o
Side Glme
Washington Merry-Go-Round
EDITORIAL PAGE
By DREW PEARSON
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schiro, Publisher
WKDNKSDAV EVKNINtt, A I'M IV 25, 1945
Page Four
Unholy' Rivals
Pf3y'T wwiSJ.
EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grunde
Ronde Valley irrigation project.
LA GRANDE A city of, 10,001)
Extend' the city limita.
TODAY'S TEXT
lie heard the sound of the I rum pet.
and took not warning; his blood shall
be upon him. Mill he Dial tiiketh warn
ing shall deliver his soul. Kzokiel 33:5.
THOUGHT I'X)R TODAY
From hence, let fierce contending
nations know
What dire effects from civil
discoid flow. Addison
The Visit to Iluchemvald
The American people have been ac
cused of reactiiiK coldly or indifferently
to stories of atrocities, even of atro
cities against their own countrymen.
This is not wholly true. And, it seems
lii us, there is an explanation for th
measure of truth the accusation con
, tains.
First of all, it might he recalled that
the atrocities of Hitler's nazis were
what turned most Americans ugiiinHt
the third reich in the days of peace,
even when they were ignorant or incre
dulous of the sinister na.i plan for
world conquest. It was Hitler's black
heart as revealed through pogroms and
concentration camps that first roused
our indignation against him.
As for American coldness and indif
ference, it is likely that numbness
would he a better description. We are
all familiar with the fact and sight of
death. We know how it conies on the
battlefield.
Hut death by slow starvation and
unspeakable torture we cannot visual
ize, even though trustworthy reports
and photographic evidence of the re
sult is before us. Nor can we visualizti
or imagine the inhuman cruelty that
decrees it. . .
Hence our reaction as incredible story
after incredible story of atrocity is
brought to us. Our indigalion becomes
f impotent, and. intellectual.', tye ui'.e re" ,
luctant to credit such deedstcrlmem
hers of the human race. . And, con
fronted with unassailable proof, .we re
main stunned and a little incredulous. .
In that we are probably not too dif
ferent from other peoples of the earth.
Surely the middle-aged civilian German,
even after 12 years of Hitler, has been
reluctant to believe the bestiality of his
own kind and kin. lie may have had
to turn his head to avoid the evidence
before his eyes, and yet he might well
persist in his disbelief especially
since the American invasion of his
homeland, when the urge for fawning
innocence has been upon him.
It was this German, his wife and
young children and friends, to the num
ber of 1200, who were made to journey
from their homes in Weimar, hallowed
city of German culture, to the infamous
na.i concentration camp at nearby
Huchenwald.
There they were made to look and
smell and retch and faint at the evi
dence of the incredible, subhuman deeds
of their "master nice." Enough of the
dead, dying and maimed remained there
to convince the most stubborn "patriot"
among them that there was not much
use in lying any more.
We cannot expect a miracle from the
visit to Huchenwald. Mut the tortured
and forgotten there have not died with
out purpose if enough Germans can be
brought to see the place of their pain
and ignominy.
It is a profound pity that every Ger
man cannot be made to see Huchenwald
as the Americans found it. Hut at least
those who did can never again extol
the German race with the same convic
tion, however fiercely they mav trv to
forget.
SAN FRANCISCO The eyes of about
12,000,000 service men will be watching the
conference that opens here today. So will
their mothers. So will their wives, who
wonder whether the children they bear in
this war must be reared to fight another. So
will the eyes of all the hungry, weary peo
ples of war-torn Europe, still hoping with a
hope that flickers but never quite dies that
finally- we can construct a machinery for
lasting peace.
And It is no exaggeration to say that the
seeds of the next war will be nourished or
rooted up at San Francisco. The events hap
pening at this conference, in its backstage
lobbies, and in the chanceries of Europe right
now, can spell the difference between peace
and war twenty years later.
Seeds for World War III Already Planted
Actually the seeds have c'icady bei n
planted but the .roots arc not dc-p and thi.y
can be torn up.
The seeds have been planted by groups
in England, the United States and Russia
who already have begun playing the type
of power politics which can only end in
eventual war between the two strongest
nations emerging from the present conflict
the U.S.A. and the USSR.
