The Mathis News (Mathis, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 26, Ed. 1 Friday, June 27, 1941 Page: 2 of 8
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THE MATHIS NEWS
WHO’S
1
11
NEWS I
THIS i
I
Ills
WEEK
By LEMUEL F. PARTON
(Consolidated Features—WNU Service.)
XJ EW YORK—Frequently cited is
the vast difference between the
World war bi-plane and the flying
fortress of today, and frequent-
Col. Olds,'Ferry*
Chief, Master of ministrative
■ t- « personnel of
Flying Fortress the air serv.
Ice has kept up with this technical
advance. Is a good administrator
also an up-to-date flier?
Col. Robert Olds, newly in charge
of the air corps “ferry command,”
to start bombers on the way to Brit-
ain, is picked by informed onlook-
ers as a shining example of the for-
ward moving officer. He learned
to fly during the World war, but he
knows the big bomber of today the
way Fritz Kreisler knows his fiddle
It was only two years ago that
the colonel brought a flying for-
tress across the country in 10
hours and 45 minutes, then a
record flight for a military
plane. In between wars, he has
been busy every minute and has
come all the way through with
changing flying techniques and
skills. He frequently has been
mentioned as of the type of men
who should command a separate
air service.
A friend of Colonel Olds described
him to me today as a Hollywood
ideal of a flying officer, minus the
exaggerated showmanship and
swank of the screen air-devils—trim,
natty, alert, clear-headed, courteous
and personable. He seems to have
stirred up more enthusiasm among
his friends than anybody this de-
partment has back-trailed for a long
time.
One of Colonel Olds’ most dis-
tinguished air exploits was when
he led six flying fortresses on a
round trip to Argentina, in Feb-
ruary, 1937, for which he re-
ceived the Distinguished Serv-
ice cross. His is the highly spe-
cialized skill of mastery over
the newest and biggest bomber,
no matter how many cannon \or
how many extra push-buttons kn
the dash-board. He is a natifve
of Norfolk, Va., bat joined the
air reserve from Woodside, Md.,
in 1917.
-❖-
\AT E ONCE saw two sports v/rit-
* ' ers looking through the paper.
Another sports writer j^ad -- char-
acterized a famous athlete as “a
A Sporty Writer bi§ ?qujr;
J$*£'ver Forgets stumblebum'
How to Get Tough "eh° ““rested
foiT getting money under false pre-
tenses.” One of the sports writers
read this passage and remarked
reverently, “That guy is certainly a
powerful writer!”
Not having to mind libel laws,
or pull their punch on the type-
writer, sports writers frequently
become the most released and
uninhibited of catch-as-catch-can
literatteurs. In other words they
never forget how to get tough.
It is one of them who, as their
craft would have it, has put the
slug on the Bund, in New Jer-
sey. He is Atty.-Gen. David T.
Wileniz, prosecutor of Bruno
Hauptmann, who broke from the
post as a sports writer for news-
papers in Plainfield and his na-
( tive Perth Amboy, N. J.
Wilentz drafted a bill to put the
Bund out of business in his state
and it has been passed unanimous-
ly by the state legislature. This
first overt state move against the
Bund is attracting national atten-
tion, as the high concentration of de-
fense industries there might make
the region an Achilles heel for sub-
version or sabotage.
The attorney-general doesn’t look
tough. He is slight in stature, ultra-
fastidious in dress, has slick black
hair and ingratiating manners. He
is a master politico, with a tar-
bucket memory for such small mat-
ters as a constituent’s lumbago of
10 years back, and he is also the
Flo Ziegfeld of courtroom showmen,
His histrionics in the Haupt-
mann trial caused some com-
ment, but the news men gave
him an “out.” They said he
hadn’t circused up the proceed-
ings any more than was neces-
sary to win his case. He knocked
off newspapering to work his
way through the New York Law
school.
