Side Glances
Washington Merry-Go-Round
EDITORIAL PAGE
By DREW PEARSON
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schiro, Publisher
MONDAY EVENING, MAY 11, 194.1
Page four
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EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grande
Ronde Valley irrigation project.
LA GRANDE A city of 10,0011
Extend the city limltH.
TODAY'S TEXT
The .sacrifice of the wicked is an abo
mination to the Lord: but the prayer of
the upright is his delight. Proverbs
1.1:8.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
lie who did well in war just earns
the rijrht
To begin doinjf well in peace.
Robert lirowninu'
Who Cares?
The seventh war loan drive conies at
a time when evidently (lie war is half
over, perhaps more I ban half. Hut. this
will not mean a relaxation of the ad
mirable effort of the thousands of men
and women who have volunteered to
sell these blinds, or nil indifferent
frame of mind in the millions who are
asked to purchase them.
Some think of us as a money-loving
people; at least they used to. Our pur
chasing bonds, time md nv.ain, in
drive after drive, has proved that it is
not so. I'.onds are a good investment
in a tragic, unsound, revolutionary,
inflationary era there is none better
but this is not what the individual pur
chaser thinks of. His inspiration is
human, not economic; the sublime ex
ample and the bitter plijvlil of some son
or brother or sweetheart or friend who
is investing flesh and blood, life and
death. We do not count the cost.- The
way we wage war is exceedingly ex
pensive, maintaining the lines of battle
. at a safe distance. from homo, with in
finite supplies and prodigious armor, :.
and a high stannai-J of living for the.
armed man, and painstaking medical
and surgical science if and when he
comes to grief. Occasionally an anxi-'
oils statesman or vigilant newspaper
man complains a little of our extrava
gance in this way; of needless experi
ment, waste of metal, change of plan..
Who cares? Right around the world
our servicemen stand ready to give
their lives; the more of them we can
buy back, the belter. If there is the
remotest, possibility that by the ex
penditure of a small fortune a young
man's life can be saved, all right; wc
regard it as well spent.
In selling this latest issue of win;
bonds there can lie only one kind of
sales-resistance, one form of indiffer
ence, that is, thoughtlessness. The
American civilian is a somewhat, care-'
less, forgetful, over-optimistic charac-'
ler. If we stop to think; if wc consider
the contribution of the fighting man
the empty trouser-leg of the infantry
man, the burned and patchworked face
of the aviator, the emaciation of the
sailor drifting in the lost boat, the top-'
iral fever in the blod of the marine, the
sickened mind of the prisoner of war"
we will not begrudge the surplus of our'
war-time prosperity, ready cash and
nealurc comfort. '0 will not put our
selves to shame.
Funny business
".KTSSi '"fcV--"46 f lull 11
Questions & Answers
Q What Is a Monroe Iximb?
A A li-afl.-t bomb. This type
holds K0.0IH1 leaflets of 5-by-B-inch
size.
Q- What is a Hub?
A A Red army canteen, coun
terpart of ma- USO mid Rod Cross
canteens.
Q-What is a T.ltsho in Japan?
A- An adiiiM.il.
C0--Vhal three types of rocket
charges does the navy use?
A Incendiary, smoke. Inch ex
plosive, tj - Where lis Hie w orld's larg
rst rot'rim-ridor?
A At I'lu-aWani iini-4y of the
N rflk navy depot. It can hold
:W.lll.il.niii pounds of meat. Tem
()pcraturc is maintained at 4 de
grees. (O)
WASHINGTON Buck in 1037-38, Admir
al William Leahy, now chief of staff to the
White House, devised a strategy against Ja
pan, which, if put into effect, might have
prevented Pearl Harbor and even World
War II.
Today, the old Leahy strategy is being
dusted off, especially on Capitol Hill, as the
best means of. finishing the war with Japan.
It would save thousands of American lives,
its proponents claim, and would serve as an
example of how wars can be won or pre
vented by naval blockade.
The proposals made by Admiral Leahy
constitute one of the most important and
unwritten chapters in the history of what
happened shortly before the war began.