Already certain groups inside the state de
partment and the British foreign office have
begun jockeying to build up Germany after
the war as a bulwark against Russia. Al
ready U. S. admirals have focused the atten
tion of the entire world on the island bases
we are taking from Japan, so that Russia is
becoming suspicious they will be aimed
against her.
So no matter how high-geared and beau
tifully perfected the machinery for peace de
vised at San Francisco, it cannot succeed un
less it rests on a foundation of good will and
mutual trust.
There will be a- lot of argument here about
three votes for Russia, six votes for Britain,
and 20 indirect Latin-American votes for the
United States. But the real fact is that the
question of votes becomes pure theory if one
big nation doesn't want to cooperate.
If the tremendous armed forces of the USA
and the USSR get fidgety and looking for
something to do; if the admirals1 and gener
als try to become statesmen; if the state de
partment career boys begin playing, balance-of-powcr
politics, then all the votes and all
the peace machinery arranged at San Fran
cisco won't help.
The, tragic fact is that already there is evi
dence that the brass hats in at least two
countries, plus certain diplomats, are getting
nervous trigger-fingers.
Already there is a strong suspicion that
Stalin can't control his own generals. Al
ready there is more than a suspicion that
Roosevelt could not control his admirals.
"Trusteeship" a Hot Potato
One such case concerns the Pacific island
bases taken from Japan. For more than two
years, the late president argued that all is
lands taken by the USA should be held by
us, but under the United Nations trusteeship,
whereby other nations were given airplane
and shipping privileges on these islands
provided they give us reciprocal rights on
their islands.
At Yalta something along that line was
agreed to by Roosevelt personally. And
when he returned, a directive to that effect
was sent to the state, war and navy depart
ments, plus the interior department which
administers insular possession. But when the
representatives of these four departments
sat down to work out the details for carry
ing out the president's directive two depart
ments the army and navy kicked over the
traces. The third, the state department, went
along reluctantly, leaving only the interior
department to obey the directive whole
heartedly. Finally, Admiral Ernest King, commander
of the fleet, look things into his own hands
and made a public statement against the
president's policy regarding Pacific islands.
In other words, he went over the head of
his commander-in-chief. Although this was
a most serious thing to do even domestically,
its international repercussions were even
more serious.
The Russians, whose intelligence is the
best in the world, already knew that Admiral
King is the man who has wanted to build
up a big navy now as protection against Rus
sia later. They also know that Admiral King
has opposed Russia coming into the war
against Japan, and wants the United States
to do the job alone.
The Russians also know that certain num
ber of professional U. S. military and naval
brass-hats, side with King. (This is not true
of General Marshall or General Eisenhower
and the more responsible commanders in the
army.) -.
Pee WASHINGTON . . . Page 6
WE, THE WOMEN
By RUTH MILLETT
oyjntervicwed in Paris for the ainy newspa
per, "The Stars and Stripes, the petite star
of the Folies-Bergere said of Anlerican men:
"They treat love too lightly. Love seems to
be a little thing with them."
It could be that the girls of France just
don't understand the young men of Amer
ica as well as their girls back home under
stand them.
Maybe they don't realize that when a sol
dier whips out a well-worn picture of his
girl back home and says, "Not bad, huh," he
is as earnest in singing her praises as though
he had spoken in the language of poet.
And maybe they don't know that the
American soldier's light-hearted, irresponsi
ble admiration for the girls in other coun
tries isn't the same attitude he has for that
certain girl back home.
Or that American men express the ser
iousness of their love in the luxuries they
give their wives and children and in thOj pro
vision they make for their future even if
they aren't always adept at making pretty
speeches about undying love.
And maybe the women of other countries
don't see that the constant stream of gifts
American men are sending to the girls back
home is evidence of their deep-rooted desire
to share the experiences they are having
with the gil ls who are waiting for them.
Nor that American women care whether
or not the women in other countries under
stand their men. It's perfectly ail right with
them if nobody but American women ever
understand them.
And the French entertainer's statement
that "It is hard for French girls to have a
big, serious love with American men," won't
make American girls mad, either.
They are all for French girls finding their
"big, serious love" with the men of their
own country.
