| OCR Text |
Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Released Diplomats, Newspaper Men Tell Inside Stories of Axis Unrest; Armored AEF Arrives in Ireland; WPB Cancels War Plant Construction (KDITOR'S NOTE When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.) . Released by Western Newspaper Union. , i MARTINIQUE : Laval Laments 'Blow to France Though his opinion was not asked by the U. S. state department, Pierre Laval, pro-Nazi chid of the Vichy-French government, gave a rejection to most of the six U. S. demands concerning the Caribbean island of Martinique. The state department had earlier submitted to Admiral Georges Robert, Rob-ert, high commissioner of the French possession, a request that if the status of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guade-loupe, and French Guiana were changed "the United States could no longer guarantee their belonging to the French people." What the U. S. really wanted was to immobilize French warships and airplanes now in the Martinique area, and some method for checking on persistent reports that this region was being used as a base for Nazi submarine activity in the raids on Atlantic coast shipping. Laval said that these demands were a "grave blow to French sovereignty" sov-ereignty" and that France would not relinquish any of her rights over Martinique "no matter what happens." hap-pens." To this unsolicited statement state-ment Washington gave the cold shoulder. It looked like the state department intended to deal directly with officials on the island rather than with Laval. ' M ft Atf I ,4s CAS 'rl "Sorry, No Gas" just a sign of the times in eastern seaboard states since gas rationing went into effect. A sharp curtailment in automobile travel is the direct result of Axis submarine activity against U. S. coastal shipping trade. 'INSIDE' STORIES: Of Axis Internees Inside stories of conditions in Axis nations were related by diplomats and newspaper men who arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, after five months of internment in Germany and Italy. United States and Axis internees were exchanged in Lisbon. Correspondents were unanimous in their belief that Germany will gamble everything on an all-out drive this spring. To meet this showdown. Hitler is reported to have prepared 300 army divisions. Of these, 210 divisions have been assigned as-signed to the Russian front. Competent observers in -Berlin predict that Germany must "shoot the works" this summer and that the fortunes of war will turn definitely definite-ly against the Nazis unless the all-out all-out drive is successful. Hitler's declaration of war upon the United States was termed the biggest blunder of his career. The German people did not expect it even after Japan attacked the United Unit-ed States. Germany's older generation genera-tion remembered all too well that the U. S. helped decide World War I. Italy's war against this country is exceedingly unpopular with the people, peo-ple, according to interned correspondents. corre-spondents. The Italians dislike the Germans and care nothing for the Japanese. Mussolini, too, is unpopular with his people. King Victor Emmanuel lost much of the respect that was his when war was declared in his name. But observers were agreed that a revolution is doomed to failure unless un-less it has the support of the army. The army still is loyal to the throne. RE-ENFORCEMENTS: Land in Ireland Shipload upon shipload of United States soldiers, fully equipped for mechanical warfare, have arrived in Northern Ireland to bolster the already large American garrison' there. Enthusiasm was at high pitch in Britain. One military observer pointed out that the arrival of thousands thou-sands of American soldiers in Ulster allows planning for offensive operations, opera-tions, on the continent "on a scale of at least 20 divisions or 300,000 men. The U. S. communique stated: "British Isles: The war department today announced the arrival of additional addi-tional United States army troops. The number is substantially larger than previous contingents and includes in-cludes tank units." The debarkation was carried out swiftly and secretly. Secluded bases already had been prepared for the men. RUSSIA: Kharkhov and Kerch For some time Hitler's objective on the southern flank of his eastern front had been clear. He wanted badly the oil that the Caucasian area could give him. His much-feared "spring offensive" shaped up that as the mud of Russia's Crimea began be-gan to dry. With overwhelming numbers he swept the Russians before him on his march across the Kerch peninsula. penin-sula. Then from Berlin came the report that the fighting in this area had ended and that the Russian troops had been "annihilated." But THREE GALLONS: 'Essential9 As American motorists on the Eastern seaboard got their first taste of gasoline rationing many of them began to wonder if they would be classified as "essential" drivers. For if they had such a classification they would be permitted to buy more than the three gallons per week allotted under the rationing set-up. Motorists in Oregon and Washington Washing-ton were to get their gasoline ration ra-tion cards the first of June when deliveries of fuel oil and gasoline to these two states were cut to 50 per cent of normal deliveries. Petroleum Petrole-um Co-ordinator Ickes said there is no immediate need of curtailing petroleum pe-troleum products deliveries elsewhere else-where in the country. Reports from the East coast gave indication of grumbling on the part of some motorists to the effect that rationing should apply to all sections sec-tions or to none at all. Then came the assurance from OPA that workers work-ers who customarily drive to work were to be allowed