Leahy, then chief of naval operations and
one of the best strategists the navy has seen
in years, saw all too clearly what was com
ing both in Europe and Asia. At that time,
1937, Japan had just begun her full-scale
invasion of China, and it was Leahy's idea
to make an example of Nippon which would
show Hitler and Mussolini then feeling
their oats that the United States meant
business and would stand four-square be
hind the peace machinery of the world.
Therefore, he proposed to Roosevelt a na
val blockade of Japan in cooperation with
the British fltcl, using the peace machinery
of the league of nations and the nine-power
pact which guarantees the sovereignty of
China.
British Start Blockade
President Roosevelt agreed. So did the
British. And in the late summer of 1937,
the British actually detailed six battleships,
twelve cruisers and twtnty destroyers to
leave British home waters for Singapore.
Just at that moment, however, the axis capi
tals apparently got wind of what was hap
pening, and Mussolini started his unofficial
submarine campaign off the coast of Spain
which detained the British fleet at Gibral
tar. A couple of months later, however, Roose
velt revived the idea and sent Norman Da-.
Vis, late head of the Red Cross, to Brussels
to a meeting of the nine-power pact signa
tories called to protect China from Japan.
In the interim, Roosevelt had delivered his
famous Chicago quarantine speech, warning
that the United States might have to help
put a quarantine around an agrcssor nation.
This was part of the build-up for Admiral
Leahy's plan to quarantine Japan.
However, the Brussels conference in Octo
ber, 1937, fizzled largely because of sabo
tage by the state department in Washing
ton, and the plan to blockade Japan was
dropped. But Admiral Leahy revived it
again a year later, when, in December 1938,
the Japs sank the U. S. gunboat Panay and
the British gunboat Ladybird.
Leahy recognized this for what it was, a
deliberate attempt by the Jap war lords to
test how how much insult the United States
would take, and to make Britain and the
USA lose face with the Chinese.
The British wvre also willing to cooperate.
And, Leahy pointed out, in another year,
war, inevitably breaking out in Europe,
woud tie up the British feet and they couti
not possibly help us in the Pacific. Russia,
he also pointed out, had sixty submarines at
Vladivostok, ready to help us cut off all
scrap iron, all oil, all cotton ,nd copper from
Japan. Without these, he argued, the Jap
anese war machine woud be paralyzed.
Less than one year later. Hitler had in
vaded Poland, the British fleet was desper
ately needed to defend British home waters,
and the fat was in the fire. From that point
on there was no possible way the United
States could blockade Japan though many
people have never understood why wc went
to the opposite extreme and increased our
shipments of oil and scrap iron to Japan
so that she laid in tremendous reserves be
fore Pearl Harbor. (Ambassador Joseph C.
Grew, the man chiefly responsible for the
policy of selling oil and scrap iron, has now
been made under secretary of state.)
Japan Can Be Starved
But beginning willi V-E day last week, the
possibility of blockading Japan for the first
time since 1939 was completely reversed.
Since V-E day, the British fleet is entirely
fiec to operate in the Pacific. So are Rus
sian submarines. So is the whole might of
the U. S. navy, now no longer needed to
watch for submarines in the Caribbean or
the Atlantic.
Therefore, blockade proponents argue.
Why not intensify the B-29 raids over Ja
pan's industrial cities, clamp down the iron
clad blockade originally proposed by Admir
al Leahy, and then wait. The end of Japan
would come in only a few months without
the sacrifice of American Jives.
Naval brass bats don't favor this idea, but
nevertheless you are going to hear a lot
more about Admiral Leahy's strategy in the
future.
WE, THE WOMEN
By RUTH MILLETT
She received word a few months ago thai
her husband had been killed in action.""
She look the news with her chin up, de
termined to go about the business of living
as normally as she could.
Now "they are saying" that she took the
news of her husband's death loo well. That,
after all, she seems so little changed, so she
couldn't have loved him very much.
Why do people praise the courage of men
in battle and then turn around and condemn
the young widows who are trying to fact
life with the same kind of courage?
Why do people want to sec these young
widows of servicemen make a show of their
broken hearts?
Why expect a girl who has, perhaps,
known only a few months of married life,
followed by a year or two of separation, to
sit back and mourn her husband's death for
years? ...