Behind Scenes in Washington
By PETER EDSON. La Grande Evening Observer Washington Correspondent
Funmi Business
-
o SO THEY SAY
The enemy has made much in
!us propaganda of the sure death,
sure hit suicide technique, whicn
is sinqily an attempt to crash
planes on the decks of our ships
.... Some major units of the
fleet have been damaged, but no
l-attleship, fast carrier, or cruis
er has been sunk.
Fleet Adml. Chester W. Nimitz.
R
--The rich people go to the black
market and the others go to beg,
foi they are starving.
Lily Pons, back from France.
The only way we can win the
peace Is to promote economic se
curity '.throughout the -Vofld.
Hep. Helen Gahagan l.lou((ls
of California. i) (
SAN FRANCISCO Establishment of a
United Nations charter and a United Na'tions
organization that will be approved before
the end of 1945 and ready to function by
early 1!I46 is perhaps the most that can be
expected from the San Francisco conference
convening April 25.
No definite timetable can be made for
creating a world peace organization, and th '
possibility that the whole thing may break
down cannot be ignored. There are, how
ever, three distinct phases to the task of
making the proposed United Nations organ
ization a going concern:
1. Rewriting the proposals agreed to by
representatives of the United States, Great
Britain, Soviet Russian and China at th"
Dumbarton Oaks conferences last summer,
putting them into the form of a permanent
charter which will be approved at San Fran
cisco. 2 Submission of the San Franr'sco charter
to the separate United Nations. There will
be representatives of lli nations at San Fran
cisco 47 t the new Polish government i.-i
ready in time, and 48 if Argentina gets there
before the show is over.
The San Francisco conference ;nay set up
its own rule on how many nations must ac
cept the charter before it shall become ef
fective. Each government will Ik left to its
own devices in deciding whether to ratify
the charter and join the organization, or re
ject and stay out.
In the United States the chattel will have
to be submitted by the president to the sen
ate and accepted' by the sedate before this
country can join. It enough governments
ratify within six month)- to hut the organ-
) Matin. irt force before the end of lil'f!, .Olat
will le tast work. , n
Wheri enough govcinnemts . hoyo rat (fkV 'W'.th tho-v formalities wl of the w.-if,the
The chattc to st-Vup (he I'liitcxl) Nations or- 0,'nited Nations organizalVoVi would be ready
gamzalion. then .the vanuits Wrnnirn: to tx-gin its business of maintaining peace
In the United States these representatives
will probably be appointed by the presiden;
and confirmed by the senate. They will be
men of ambassadorial rank.
The place of meeting for the first sessions
of the assembly of the United Nations organ
ization may be designated at Sar Francisco
or may be decided later. There are argu
ments both for and against holding the first
sessions in Geneya, Switzerland, seat of the
old league of nations. Switzerland is a neu
tral, not one of the United Nations. Conven
ing in the United States is not unlikely.
Time of the first meeting of the assembly
will of course depend on when a sufficient
number of nations shall have ratified.
But with time and place specified and a
quorum of nations having named their rep
resentatives, the United Nations organiza
tion will be ready to set up housekeeping.
If the charter adopted at San Francisco
follows the general outline of the proposals
made at Dumbarton Oaks, the first business
of the organization will include the election
of a president, a secretary general, the adop
tion of the rules of procedure for the assem
bly, the making of a budget and apportion
ing of expenses among the member nations.
Next might come the election of the six
nations wlmse representative will sit on the
security council -with the representatives of
the Big Five United States. Great Britain,
Soviet Russia, China and Fiance.
Then might come the election of the 18 na
tions whose representatives will sit on the
economic and social council. K
All these are functions reserved to the as
sembly by the Dumbarton Oaks proposals.
If thVse things are accomplished within a
year. Ihet'A-u-M can votl consider Itteit,
"You know thai tree back there, dear? I think you bere'.y mined ill"
The pilots can't find shipping
to attack. You can answer the
question of what it means to the
Ji'pancse. . The enemy has to
bi.ve these vital supplies, and he
isn't getting them.