'T'HE rising prestige of Carlos Sa-
avedra Lamas in the Argentine
is good news for this country. Re-
cent dispatches reveal Sr. Lamas
definitely on record as favoring clos-
er political and commercial co-op-
eration of Argentina with the United
States.
In 1937, as foreign minister, he
made a forthright stand for Argen-
tine support of the Monroe doctrine.
He is the author of the Pan-Ameri-
can anti-war pact and the builder
of the ABC entente between Argen-
tina. Brazil and Chile. ^
WEEKLY MEWS ANALYSIS
By Edward C. Wayne
Nazi and Italian Activities in U. S.
Are Curtailed by Government Action;
‘War of Nerves’ Continues as Fighting
Centers in Near East and North Africa
(EDITOR’S NOTE—When opinions are expressed in these columns, they
are those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
by Western Newspaper tT"1™ '
What is said to be the most modern short distance reconnaissance
plane in the world is this double-fuselage ship of the Nazi luftwaffe. It is
superior in maneuverability to a pursuit plane and has strong offensive
as well as defensive weapons. Cannons and machine guns of the latest
construction are carried in the ship which is powered by two powerful
motors. Its crew of three has unobstructed views on all sides through the
glass-enclosed cockpit.
NETS:
A Tightening
Following up the sinking of the
Robin Moor, the government tight-
ened still further its nets about fifth
columnists, first by freezing all Axis
assets in this country, and, second,
by ordering all German consulates
closed down, also news agencies
and travel bureaus.
Another order, that barring the
leaving of the United States of any
German nationals until further no-
tice, plus the word that was sent out
that there would be a tightening of
immigration permits, was held to
be contingent on Germany’s attitude
to the American protest on the
Robin Moor.
The fact that the remaining 35
Americans aboard the ship were
eventually saved, the state depart-
ment said, did not change the diplo-
matic situation regarding the vessel.
America., President Roosevelt In-
dicated, was going to be firm from
now on with regard to fifth column
activities and sabotage, and was go-
ing to see to it that it was known
who was coming into, the'country un-
der the guise-s£ “refugee.”
WAR:
Of Nerves
In spite of considerable activity
in the Near East and the North Af-
rican fronts, the war settled down to
a “war of nerves” again, with the
nervous tension reaching far and
wide as Germany massed men and
machines on the Russian border.
The troops were not placed geo-
graphically close fo the border, but
were so disposed that they were
within an exceedingly short distance
in time from what many believed
was a “bluff” objective.
The announcement that a Turkish-
Russian-Nazi pact had been drawn
up did little to relieve the nervous
tension, as it was not immediately
confirmed, nor was it clear whether
this^ would solve the situation.
For few thought that any such
agreement, made under the threat
of an army force variously estimat-
ed at from a million and a half to
two million men, would be long ad-
hered to if the men were withdrawn.
Senator George, head of the for-
eign affairs committee, frankly ex-
pressed the belief that Germany, by
the move against Russia and the
concentrations in the upper and low-
er Balkans, was “trying to make
sur.e of her eastern front” before at-
tempting the long expected inva-
sion of Great Britain herself.
However, even Senator George
saw in the move the conviction by
the Germans that it would be a long
war, and an effort to obtain satis-
factory supplies of wheat and oil.
Still others believed that a Rus-
sian-Turkish pact, implemented by
troops of sufficient numbers to con-
tinue to enforce respect and strict
adherence, might permit Germany
to move southward through Russia
and Turkey into the Near-East and
the Middle East, and thus to close
the pincers on the entire Eastern
Mediterranean country.
This was the stage setting that
caused the spread of the war of
nerves into Britain itself, for day
after day went by with only the
most desultory German bombing ef-
forts against England.
AIR:
Special Arm?
The question of whether the Unit-
ed States shall have a separate air
force or whether the army and navy
should each have its own was be-:
ing debated.
The senate had a bill for a sep-
arate air arm, under a new cabi-
net officer, just as the army and
navy each has its own secretary.