enough gasoline to continue so doing. Congressmen and other federal and state employees using private cars to transact business with a government agency are entitled to unlimited supplies of gasoline. SELECTIVE SERVICE: v Neiv Induction Plan When Selective Service Director Hershey announced that after June 15 a new policy for the induction of men procured through the draft machinery would be introduced, he did much to solve the personal problems prob-lems of selectees. Under the new plan men will be inducted immediately immedi-ately after they pass the physical examinations and will then be transferred trans-ferred to the Enlisted Reserve corps and be granted 14 days for concluding con-cluding personal affairs before being be-ing assigned to active duty. Transportation Trans-portation and meals from the induction induc-tion center to the local board locality locali-ty ordering the registrant to report for examination and subsequently to a designated reception center will be at government expense. Director Hershey predicted that 10,000,000 U. S. men may be under arms by late 1943 or early 1944. Honored Guest Moscow even later reporiea inat in the town of Kerch itself there was still street fighting and that the defenders de-fenders were hanging tenaciously on to their foothold at the eastern tip of the Crimea. It was near Kharkov, further north, though, that the Russians claimed their greatest successes. The Kerch peninsula might be lost to the Germans but Nazi defenses around Kharkov had taken a terrific ter-rific pounding from the Soviet artillery, artil-lery, tanks, planes and infantry. One report said that the Russians in a "new push" had taken 300 towns, slain 12,000 Nazis, captured 1,200 additional soldiers and had destroyed 400 tanks.. In the Kharkov battle, Russian Marshal Timoshenko seemed to have taken the Nazis by surprise. The Soviet high command reported report-ed that the Germans first fled in panic before the onslaught of Russian Rus-sian planes battering their lines at altitudes as low as 70 feet. Then the Nazis rallied and the fighting fight-ing gained a new peak of ferocity. CONSTRUCTION CUT: Production Stressed Behind the War Production board's decision to cancel contracts for war plants which cannot be completed ' and in production by mid-1943 lies two major considerations: A severe shortage of raw znateri- j als. Belief that spring and summer developments may bring a turning point in the war. Construction will be stepped up on facilities such as synthetic rubber and aviation gasoline plants and will be cut down on such projects as new steel plants. Because of the raw material shortage, the WPB had decided to concentrate available supplies on arms and munitions production rather rath-er than on the plants in which they are manufactured. Officials explained that the WPB has determined to produce 60,000 planes, 45.000 tanks, and eight million mil-lion tons of shipping in 1942. They will deal with the increased program pro-gram for 1943 when that time arrives. t, ftr I " & Ives - 'if V c-w RAISE: For the Shipbuilders Payable in war bonds, a wage increase in-crease averaging eight cents an hour went to the workers in the major ma-jor shipbuilding yards throughout the nation. This announcement was made after a 21-day conference in Chicago of private shipbuilders, union officials and government representatives. rep-resentatives. Five hundred thousand workers throughout the country were effected by the wage increase. President Pres-ident Roosevelt had requested the War Bond raise as an aid to checking check-ing inflation and at the same time allow shipbuilders to meet increased living costs. MISCELLANY: Smash: In Pittsburgh, Actress Katherine Hepburn smashed a news-photographer's news-photographer's camera when he snapped her picture without asking her permission. Gestapo: A Stockholm dispatch said that Reinhard Heydrick, right-hand right-hand man of Heinrich Himmler, Gestapo chief, had been appointed Gestapo commissar general in all German occupied territory. AIRLINES: War Footing At President Roosevelt's direction the war department placed domestic domes-tic airlines on a wartime footing by ordering the transfer to the army air forces of a substantial proportion propor-tion of available flight equipment for operation by army personnel; by having the airlines convert approximately approxi-mately 70 ships into cargo carriers which they will operate for the Air Service command; and by giving emergency military missions priority priori-ty an the remaining 70 ships to be owned and operated by the airlines. BRIGHT LIGHTS: And Shipping Losses Because dim-out regulations In New York were held "unsatisfactory" "unsatisfac-tory" by the army, drastic new regulations reg-ulations will affect the lives of the city's millions. Acting with the approval of the army and navy, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia ordered a program which for the first time will screen all floodlighting in railroad yards, manufacturing plants, docks, shipyards ship-yards and terminals. President Manuel Prado of Peru, left, a visitor to the United States, and Mai. Gen. Francis Wilby, superintendent su-perintendent of the United States Military academy, as they reviewed West Point cadets who paraded in President Prado's honor. CHURCHILL: Confident Confidence was the keynote of Winston Churchill's address to 25,000 Yorkshiremen when he told them that the beginning of victory is in sight and that England will "play rough" in repayment for any torture tor-ture inflicted on Britain and its allies. Churchill's talk emphasized his warning that Britain would cover German military objectives with poison gas if that weapon were used bv Germany in its war on Russia. |
