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Show Washington, D. C. MUSSOLINI NEEDS VICTORY IN GREECE Upon the outcome of the war In Greece depend several things besides be-sides the question whether Hitler pushes on to Suez. Probably the most important Is the war's effect upon the Italian people especially in case of set-back or defeat. For a long time, U. S. intelligence reports have indicated that Italy was the Achilles heel of the Axis and that the Italian people were none too enthusiastic about their partnership partner-ship with Germany. Basically, the Italians always have sided more with Britain than with Germany. For years they had distrusted Germany, Ger-many, and for an equal number of years had done business with Great Britain. Furthermore, the war has put a severe economic pinch on the Italian Ital-ian people. In return they have had no great victories and conquered no important territory. Hitler has been able to show new conquests to arouse the enthusiasm of the German Ger-man people, but Mussolini has had nothing to show except Albania and" British Somaliland. Even the much-heralded advance of Marshal Graziani in Egypt now has bogged down on the sands of Sahara. So Mussolini needs a Greek victory and needs it badly. And if ' he doesn't get it, observers in Italy ! believe that dissatisfaction among I the Italian people might become so great as to lead to a new dictator in Rome. Note Because of her vastly superior su-perior air force and more modern army, the odds are very much in favor of an Italian victory. Outcome of the war, however, depends on how much aid Greece can get from Britain, which cannot risk taking too many troops away from its Egyptian defenses; also whether Jugoslavia and Turkey come in. HULL'S WORRIES Deep absorption in the Greco-Italian war caused Secretary Cordell Hull to muff bis lines in delivering his speech on foreign affairs for the newsreels. Hull was supposed to speak three "takes," with a pause between the second and third. Instead he stopped after the first and began staring into space. Recalled to the business at hand by the cameraman, he snapped his finger and exclaimed, "Sorry, I guess I've ruined everything for you boys. Would you mind starting over again?" "Not at all, Mr. Secretary," grinned Tony Muto, Fox Movietone lens-shark. "But you sure had something some-thing on your mind." "It's that situation in Greece," explained ex-plained HulL "I've been so concerned con-cerned with it all day that I forgot for a moment that you boys were taking my picture. I promise to do better next time." MAIL BAG S.G.C., New Albany, Ind. Roosevelt's Roose-velt's speeches during the last part of the recent campaign were written by Judge Rosenman of New York, Irving Brant, and Robert Sherwood, Sher-wood, famous playwright. However, Roosevelt's speeches, after being written in rough draft by others, are rewritten by himself. The Philadelphia Phil-adelphia speech was largely his own. E.P., Springfield, Mass. Secretary Secre-tary of State Hull did not attack John L. Lewis in his speech before the Press club, though it is true that a criticism of Lewis was contained in the original draft of the speech. When Frank Waltman, G.O.P. publicity pub-licity chief, protested Mr. Hull's right to address the Press club, the secretary of state removed all political polit-ical references from his text and merely discussed foreign affairs. MERRY-GO-ROUND The plan still is in the discussion stage, but top-rung New Deal economists econ-omists are seriously proposing that the WPA be abolished and replaced with a large-scale public works program pro-gram for national defense. The army Is preparing for any eventuality no matter where it happens. hap-pens. It has quietly purchased over ! 7.100.000 yards Of mosquito netting. Areas chiefly plagued by mosquitos are Alaska, Newfoundland, Greenland Green-land and Latin America. Senator Charles McNary is one of the nattiest dressers in congress, also the best bean baker. The Ore-gonian Ore-gonian loves to bake beans over an open fire, using bacon, molasses, sherry and 11 hours of simmering. Out-going Vice President Jack I Garner is the only man in history ! to have his picture hung at both ends of the Capitol. An oil painting of the former speaker hangs in the house loLVy, and another portrait, by Howaid Chandler Christie, has just been put up in the senate lobby. Friends are kidding Henry Wallace Wal-lace about being disqualified for the job of vice president because, unlike Jack Garner, he docs not "strike a blow for liberty." After eight years in Washington. Wallace docs nol drink. At luncheon together the other day were Charlie Chaplin, Walter Win-chell, Win-chell, Ernest Cuneo and Assistant Secretary of State Adolf Herle. Remarked Re-marked Cuneo afterward: "I ivns a mere ego in a whirlwind of super egos I practically had to blow a whistle to Insert one word in tlio con versation." |