There were many taking stands on
each side of the question, but the
general feeling was that the bill,
if it reached debate, would pass.
However, some pointed to the ex-
perience of the British^i-astern Med-
iterranean fleet, abandoned by
planes when the RAF decided not
to defend Crete. The ships found
themselves practically at the mercy
of the German bombers, and losses
were heavy indeed.
The others pointed to the st^ri^|?
about the Illustrious, a..British plane
carrier, presumably as well
equipped ds any fleet could be to
cope with enemy planes—yet almost
destroyed twice in recent weeks by
the fire power of enemy bombers.
The first school maintains that the
reason the fleet was in severe trou-
ble off Crete, was that it was de-
serted by the RAF over which it
had no control, the RAF being a
separate arm.
The navy should have had its own
planes, and depended on them, it
was maintained. The other school,
in pointing to the Illustrious, showed
how the navy cannot expect to man-
age even its own planes efficiently,
as the two services are so foreign
to each other.
They also pointed to the disastrous
habit of army and navy aviation
competing with each other, in de-
signing' planes and purchasing and
equipping them, thus each develop-
ing its own source of supply—a bad
economic procedure of production
when mass methods are considered.
Yet, it was pointed out, even if
the senate bill creating a separate
force is successfully carried, it
would be a long time before it would
actually get into being, for the army
and navy are too busily engaged
in supplying themselves and train-
ing pilots right now to allow any of
their energies to Be spared to build
up a new separate air arm.
JAPAN:
Admits Failure
The upshot of the Japanese-Dutch
East Indies affair appeared to be
a total defeat for the Japanese,
though it was by no means clear
whether Nippon was willing to let it
go at that.
The long-awaited text of the final
Japanese statement, once the Dutch
had stood firm and refused all the
Jap requests and ultimatums, was,
briefly, this:
“So sorry, but everything will be
as it always has.”
The Japanese admitted they had
accomplished nothing, but that nor-
mal relations with the Dutch would
continue.
Yet back of all these was the
growing conviction that Nazi Ger-
many would not be satisfied with
a bland admission of defeat on the
part of Japan, but might demand
action, thus either losing an ally or
perhaps hurling the specter of war
into the southern Pacific.
HIGHLIGHTS
in the news
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: Two Joseph
David Williams are in the army.
Both were born on December 28,
1922, both have blue eyes, brown
hair and ruddy complexions, both
have four teeth missing, the same
ones, both lived in this town before
| enlistment, each has a brother
named Daniel. They are not, how-
ever. related in any way.
Rio de Janeiro: Brazil barred all
shipments of defense materials to
Axis powers. This will cut off Ja-
pan and Russia, Brazil’s chief cus-
tomers for these items.
Mexico City: Mexico has decided
to follow the lead of the United
States in freezing Axis assets and
closing German consulates, it was
announced.
Washington, D. C.
GOOD NEIGHBOR CO OPERATION
The United States is getting much
better co-operation from some of our
South American neighbors than has
leaked out to the public.
When Portugal protested to the
United States against Roosevelt’s
fireside chat hinting the seizure of
the Azores, the Brazilian govern-
ment immediately got in touch with
the U. S. state department. The
Portuguese had sent the Brazilians
a copy of their protest, and Brazil
asked us what reply we were going
to make.
Ambassador Caffrey in Rio de Ja-
neiro immediately showed Foreign
Minister Aranha a summary of our
proposed reply, and Aranha volun-
teered to send Portugal exactly the
same answer—telling them it was
vital to the safety of the Western
hemisphere that the Azores be in
friendly hands, and that Brazil could
not afford to see the islands taken
by the Axis.
This message was sent: which
means that Brazil will co-operate
with the United States if and when
the time comes to occupy the
Azores.
Argentina also has been more co-
operative than ever despite the die-
hard efforts of our Rocky Mountain
congressmen to prevent the impor-
tation of Argentine canned beef. Ar-
gentine sentiment is overwhelmingly
anti-Hitler and pro-Roosevelt. The
Argentines are much stronger for
Roosevelt than for the United States,
and have their fingers crossed as to
what may happen after Roosevelt
leaves office.