After all, these women are young. And if
some of them can adjust easily to the trag
edy of being widowed, that is a great bless
ing. A girl of twenty or twenty-five has her
life before her.
No one would be benefitted by her going
to pieces and cracking up emotionally. She
would just become a problem to her own
family and friends.
So tile person who says a war widow is
"taking it too well" is lacking in both sym
pathy and understanding. The young widow
who waited faithfully for her husband's re
turn while there was hope of his coming
back to her some day has done all that she
can do.
When she knows he isn't coming back,
then she must get about the business of liv
ing her own life to make it as worthwhile as
possible. ' "
Behind Scenes in Washington
By PETER EDSON. La Grande Evoning Observer Washington Correspondent
"And a couple of can opeicri in case I change my mind about
gardening!"
I What is Germany's west
einiiiost port?
A Eindcn, prewar population
oa.uiiu. j
One by-product of this United Nation-;
conference' not on the official agenda is Ihc
way cultural relations program is paying off
an extra dividend. Kor in addition to jus
writing a United Nations charter filled with
high-sounding prnciplcs on insuring the fu
ture peace and security of the world, some
of Ihc delegates are interested in doing some
thing more practical and material about it
right now. Consequently they are taking
time off from their conference labors nit
only to see IhcNights of America, hut also 'o
pick up information on what goes on in lire
part of the world in such diverse subjects as
orange growing, public health, rural school
liinclu-s.'hislorical research, labor legislation,
student exchange and stuff like that. For
instance:
Jules Busdevaut, assistant delegate for
Fiance, professor at the Faculty of Law of
Paris, has been putting in some time at the
Hoover War Memorial library. Stanford uni
versity. Formerly there were two other Ta
nious collections of documents on wars,
revolutions and peace, one in Paris and the
other in Berlin. The German collection in
Berlin is believed to h ive been completely
destroyed and the French collection was
badly damaged. Dr. Hasclevant is making
pivliminary arrangements to have the Hoov
er library documents microfilmed so as to
bung the Paris collection up to date.
French technical advisor Jean Chati-net is
visiting Stanford to do research for future
reorganization of the French ministry of
labor. IVoe Ilofheir, another French ad
visor, met V. S. economists on the Stanford
faculty and will return tljcte to lectin e.
,Vi Akhar Siassi, minister' of state for Iran
ilnd also n rhancellor of the fWersiay of
Teheran is interested in V- S. higher educa
tion. Presidents Donald B. Trcssidcr of
Stanford and Herman Wells of Indiana have
invited him to visit their campuses.
Mrs. Isabel P. de Vidal. Uruguayan sena
tor and educator, is visiting San Francisco
schools and will go to the University of
California extension center in BcQ-cley.
K.gyplinn delegates, interested in improv
ing the citrus fruit crops of their country,
arc visiting California orange groves.
All these and other similar examples fit
into the big pattern of improving interna
tional working relationships for peace times
and several representatives of the U. S. de
partment of slate division of cultural co
operation have been assigned to the San
Francisco conference to help the delegates
meet the people who can do thin some good.
Once established, these contacts are contin
ued through the years and lead to interna
tional understanding through personal rela
tionships. If this sounds a bit thin, it doesn't add up
that way at all. Fact is that dozens of for
eign delegates and their advisors were edu
caled in the United States. Galo Plaza Las
so of Ecuador was a football star at Stan
ford. Jerge Fidel Duron of Honduras stu
died law at Loyola. Many of the Middle
Eastern delegates attended the American
universities in Alliens, and Beirut. Syria,
and Roberts college, Istanbul. Five of the
ten delegates from China went to U. S. col
leges and univciwities.
Oiv of the principal amendments to the
Dumbarton Oaks proposals made by China
and accepted by the other big powers calls
for specific provision "lo promote education
al and other forrrts of cultural cooperation."
What you have just been reading about is
ibis same brand of cultural cooperation in
a great big way.
Many of the U. S. experts at San FrancitjOi
held degrees from foreign universiitcs. tf.eir
first hand knowledge of loreign countries
and languages helps them wage peace now.
