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Show I DRW PEARSON JMMiZLXh .fc . r1.' t mT i - . - Washington, D. C. NEW TOMMY CORCORAN No announcement has been made yet, but the President has a new "Tommy Corcoran" astute young Joe Casey, ex-congressman from Massachusetts. Make a note of him. He will play an important role backstage back-stage around congress. But where Tommy the Cork and Ben Cohen frequently rubbed congress con-gress the wrong way, Casey's No. 1 iob is to promote White House-cor-gressional harmony. Casey is also making some Q.T. surveys for the President. One of them is to see whether members of the War Production board are deliberately de-liberately slanting their actions to smear the New Deal. Another Q.T. probe is of Elmer Davis' Office of War Information. Casey believes that shrewd, public-minded public-minded Davis could be of great value to the administration if asked to pass on more government moves in order to gauge their effect upon public opinion. Casey, therefore, may recommend that FDR submit all directives and executive orders to Davis before release to the public. On the congressional front Casey plans more visits to the White House by bi-partisan groups, which may be able to give FDR better advice than Harry Hopkins. Note: So far Casey has refused to accept any salary, but is slated later for a post in Jimmy Byrnes' Office of Economic Stabilization. WHY STALIN DECLINED The diplomatic grapevine has brought a new reason why Stalin 3idn't want to join the backgammon party at Casablanca the danger of being dragged into a political dis-( cussion over future boundaries of Europe. One year ago Foreign Minister Lit-vinoff Lit-vinoff flew to London, took the initiative ini-tiative in discussing post-war boundaries. bound-aries. But the British were gun-shy. Since then Stalin has reversed his policy of advance boundary agreements, agree-ments, has announced a policy of self-determination of nations. With large Russian and Slavic blocs in Poland, the Baltic states, Rumania, this means a good slice of eastern Europe would join Soviet Russia. " However, some U. S. plus some British leaders now have reversed themselves about not agreeing on boundaries in advance. Perhaps earing that Russia might reach too Ear, they want to work out preliminary prelim-inary peace plans now rather than haggle over them at the conference table. This advance dealing of the boundary bound-ary cards, according to the diplomatic diplo-matic grapevine, was what Stalin wanted to avoid at Casablanca. Note: What Russia wants after the war is a slice of Finland, one-iialf one-iialf of Poland, the Baltic states, the Carpathian provinces of Hungary, the Dobrudja from Rumania, all of Bulgaria, which is very pro-Russian, snough of Jugoslavia also pro-Russian pro-Russian to secure an outlet on the Adriatic; and an outlet on the Persian Per-sian gulf. This would give Russia direct access to the Mediterranean and the Indian ocean. Obviously Churchill, who says he wasn't made prime minister to liquidate the empire, em-pire, can't be enthusiastic about that. RED ARMY United States military observers explain recent Russian successes in terms of a development not generally general-ly realized in the United States liberation of the generals from political po-litical domination. Under the system which prevailed in Russia in the early months of the war, the Red generals were responsible respon-sible to the political commissars. This made them overcautious, prevented pre-vented daring, resolute action. Then came the requirement that commissars themselves take military mili-tary training and indoctrination. Simultaneously their authority over the generals was removed. Now the Red army is run by the Red army. THE RUSSIAN FRONT Though the Russians admitted Brig. Gen. Pat Hurley to the front lines, they still have not revoked their ban on foreign military observers. observ-ers. Their explanation for what it's worth is that they would have to admit Japanese observers as well, since they are still at peace with Japan . . . Most impressive to Americans who have been anywhere near the Russian front are the earnest ear-nest but improvised supply methods. Across the Russian steppes come food and ammunition for the men at the front behind a team of caribou, or oxen, or on the shoulders of men afoot. Any way and every way, the people of Russia keep supplies moving. mov-ing. CAPITAL CHAFF C Keep an eye on Dick Patterson, ex-assistant secretary of commerce, now head of RKO, as next U. S. minister to Canrida. C A secret session of U. S. senators sat with Chinese leaders the other I day to try to drum up more aid to China now virtually nil, despite Roosevelt's statement that more was being flown in now than went over the Burma road. (FDR didn't let his Far Eastern experts see that speech or he never would have said tt). |