Dakar and Robin Moor.
For approximately one month,
however, all White House advisers
have agreed that the Azores were
far less important than Dakar and
the coast of 'West Africa. That is
what makes the sinking of the Robin
Moor by a Nazi submarine so dou-
bly significant.
Despite. the menace of Dakar,
presidential advisers have been wor-
ried as to what we should do about
it. To take Dakar from the French
and to hold it against all comers
would require more men than the
50,000 in the U. S. marine corps. It
would require an expeditionary
force from the regular army.
And while such troops are avail-
able, the bottoms to transport them
are something else again. Once be-
fore, the British urged us not to get
mixed up in the South Atlantic be-
cause it would divert our navy from
the all-important North Atlantic.
The sinking of the Robin Moor,
however, has played directly into
the hands of those who have been
urging the President to adopt the
strongest policy in the South Atlan-
tic and, if necessary, land troops on
the bulge of Africa.
CATHEDRAL OF AGRICULTURE
Paul H. Appleby, diminutive, di-
dactic undersecretary of agricul-
ture, made a flying trip to Nebraska
the other day which had some in-
teresting inside background.
Purpose of the trip was to set.
up what some agricultural hands
call a “Cathedral of Agriculture” in
Lincoln, Neb. What Appleby was
working on was a plan to pool all of
the different federal agricultural
agencies under one roof and under
one director at Lincoln.
These were to include the AAA,
Rural Electrification administration,
soil conservation, farm security, ex-
tension service, farm debt adjust-
ment, and so on. The plan was to
make the state of Nebraska a guinea
pig to test the idea. All of these
different farm representatives would
then report to one director in Lin-
coln rather than to Washington.
However, the proposed Nebraska
director was Cal Ward, regional
supervisor of farm security. And al-
though working for a Democratic
administration, he is branded as a
staunch Republican. His selection
therefore caused opposition from va-
rious federal farm representatives
in Nebraska who didn’t want to join
any “Cathedral of Agriculture” un-
der Cal Ward.
Chief objector was Fred Wallace,
chairman of the Nebraska AAA, and
it was to bring him into line that
Appleby flew out to Nebraska.
Appleby had first ordered Wallace
to Washington. But Wallace refused.
Even after Appleby flew out to see
him, he could -not make Wallace
budge. “I’m interested in an agri-
cultural program, not a lot of bu-
reaucracy,” Wallace said.
Appleby stayed an extra day,
finally flew back to Washington. His
“Cathedral of Agriculture” for Ne-
braska definitely side-tracked.
Note — Secretary of Agriculture
Wickard has been looking around to
find a new berth for his undersecre-
tary-outside of the agriculture de-
partment.
* * *
Army Movies.
Movies are the top amusement
of the boys in camp and the army
gives them all they want—at bar-
gain prices.
For this purpose the war depart-
ment has organized the Army Mo-
tion Picture service, which in a
few months has become one of the
largest theater chains in the coun-
try, with about 300 theaters in op-
eration. There is at least one movie
theater in every army camp, with
shows seven nights a week, plus Sat-
urday and Sunday matinees.
NATIONAL
AFFAIRS
Reviewed by
CARTER FIELD
Pacific fleet units re-
ported moving to Atlan-
tic to join sea patrols .. .
Expect end of auto pro-
duction for "duration?
(Bell Syndicate—WNU Service.)
WASHINGTON.—The rumors con-
cerning U. S. fighting ships coming
through the Panama canal to do
their part—scouting and patroling—
in the Battle of the Atlantic are
true.. No official information is avail-
able, and details could not be print-
ed if known, under the voluntary
censorship rulings. But it is not
giving Germany any information to
say that a large number of vessels of
the U. S. navy which have been in
the Pacific are now in the Atlantic,
and there is no blinking the fact
that Berlin knows why they moved.