Head Adml. Frank D. Wagner,
Seventh fleet air force com-
O lucky
will have to nam- their delegates to the as
sembly. The number of representatives for
each country will be specified in the charter
if the Dumbarton Oaks proposal is followed
COPH. mi BY htA StBVICt. INC. T. M. KEG. 0. . PAT, off. 1
"If I can just get you back on your feet and the chair back together
before my husband comes in, you won't have to hear his story of
what an honor it ii to have his great-great-grandfalher's chair
collapse under youl" ' '
o McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
7 IS MADE WITHOUT
THE ACE OF THUMP
Another old-timer who has
p.tssed away is Comdr. Winfield
Liggett, jr., who was in my esti
mation one of the nicest partners
at bridge. While his name is not
co universally known as that of
Work -and Whitehead, neverthe
less, many of the bridge books
published during Ligget's day
were ghost-written by him.
After receiving his medical dis
charge from the navy, he devoted
most of his time to bridge and he
was known as being a specialist
in no trump.
However, I will never forget
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Opening 4 K. - 26
Liggett now led the king of
spades, on which West played the
ace. Of course West had revoked
and that gave the declarer the
right to two tricks. West only
took one so he had to give that
trick back to Liggett and thus .
seven odd was made against tte
ace of trumps. - , '
o in forme:
YEARS
30 Years Ago
Mrs. Turner Oliver was ap
pointed by Governor Withy
combe to attend the. Mother's
congress in San Francisco.
Mr. and Mrs. K. Ford , enter
tained at five hundred. High
score prize went to Mrs. W. H.
Riley, and F. W. Pattison took
consolation prize.
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey , Larsen
left on a pleasure trip to Salt
Lake City.
The possibilities of the auto
truck for delivery purposes is
'seen in the" fact that dlyde Kitf-'"'''
die of Island iCty is able to make
deliveries as far as La Grande
with his delivery car.
today's hand. Liggett was one of
the few men who ever made a
contract of seven spades when
his opponents held the ace of
trump.
You will notice there was not
much approach bidding in those
days, but Liggett reasoned that
it his partner could jump to six
spades, he must have that miss
ing ace, so he went to seven
spades.
Ho won the opening lead with
the ace of clubs. Most players
would simply spread the hand
and concede down one. But Lig
gett played a small spade from
dummy, put on the ten r'oi. and
West played the eight r clubs.
Liggett said nothing : V East
failed to ask his partnc: i. he had
no spades.
Questions & A isivers
Q How many Ryu ;-j islands
are there?
A More than 100, eight
principal islands.
15 Years A.jo
Ellis Watkins and Vern Patten
went to Pendleton to attend the
DeMolay convention.
The birthday anniversary of
Miss Muriel Webb, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Bert Webb, was ob
served when 12 friends surprised
ber with a party at her home on
Fir street. Games, music and
dancing were diversions.
10 Years Ago
In order that a closer contact
may be established between the
wool growers of Union county
and the Pacific wool growers,
Robert S. French was appointed
official representative of the as
sociation. Andrew Loney, jr., band direc
tor, returned from Boise where
he accompanied Jack McClay,
Katherine Scully and Helen
Hondrickson to participate in. a
program presented by an all
northwest band. Each placed in
his or her section, with highest
honors going to McClay who
placed in the second chair of the
first trombone section. Loney
was elected secretary of the
Northwest music educators conference.
This Curious World
i killed with water pcc vm m UKfl
THE CHICKENS, ACTED AS ) V WJ
' AHO KEPT STARTING,
) ON THE GRASSY RANGE , ; AJl '' '
jjJNVlETr5j'i
COP. 1t4S fi- SO SCH-'CE INC
o
O -AlSTffiAfJA
OV.C6 WAS KSiOWN AS TM
'r tB asjvt
300 KMOWN ViR IE fittS.
Tmtttll orr
and Security . . . suppressing acts of. aggres
ion . . . settling international disputes . . . de
veloping friendly relations among nations
. . . achieving international co-operation.
(VMAT kVAS Tuf; riijpr nav oi "1
9 ,Mt cfSi NAVO"
TE PAINTER REVBANPT
ANSWER: Rembrandt was his first name. His full name was
Rembrandt Hermanzoon van Rijn. " -
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