Show f 7 P a I DR W EA ON KIRK MacARTHUR-KIRK DUEL WASHINGTON In V In In a highly seI secret secret se se- se- se I cret session before the senate military military mili mili- tary affairs committee last Thursday Thursday Thursday Thurs Thurs- day Gen George Marshall army chief of staff refused to guess when the end of the war with Germany will come According to all logic he said the German resistance should I be at an end now but there is no sign that the army is collapsing The Thc I Gestapo still retains its hold of terror terror terror ter ter- ter- ter on Germany Marshall pointed out that German gasoline stocks arc practically dried up and that the Nazis do not have enough fuel to move their supplies I let alone their armored vehicles and artillery n the other hand he said their supply problem is far simpler than ours because they are fighting at home Their repair and replacement job for tanks and other vehicles is also comparatively sim sim- When Allied armor is knocked out it means that it is lost if the damage is too much for the field repair repair repair re re- re- re pair bases wh while Jc a Nazi tank which has suffered far more serious damage damage damage dam dam- I age can be taken right into a tank factory not so many miles from where it was hit This is a tremendous tremendous dous advantage he said The chief of staff also told the senators that it is a mistake to figure that the Japs will fold up quickly once Germany is out of the war Although its losses have been heavy Japan still has hasa a formidable army and vast stores of supplies He would not estimate the length of time needed needed needed need need- ed to defeat the island empire But Cut he insisted it would be extremely extremely extremely ex ex- tough going Marshall said nothing during this session about his plan to take over as supreme commander in the thc Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- once Germany falls but members members members mem mem- bers of the committee now take that for Dr granted Explanation General MacArthurs MacArthur's army friends in Washington have a unique explanation explanation explanation for his refusal to let Maj Gen Norman Kirk surgeon general of the army visit Manila on his recent inspection tour They say privately private private- I ly that no suitable housing was ava available Jable for General Kirk One MacArthur supporter who is familiar familiar familiar famil famil- with the Kirk incident added When you are a star five-star general you dont don't have to give an explanation tion for what you do Further details of General MacArthur's MacArthurs MacArthurs MacArthur's MacArthurs MacArthur's Mac- Mac Arthurs Arthur's refusal to let General Kirk touch foot even on the Island of Luzon in order to inspect army hospitals hospitals hospitals hos hos- there have now leaked out Kirk as head of the army medical corps arrived in Leyte with a staff of medical experts ready to place them in strategic positions in Luzon where fighting was heavy at that time As a courtesy to MacArthur Kirk radioed him from Leyte island that he was coming He received in reply a message saying that his presence was not needed Scarcely believing his eyes General Kirk gave MacArthur a chance to change his mind by sending another telegram ram which said in substance Dont understand understand under under- stand your message Do you mean by your telegram number so-and-so so that my assistance is not welcome General MacArthurs MacArthur's reply was brief and to the point It read No repeat no Kirk then got in his plane boiling mad and came home Note The Note The war department for some time has been split into the pro-MacArthur pro and the anti Ma anti MacAr Arthur Ar- Ar thur schools Many of the generals general's own contemporaries dont don't like him feel that he has never given sufficient sufficient sufficient suf suf- credit to men who bore the brunt of the Pacific fighting such as General Krueger Eichelberger Kenney Arnold and others They also resent the tIle fact that news dispatches from the Pacific must bear the dateline dateline dateline date date- line General MacArthurs MacArthur's headquarters headquarters headquarters head head- quarters and point out that in contrast contrast contrast con con- Eisenhower requires no such date line and has given much credit to Generals Patton Hodges Simpson Simp Simp- son Patch and Devers all of whom are well known to the public whereas where where- as few know the names of the generals generals generals gen gen- commanding MacArthurs MacArthur's armies Here is one story as to how American American American Amer Amer- ican troops managed to capture the important Ludendorf bridge across the Rhine A group of Nazi anti-Nazi students students students stu stu- dents are reported to have been quietly organizing in the Rhine valley valley val val- ley Icy and secretly joined Hitler's Hitler Elite guard the Schutz staffel in 1942 where they have been boring from within ever since It was this group that is reported to have tipped off ofT the American command that the Remagen bridge would be intact EUROPEAN DEATH TOLL One thing Joseph Stalin pointed out to Roosevelt and Churchill that I greatly impressed them at Yalta was the terrific toll the Nazis had exacted from the people of Europe seventh One of Polands Poland's population population tion has been destroyed by the Nazis Stalin said a preliminary investigation investigation in in- I disclosed Stalin also pointed out that Hitler Hitler Hitler Hit Hit- ler had won a tremendous victory over the Allies by permanently frustrating frustrating frus frus- the birth of some in conquered countries 1 f t 6 |