In fact Berlin probably knows just
what ships have been so moved, for
there is not a naval officer who
does not believe that word is gotten
to Germany about every ship, naval
or merchant, which passes through
the canal, with as much further
information as to its destination,
etc., as can be obtained by Nazi
observers in the Canal Zone.
The really interesting part of the
whole business, from a naval stand-
point, is that this withdrawal of a
number of ships from the Pacific
means that the administration is no
longer worried about the Far East-
ern situation. Conviction is growing
here that Japan will make no move
against Singapore or the Dutch East
Indies in the near future.
Japan has known for some time
that there would be plenty of shoot-
ing right away if she made such a
move. She has known also that
the augmented force of big bomb-
ers at Manila and Singapore—where
the British have been receiving
American made bombers for months
despite the urgent need for them in
Britain and Alexandria—boded no
good for her if hostilities should
begin.
VULNERABLE OIL RESERVE
The importance of this particular
threat is that the locations of all the
Japanese military oil reserves are
well known to both the British and
American naval forces, and that iy
would be, a simple matter to de-
stroy them, thus immobilizing the
Japanese fleet.
Ever since the earthquake of 1922
Japan has not dared to store hei
naval oil reserves underground. She
lost virtually all her oil at that time
when the earthquake opened up the
underground storage vaults, and she
has been afraid to risk it since.
Hence her oil reserves are particu-
larly vulnerable to air attack.
Japan has plenty of fighting and
bombing planes, but in this war it
has been shown that while air pow-
er is tremendously important in at-
tack, it is almost impossible to pre-
vent bombing by the enemy no mat-
ter how inferior his air strength.
Thus the British have been able to
bomb German cities and the French,
Belgian, Dutch and German ports
almost at will, despite the fact that
the Nazi air force has been tre-
mendously superior.
Had Japan moved into the Dutch
East Indies immediately after the
invasion by Germany of the low
countries, the resistance there would
have been pitiful. Now it is a dif-
ferent story. The Dutch have moved
heaven and earth to provide a de-
fense, so that it would be a real
battle. That might not deter the
Japanese, but the U. S. and British
threat behind it are now believed
to be conclusive.
So Japan will wait, hoping- that,
with German victory, her path to
plunder in the Far East will no
longer be blocked.
Auto Production
And ‘Curtailment*
Pessimists in the automobile in-
dustry predict that another six
months will see the end of produc-
tion of passenger cars in this coun-
try for the “duration.” Incidentally
representatives of the industry in
Washington are particularly bitter
about the proposed restrictions on
the manufacture of trucks. They
are perfectly willing to accept a to-
tal blackout so far as passenger ve-
hicles are concerned, as a national
defense necessity, but they insist
that the biggest problem confront-
ing the country, and from a na-
tional defense standpoint only, is go-
ing to be transportation. Hence,
they contend, trucks will prove to
be of extreme importance.
Truck production may be limited
for a while, but when the national
preparedness drive really gets hot
there will be clamor from the gov-
ernment for increased truck produc-
tion.
In World War No. 1 transporta-
tion soon became one of the major
problem's. The. government eventu-
ally took over the railroads and op-
erated them all from Washington.
In those days the highways were
pretty poor compared with now, and
the heavy movement over them,
coupled with a terrific winter in
1917-1918, left them anything but a
motorist’s oara/3^^
byJJZJ
Eleanor Roosevelt
COMPULSORY TRAINING
I 'have been requested to answer
the following questions in my col-
umn. They are evidently based on
an article I wrote for the Ladies
Home Journal.
First: “How do you visualize the
organization and registration.^of the
service of girls on a compulsory
basis?” I see it done exactly as
done for young men, perhaps with
certain modifications.
Two: “What would be the relation
of this plan to women already em-
ployed, especially in industry?” It
would have no relation whatsoever,
because I visualize it only as a con-
tinuation of practical training for
one year. This will benefit the com-
munity and, at the same time, be of
value to young women in their fu-
ture lives.
