Show e g. J 5 51 rE iF 5 J e f. f Z How Long Will War Last lasH y s Answer Remains in Doubt r rough r of Thorough Thor Thor- Successful American Offensive Result ough Planning Two Possibilities May Jt Alter Picture in Russia I By BAUKHAGE News Nc Analyst and Commentator Features 1343 H Street N. N W. W Washington D. D C. C How long will the war last Two things have happened in the thelast thelast thelast last weeks which have made people ask that question again even if the answer remains as deep in the mire of specula speculation tion as ever The first event is the significant passing of the first milestone on the road to Tokyo On the little islands and about harbor which British British British Brit Brit- ish Admiral J Jellicoe in the last war said contained the finest natural harbor harbor harbor har har- bor in the world the marines landed and now have the situation well in hand The first American offensive inthe inthe in inthe the war was accomplished not without without without with with- out losses but with success and as asa asa asa a result of a plan worked out nearly five months ago It was a surprise attack and yet there were many in Washington who guessed that something something something some some- thing was about to pop in the Pacific They did not know what They didn't have any idea that it would be on the scale of the battle of the Solo Solo- mons But for a full week before it took place I found great interest in certain quarters in the activities of the Japanese in those islands The people I talked with probably didn't know what the navy was planning plan plan- ning they ning-they they were not naval officers officers- but they did know that the Japs were busy as bees completing a fine airfield on Guadalcanal and getting ready to prepare other complete in installations installations installations in- in on the nearby islands especially developing and protecting the harbor for a submarine base Also Japanese forces there would be too near the island of New Cale Cale- d donia ni on which American forces are stationed for comfort New Caledonia Caledonia Caledonia Cale Cale- donia is much further south opposite opposite opposite site the western coast of Australia I mentioned this activity of the Japanese Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- anese in the Solomons on the air more than once right up to the eve of the battle and nobody questioned questioned questioned ques ques- my script script script-I I mean there was no question from the censor Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps even the censor wasn't in on the secret Anyhow the blow was just about to be struck It was struck and it may mean the turning point in the battle of the Pacific So much on the he credit side Russian Picture But in the same weeks which saw this achievement of American arms the Russian picture began to unfold unfold unfold un un- un- un fold as darkly as the pessimists pictured it The story of the campaign campaign campaign cam cam- of the Caucasus is not over yet but the Nazi armies have carried carried carried car car- ried on so far at a tempo beyond that which even the pessimists did not calculate upon Two things may brighten the Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian picture The sudden appearance appearance appearance appear appear- ance on the northern fronts of a mysterious army of red reserves which some believe have been hidden hidden hidden hid hid- den in the long shadows that cloak all of Russia's war plans Second the revelation of much greater losses on the paIt part of the Germans than are evident at this writing Based on developments to date however Washington hopes for fora a short war as one military man put it to me but is preparing for fora a long one I suppose a short one would be defeat of Hitler by 1944 1944 a long one any longer than that with the fighting in the Far East to continue still longer t and then the indefinite period when United Nations troops will have to patrol the world to keep a semblance of order The he reasons f for r these he e pr sti- sti are first the fact that Hitler Hitler Hitler Hit Hit- ler now has food and oil in his grip second with a strong German army in control of the Caucasus and Russia's Russia's Russia's Rus Rus- sias sia's chief area of raw materials materials' and war industries cut off the Red army can be of no positive military assistance to the United Nations Unless those mythical reserves turn up This means that Germany cannot be broken by blockade that a powerful powerful powerful pow pow- erful expeditionary force will have to defeat Hitler's armies More Predictions Speaking of predictions there have been many of late concerning the war and a number have been gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered together in a very readable book page called Prophets and Portents Thomas Y Crowell ComPanY Company Company Com Com- pany by Rolfe Boswell These somewhat vague prophecies do not intrigue me very much but they are interesting reading One however which has been quoted considerably of late is more modern than most of the rest and is remarkable to me because it actually uses the word fascism although it was written in 1842 and so far as I know that word had never been used to describe describe describe de de- de- de scribe a form of government It is isby isby isby by Heinrich Heine written after his self-exile self to Paris This is what Heine wrote just a hundred years ago When revolution starts stars spreading pre ding around the world we shall witness the advent of the most frightful of all foemen who ever set out to fight against the established way of life This opponent has not appeared as asyet asyet asyet yet but will arise under the name fascism and will be the most competent competent competent com com- enemy who ever has countermarched countermarched countermarched counter counter- marched against the existing order War will be only the first scene scene in the titanic drama and will be just justa a curtain The second act will be the European revolution and world revolution the gigantic conflict conflict conflict con con- between those who have and those who lack The future tells tens us of cruelties of blood of atheism and of vast intrigue in intrigue intrigue in- in and plotting I warn our grandchildren to come into the world with shoulders and backs padded padded padded pad pad- ded heavily It well wen may be that the ancient belief of absolutist tyranny tyran tyran- ny will step out upon the worlds world's stage once again this time in new attire with new war cries and shib shib- ee Where Men Are Men Men Men- And Women Are Absent Just about the time that ne news came to Washington that the Japs had landed on Attu island in the Aleutians I received a copy of the Kodiak Bear Now I have had a nodding tossing peanut-tossing acquaintance acquaint acquaint- ance with a couple of Kodiak bears a at t the Washington zoo for many years but like most people I never connected their name with an American base off Alaska where this journal is published The Bear is a page six s seven seven- ven- ven column newspaper with a red-hot red and some very peppery correspondents on its staff I would not estimate or ident identify y its circulation circulation circulation tion if I could since it is printed for the American forces that is probably a military secret But Bui whoever the readers are they certainly certainly certainly are a lively lot according to the accounts of their doings And they have a variety of tastes That Thatis is clear from a two-column two headline on a page one story It reads Baseball Fishing Girls Religion Keen Keep Outfit Bus v J Where men are men the story reads and women just arent aren't something must be done to take up idle moments The men have constructed constructed constructed con con- themselves pong ping-pong tables tables ta ta- ta- ta bles and tournaments are frequent But gentle reader dont don't let mention mention mention men men- tion of that innocuous pastime of of tennis table-tennis mislead you The baseball has started to cleave the theair theair theair air the reporter continues and many have taken up axe and knife throwing Not so innocuous I would say Fishing tackle is out too and the chronicler predicts that it wont won't be long before the smell of fresh fish frying on the griddle will be a de de- de- de light The very idea is a delight right now Twice a week religious min meet meet- ings are held But as for the ladies the last paragraph reveals the sad truth The news on that score is limited to heart-breaking heart accounts of soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers who dont don't get those letters from back home any more It seems the writer from far Kodiak concludes absence makes the heart grow for fonder-for somebody else Ask the man who no longer owns one To men there is real pathos in that Its It's bad enough to be bea a soldier in a foreign land but in the lonely domain which the Kodiak Bear reveals reveals re re- as its habitat it must take a lot of pong ping g knife e throwing etc to make up for the things u inanimate in in- f animate Tl and ad otherwise the ise these boys left behind them a |