were obtained from the navigator |
