Show WEEKLY Y NEWS ANALYSIS Masaryk's Death Crystallizes Red Menace as US ELS Prepares to Act Spring Rash of Strikes creaks Breaks Ou O Released by I EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE When opinion ere r d fn In th these thu columns they are arc those 0 01 I v. Union new news analysts and ond not nt of thi this tida MASARYK YI Death in Prague Whether J Jan an Masaryk Czechoslovakia's Czechoslovakia's Czechoslovakia's Czecho Czecho- slovakia's foreign minister took his own life or was liquidated by bythe bythe bythe the Communists r really rally didn't make any difference The Communist government had announced that he had leaped to his death from a first second or third-floor third window U. U S. S newspapers newspapers newspapers news news- papers readers could choose their own version of the foreign office in Prague Later reports by highly authoritative authoritative authoritative persons insisted that Masaryk Mas- Mas had been murdered by Com Corn An alleged eyewitness testified that he had seen Masaryk's Masaryk's Masaryk's Mas- Mas body after its reported fall to a concrete pavement and that it bore no evidence that the tile foreign foreign foreign fore fore- ign minister had died in such a 1 am m manner anner Supporting the murder theory was the fact that Masaryk was reported reported re re- rc- rc ported to have met President Edouard Edouard Edouard Ed- Ed Benes Bencs the day before his death and the two were said to have planned something the Communists Communists Com Corn wished to prevent Unidentified Czech officials who I have escaped from Prague reported reported reported re re- re- re ported also that President Benes was a prisoner of the Communist regime But whether Jan Masaryk son of the founder of the Czechoslovakian Czechoslovakian Czechoslovakian republic had been murdered murdered murdered mur mur- dered or goaded to suicide by his intolerable position one thing was certain Communists had killed him just as surely as if they had put a pistol to his head and pulled the trigger T L 11 li ilio IUS L own JyL sw Jue was not just because he was seeking seeking seeking seek seek- ing an escape but because it was the last service he could do for his country throwing country throwing light by his own destruction on the terrible destructive force that is ism NERVES Tf Warlike I The alternate ostentatious flexing flexing flex flex- flexing ing of muscles by the United States and Russia was it appeared shifting shifting shift shift- shifting ing in status from a cold war to a war of nerves There were the unmistakable signs of the military preparing lo Ia reassert itself Many reserve officers officers officers of of- had received letters pointing pointing pointing point point- ing out that although they were not being called to active duty immediately they would do well to prepare themselves for such a possible eventuality In the Pentagon building in Washington army planners were working late at their desks Procurement Procurement Pro Pro- Procurement officers were reported to be showing great interest in cement cement ce ce- ce- ce ment mont factories since cement i iS vital in building und underground shelters shelters shelters shel shel- and fortifications Ru Russian sian troops were said to be rn i. i he u u U no one would venture to say whether this was pure bluff a threat of retaliation to the Marshall Marshall Marshall Mar Mar- shall plan and union of western Europe or a show of force in intended intended intended in- in tended to influence the coming elections in Italy But President Truman himself precipitated precipitated precipitated pre pre- the worst outbreak of war jitters when he publicly proclaimed proclaimed pro pro- proclaimed claimed that his faith in the attainment attainment attainment at at- of real world peace had been shaken although he still believes believes believes be be- real peace is possible In this crisis the U. U S. S government government government govern govern- ment was stressing these points which e embodied m b bod o d i e d administration policy for meeting the situa situation tion 1 1 I The European recovery plan is should be carried out promptly o 2 The U. U S. S encourages formation formation forma forma- I. tion of what Marshall called a apolitical apolitical apolitical political association in western Europe Europe Europe Eu- Eu rope as the first step toward restoring restoring restoring re re- re- re storing stability 3 O Spread of Communist governments governments govern- govern ments anywhere in the world including China nna is opposed by the tile American government which will do everything everything n in its power to block communism 4 A The U. U S. S will continue to F. work for world peace wherever wherever ever possible Finally any estimate of the situation situation situation sit sit- must include this inescapable inescapable inescapable pable conclusion Neither Russia nor the U. U S. S war now and more important neither could afford afford af af- af- af ford to fight one This particular decade continues to be a period worked by a shifting of forces and consolidation of strength where it will do the most good if and when I the real showdown comes I STRIKES Miners Widespread strikes in the nations nation's nations nation's nations nation's na na- na- na tion's soft coal fields fields' were touched off by J John olm L. L Lewis' Lewis la latest test foray into the national scene a demand for month a pensions for his miners The United Mine Workers leader had asked rank-and-file rank reaction to his charge that coal operators had dishonored the 1947 contract by failing to grant pensions And his miners produced the exact reaction reaction re reaction re- re action he wanted as almost of them in 11 states quit to support support sup sup- support port Lewis' Lewis stand at the very outset outset outset out out- set of the difficulties It was not a strike in the technical technical technical cal sense of the word Lewis mall in m all his power simply had nodded his shaggy head and his men quick