Show nation to be active fator factor in postwar post war peace plans majority of american people ask participation in international organization to maintain harmony by BAUKHAGE news analyst and commentator service union trust building washington D C slowly the pattern of americas postwar w war plans are taking shape but only the pattern when congress returned it was evident that no matter how much disagreement there might be as to the details of the rols role the united states will play in the postwar post war world the people have registered one idea they want to take part in some kind of an international organization to maintain peace the same opinion turned up in the conversation of 0 three members of congress of widely differing political sentiments with whom I 1 talked shortly after they returned speaker sam rayburn told me that the one phrase which received the most applause in the speeches he made in the southwest was when he said that the united states must do a mans job for peace two leading republican senators expressed the same idea namely that the people seem to lie be ot of one mind that america must join in in some kind of international effort after the war to maintain peace the disagreements in congress are chiefly a difference in degree and represent a discussion for the most part over details that nobody expects congress to decide in advance anyhow of course there are two things which make for lack of harmony one is the natural desire of each political party to criticize the other in a campaign year the other is the effort of small groups to get over their own particular ideas secretary of state hull in his speech of september 12 made it plain that the adm administration inist ration was in favor of an international organization which would agree to use force to maintain peace implying that the united states would offer its armed forces in co collaboration with other nations to stop aggression he went further on the subject j act than any official so far but there has been a feeling on the part of many members of congress that the people would support such a policy pooling of resources meanwhile the public has gradually come to the realization that winston churchill as the kings first minister with plenary powers p 0 aers and president roosevelt as c commander mm andr in chief and therefore with similar authority have agreed that the united states and britain will pool their military resources not only until the fighting ends but until the emergency is ended they will do this merely by continuing the committee of joint chiefs of staff they have made it plain that they consider the emergency or as an official spokesman for the united states described it a period of transition will not end until the last peace treaties are signed in other words the united states and great britain intend as long as the emergency exists to take part in an organization to establish and maintain the peace by means of what amounts to a military alliance between the two nations prime minister churchill was ready to sign a written n agreement which would include britaina Brit ains pledge to remain our ally and continue the war with us until japan was beaten that much he told the newsmen and he added the president had said it was not necessary that his word was good enough presumably the written agreement would have included the continuation of the joint committee of the chiefs of staff too but written or unwritten such a pact now exists it is therefore clear that the president intends if he remains in office to maintain an interim arrangement cangeme ran gement nt which will keep this country an active factor in world affairs to th the e point where its policies will be supported by military action this will be of indefinite length as churchill put it until it can be shown that a better arran arrangement geme nt including all nations can be found to supplant it in one sense therefore it is less important what decision the congress or the administration makes right now as to its foreign policy since there will be plenty of time for the people to become fully acquainted quain ted with the whole situation during the transition period when two of the strongest nations remain united the important thing of course is to obtain the operation cooperation co of the third most powerful nation russia and that is what is on the fire right now until we know a little more about dussias Rus sias views and intentions tent ions it will be impossible to make a detailed plan for the postwar world battle of italy beginning of end As I 1 write these lines the startled moon has just slipped behind a jagged curtain of clouds like a transport sliding under the protecting cloak of a smoke screen that comparison leaps to my mind because all day I 1 have been following as you have and as closely as either of us could the progress of the greatest military undertaking which an american army has attempted in this war the battle of italy for the battle of italy is the storming of the very portals of the reich eich the outer rim it is true but nonetheless the first breastworks of hillers Hit lers inner fortress here for the first time american soldiers hardened hardene d on the harsh sands of africa and the cruel hills of sicily meet the guardsmen guardsman guards men of the nazi citadel not a colored bi army diluted dil buted by a halfhearted half hearted ally it italy aly but ut dogged german fighters defending the gateway to their own their native land the end of the beginning has en ended d the beginning of the end has begun and we who have watched every sign and every signal as the curtain between what we thought and what we knew was lifted realize how little we and the world can guess of the inner and complicated workings of this great war machine As the armies of the allies attack the enemy citadel the leaders of th the allies roosevelt and churchill plan a new edifice the invasion of sicily and the invasion of italy were planned at ca casablanca sa blanca where for 24 hours the few newsmen who were permitted t to 0 know kept the secret of the m meeting itself beside the historic waters of the st lawrence in the citadel at quebec the marching orders were sealed while we newsmen m en waited blinded and deafened to all but the most general ideas I 1 what are those marching orders some other startled moon will tell civilian defense proves its worth As germany begins the defense of her inner fortress and the once feared has been converted fram an offensive to a defensive machine the problem of keeping up the morale of civilian defense in this country is a difficult one it would be foolhardy to lie down on the job now for history has shown that frequently fierce and bitter conal conflicts acts grow out of victories and until the last shot is fired and after that it safe to desert the ramparts recently the value of civilian defense training was proved in a manner which received very little recognition tion outside of the immediate vicinity when the congressional Cong limited the crack train that ru runs between new york and washington was wrecked in philadelphia when the twentieth century limited limite d an other crack train between and new york was wrecked and when a hotel burned in houston texas the civilian defense organization zat ion proved its mettle on all three occasions invaluable service was rendered by these unselfish men and women who have so long answered mock alarms and gone on duty for practice drills it was definitely shown that in the case of the wreck of the congressional limited and in the houston fire lives were actually saved by b the th defense workers in philadelphia a group of air raid wardens meeting near the scene of the wreck were the first to arrive on the scene in a short time trained workers were at work assisting police and helping the rescue so effectively did they handle the traffic that in spite of the great crowds lanes were kept open so that all injured persons not actually pinned in the wreck had been removed to hospitals within 35 or 40 minutes |