Show 9 P OR W EA ON Washington D D. D C. C NOT ONLY A FIGHTER BUT ALSO A DIPLOMAT Gen Dwight Eisenhower has a lotof lot lotof lotof of tough jobs in Africa and one of them which doesn't get into the headlines is to be the diplomatic negotiator among high French Among other things he has been very adroit in handling General Giraud Giraud Gi Gi- raud who escaped from Fr France dressed as an old woman and who now is in command of French forces in North Africa Actually General Giraud expected expect expect- ed to be commander of all forces in North Africa both French and American He is one of the highest generals in the French army and before France fell feU would have replaced replaced replaced re re- placed General Gamelin as chief of staff had he not been taken prison prison- er Therefore since he outranks Eisenhower and has had much more varied experience it is not unnatural unnatural unnatural ural that Giraud should aspire tobe to tobe tobe be comm commander chief of the entire entire entire en en- tire North African operation including including including ing the U. U S. S army Eisenhower however has a charming personality a broad grin a smattering of French and had little trouble in handling General Giraud Gi Gi- raud Another complication was the fact that Giraud hates Admiral Darlan Yet Darlan as a member of the cabinet outranks him In addition there is General another top-ranking top officer So it has been worked out that commands the French civil population Giraud the French army and Darlan the French fleet SIDETRACKED PLANES When Wendell Vendell Willkie conferred with Stalin in Moscow the Russian leader was critical of the British for sidetracking American lend lease goods in Scotland and substituting for them inferior British war sup sup- plies The inside story of this can now be told Last summer a shipment of Aira- Aira cobras was en route to Russia from the United States and the convoy stopped to refuel in the British Isles At that time General Eisenhower preparing for the second front in Africa asked that these fast fighting planes be given to him instead of being sent on to Russia General Eisenhower was so insistent insistent in insistent in- in that he finally went to Prime Minister Churchill personally who finally agreed that the be sidetracked for use on the forthcoming forthcoming forthcoming forth forth- coming African front OVERRULING ROOSEVELT More and more it looks as if Ferdinand Ferdinand Ferdinand Fer Fer- dinand Eberstadt the Wall Street broker is becoming the most powerful powerful powerful pow pow- erful man in in the War Production board and one of the most powerful in the government It hasn't leaked out yet but recently he managed to overrule the vice president of the United States the undersecretary of state and Lend-Lease Lend Administrator tor Ed Some time ago Eberstadt appointed appointed appointed ap ap- pointed as chief of export priorities priorities priorities Major Tom Armstrong of Standard Oil of New Jersey who had operated in various Latin American American American Amer Amer- ican countries Armstrong had been vigorous in bucking the development of Latin American government- government owned oil companies and the Latin Americans dont don't like him Therefore Therefore Therefore There There- fore they squawked when they heard he would now sit in their all- all important priorities position where he could decide whether they could or could not r receive oil equipment to develop their owned government-owned industries in competition with Standard Standard Standard Stand Stand- ard and private companies Undersecretary of State Welles agreed with the Latin Americans and protested to the President So did Vice President Wallace of the BEW SEW and also who buys lend-lease lend oil equipment for Latin American governments As a result of these protests elt ordered Donald Nelson to dismiss Major Armstrong However er Eberstadt in effect has overruled overruled overruled over over- ruled the President He insisted that Armstrong remain And he is still on the job a a CAPITAL CHAFF C. C Mrs Roosevelt looking from an airplane on the new marble structure structure structure ture known as the Jefferson Memorial Memorial Me ME- morial remarked I doubt if J Jefferson Jefferson Jef Jef- ef- ef ferson would have liked to see money money money mon mon- ey spent that way C C. There are already applications applications applications on file for commissions from civilian life lile fl Q Except for a few rare specialists the only route to a commission nowadays nowadays nowadays now now- is to get into the army as a private then attend an officer candidates can can- Hda tes school D. D Not to be stalled by lack of gasoline gaso gaso- gasoline line one sightseeing company in Washington has hired and repainted an old two-horse two ten passenger wagan wagn wag- wag an m n wh which ch drives around the c capital as Victory Sightseeing D Q n. Warning that the war department will Nill dispense no more cellophane Secretary Stimson says ays it does no good for applicants jo o write appealing letters to him which open with the catch phrase I know what a busy man you are jut tut u Some people write to Stimson timson at his home expecting personal per- per tonal jonal attention |