to catch the signal walked away from their jobs The current mine contract does not expire until June Jun 30 but it provides that the miners need work only as Jong as they are willing willing will willing ing and able r Impact of the soft coal walkouts showed first in the nations nation's steel industry where output is threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened if the shutdowns continue for any length of time Many of the c closed I 1 0 S sed e d m mines i n e s are captives whose entire output goes to the steel companies Packers Fraught with an even greater immediacy than the mine walkouts walkouts walkouts walk walk- outs however was a nationwide strike for more pay by members of the CIO CIa packinghouse packinghouse packing packing- house workers The strike went of off as sched- sched an iri urgent request oy cy President Truman asking the packing packing packing pack pack- ing companies and workers' workers representatives representatives representatives rep rep- to maintain the status quo without interrupting negotiations negotiations negotiations until April 1 at which time a board of inquiry was slated to report report report re re- re- re port to him on conditions of the strike In reply to the President the union union un un- un- un ion strike board rejected his proposal proposal pro pro- proposal because it said the packing packing pack pack- ing firms would not agree to placing placing ing even their wage proposals into into into in in- to effect during the negotiation As the strike beg began n government government govern govern- government ment records indicated that the entire entire en en- tire nation would come to feel the curtailed meat supply after the first week with some areas more severely affected than others GOVERN GOVERNMENT Expensive Total per capita cost of running the federal government for one ye year r has zoomed since 1939 1039 tn to a n r nort i K hu fl l Ti T rr J IJA Foundation It now is about a year compared with 69 in 1939 War of course was mainly responsible responsible re re- re- re for the increase T Tot Total o t a 1 estimated expenditures for the fiscal year 1948 are billion billion bil bil- bil- bil lion dollars War and its aftermath aftermath after after- math accounted for almost 23 billion billion bil bil- bil- bil lion of that But the blueprint for 1949 said the he foundation registers an in in- crease It quoted President man Truman Truman Tru Tru- In the fiscal year of 1949 1049 79 per pcr cent of our expenditures reflect the costs of war the effect of war and our efforts to prevent a future war TREATY 50 Y Yeas Years cars Communist expansion was going meet a roadblock if the nations to of western Europe had hod any a y voice voce in the ma matter France and the BeneluX R Britain Lux Lax Luxembourg Netherlands and Belgium embourg nations adopted adopted a 50 treaty for a political cco- cco year and military union of western western west west- Europe in an out and out move em ern communism that to check the threatens their independence Delegates from the tile five countries countries coun coun- tries completed their efforts after more than a week around the conference conference con con- ference table The alliance was a direct out-growth out of the union of western European n a t I ion o a s suggested suggested suggested sug sug- in J January a n a u a r y by Ernest Bevin British foreign secretary The treaty was believed to bind the nations to mutual assistance in the face of aggression mutual aid in the economic field cooperation oper co atOn in improving their Ii living 1 1 v i n fl g standards and a me measure of coordination coordination co co- co- co ordination of colonial resources It was just a beginning but a one fl In the eyes of U. U S. S government leaders the alliance was not only a desirable but esary clement element if the Marshall plan for recovery is to work at all SAY UNCLE Palestine People continue to ask the Arabs and Jews of Palestine to stop their futile wrangling France China and the United m States sent an appeal to the Jews and Arabs of Palestine and also alsoto to the six Arab state members of the United Nations asking them to take steps to promote a truce in the Holy Land fighting There was no real confidence among delegates of the three iia- iia that their request would be heeded Russia the fourth country country country coun coun- try taking part in the big power talks on Palestine refrained from joining in the appeal because the Soviets have taken the typical stand that there is no need for the big powers to consult with the theAL AL ana I Most observers t tho thought h o u ugh g h t the truce appeal looked like wishful thinking For one thing no group among either Arabs or Jews in Palestine Palestine Palestine Pal Pal- estine is in a position to control its dissident members and thus guarantee guarantee guarantee guar guar- antee a truce Moreover the idea of a military truce does not bear upon the heart of the problem The United Nations Nations Nations Na Na- is still committed on paper to partition while the Arabs adamantly adam adam- adamantly I antly continue to reject that proposal proposal proposal pro pro- I and the Jews assert just as I strongly that they will accept nothing else ACCIDENTS Women's ell s I Accident rate among girls and women women wom worn en has been reduced by about one half in the past 35 years as a result of modernization modernization modernization mod mod- I of the American home according according according ac ac- ac- ac cording to statistics compiled by Metropolitan Metropolitan Metropolitan Metro Metro- politan Life Insurance company Illustrating the reduction in home hazards the statisticians said are the shift from oil lamps and gas for lighting lighting light light- ing to the electric light bulb replacing of the traditional coal stove by the modern gas or electric range and use of central heating instead of stoves and fireplaces Mortality from rom burns fell fen from per in m 1911 to 14 in 1946 a 1946 a Iper decrease lse of 86 36 per cent I |