Three: “What ages would be in-
cluded?” I surmise the ages would
be from the end of high school, if
girls were going no further; to the
end of college training, if they had
planned on taking a college course.
I suppose it would be between the
ages of 18 to 24.
Four: “How would existing organ-
izations be used?” They would be
used to give opportunities for train-
ing.
Five: “Why do you feel compul-
sory service necessary?” Only be-
cause it is obvious that the better
the training people have today,
the better are the opportunities they
have in life. This training should
develop a broader knowledge of the
whole community and should, there-
fore, be entered into by all girls in
the community, physically able to
participate and not exempted for
special reasons, such as prepara-
tion in specialized fields of work.
Six: “Is this plan an integral part
of military defense?” It has nothing
whatsoever to do with military de-
fense, but it is an important part of
civilian defense. I believe raising
the standard of living has a good
effect on our civilian defense.
I should like to point out that this
plan has no official backing and has
not been considered by anyone in
the government. It was suggested
by me purely to bring about discus-
sion, so that there would be a wider
appreciation of the situation of young
people, especially girls, in all the
communities in our country. It
should also bring about a considera-
tion of what would be wise proce-
dures for the benefit of individuals^;
and community life.
I am very glad that 1 have
achieved so much interest on the
part of different groups, even those
such as the American Youth Con-
gress and certain political groups
which are violently opposed to the
word “compulsory.”
I think we should ponder this
statement a very eminent man, Dr.
Edmund Ezra Day, president of Cor-
nell university, made the other day:
“It is high time for America to
face squarely the problems of indi-
vidual and social discipline in a de-
mocracy.”
* * *
GOVERNOR’S ISLAND
In New York one day I managed
to do a few errands between defense
bond broadcasts. At 2:00 o’clock,
General Drum and - Miss Fannie
Hurst called for me. We ferried
over to Governor’s island together
on the special barge and found Mrs.
Drum wailing on the other side. She
| has been laid up for a long time
! with an ankle broken in three
places, but at last she is able to
: get about again.
j The little booklet, published by
the Governor’s Island club, was;giv-
en me. It tells the history of the
island and is very interesting. The
old forts are purely ornamental to-
day, but the building which McKim,
j Meade and White designed, is not
1 only dignified and charming, but
filled with activity.
| I paid a short visit to the hospital.
While I doubt if it is ever pleasant
to be ill, still I think these officers
and men are in pleasant quarters.
I never saw anything more effi-
cient and orderly than the cafeteria,
the kitchen and the supply rooms.
The sergeant in charge seemed to
me remarkably able and efficient.
When he showed me the field kitch-
ens, each one of which can pro-
duce a meal for 50 men, I was lost
in admiration. He told me it takes
two hours to prepare a meal, though
he has produced a satisfactory din-
ner in 45 minutes, and it can be done
with the trucks in motion.
I thought of an old army kitchen,
my one real contact with army feed-
| ing. The Red Cross used it in the
| last war to make coffee for train-
loads of troops coming through the
Washington railroad yards. I still
remember our difficulty in keeping
it clean. It did not remotely re-
semble this modern and effi-
cient equipment.
After tea with General and Mrs.
Drum, I came home to keep an ap-
pointment with Dr. John Eliot and
then had dinner with Miss Esther
Lape. I spent the evening catching
up on the mail.
* • *
One morning, at Mayor LaGuar-
dia’s request, I looked at some de-
signs for uniforms, which volunteers
may wear in the future. I confess
to a little confusion in thinking about
uniforms before being entirely cer-
tain what work is to be done in
them, but I suppose simple working
Hothes can fit all types of work.
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Coltrin, George W. The Mathis News (Mathis, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 26, Ed. 1 Friday, June 27, 1941, newspaper, June 27, 1941; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1039520/m1/2/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Mathis Public Library.