Conversely, when students from foreign
countries attend U. S. schools and then go
back home to assume positions of leader
ship in their governments, they are among
the first to be considered as delegates to con
ferences like this one being held now in San
Francisco. That's how all this cultural rela
tions business pays off its contribution to
peace.
i H J TV ,
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con. mi y nca sCAViie. inc. t. m. mo. u. a. pat. off. 1 f'ff
"I'm going into some job in essential industry that's about the
only chance a girl has nowadays to find an eligible man!"
o McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
SHREWD HOLD-BACK
BEATS 3 NO TRUMP
One of our outstanding life
masters, TSgt. Phil Abramsohn,
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Opening 2. 15
was in New York on a furlough
the other day. He is stationed at
Grenier field, Manchester, N. H.,
O SO THEY SAT
Not only do they (the Japan
ese) fall shqgyof. matching -the .
quantity of weapons arrayed
against them, they also fall far
short of matching the bravery,
skill and indomitable spirit with
which the Americans are using
these weapons.
Fleet Adml. Chester W. Nimilz.
where he is an instructor in blind
flying by instrument. I saw the
sergeant put up a nice defense on
this hand in the Mayfair dupli
cate game. .'. - ,
South won the opening lead
with the king of hearts and im
mediately led the nine of clubs.
Most of the East players took this
trick with the jack and returned
the ten of hearts. The declarer
held off but when East continued
with the six, the declarer won,
then led another club,.; .:
Now, regardless of Mi-hat East
docs, the declarer has-tnrce cltrt
tricks, three diamonds, two healts
and a spade.-
But hv refusing to wiri the nine
of clubs and waiting to win the
second --club trick, - Abramsohn
gained the - timing on the hand
and thus defeated tho cantract. .
o IN FORMER l'
YEARS
30 Years Ago - '
' The Eastern Oregon Producers
.association held its quarterly
"business meeting in- La -Grande.
Mrs. Lucy Miller left for Pitts
burg, Kansas, for a visit. , i
Dr. H. S. Brownton was named
to the Carnegie library board.
Education- is simply an invest
ment in good health, good sense
and good economic production.
It is the instrument of our prog
ress and the main structure of
freedom.
George D. Stoddard, New York
state educational commissioner.
Wc do not want wildcat fi
nancing, shoddy building, and
misplaced subdivisions after this
war as we had after World War
I. Wc have an unparalleled op
portunity for long-range planning
such as we will never sec acain
in our time.
Clair W. Dilchy of Dv roil,
15 Years Ago
Mrs. Sherwood Williams, Mrs.
E. W. Ely and Mrs. P. S. Robinson
returned from Eugene . wliyfe
they spent the weekend attend
ing festivities on the university
campus.
Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Ains
worth returned after a week
spent in Portland on business arid
pleasure. ,
Vernal Shoemaker was a mem
ber of the rifb team at the Uni
versity of Oregon which qualified
for . the National Intercollegiate
rifle matches.
The better the war I s ;one
for, us the tougher has he.-omc
the lot of American i. i 1 allied
prisoners, whom the '' mans
moved repeatedly, oft : o i foot,
to avoid their liberali .i by ad
vancing allied forces.
Maurice Pate, diroi ' ir Red
Cross supplies for U. i. prison
ers in Europe.
10 Years Ago
Tlu-e La Grande girls, Lois
Kathleen Hnnsell,' Edris Clare
Maguirc and Georgia LaVcllc
Ilk-hcy completed nursing courses
nl Emanuel hospital in Portland
and were graduated.
Jack Lloyd, 66-year old soldier
of fortune, adventurer, veteran of
several wars and revolutions, and
known throughout the world as
the "Original Globetrotting Re
porter," spent the day in ,La
Grande.
This Curious World
COFK. 1S IVtt,i,.M -B3 ' , rn
t. m. ate u s tat, o.r. m-Tf f
El l ) TWO
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"'i lifli GARBARK
( 'xIfHTX . ,5Siag5jk f AMERICAN ' 3 II
BASE
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35 .ctvJI 3
ej " . . .
Ck1 dinOi5
IT IS EST! ViATED THAT .WORE THAN
HALF A AI1.1OAJ POPZ
WERE PUT TO DEATH AS
tvnrws BETWEEN THE
15 TM AND I8TH CENTURIES.
ANSWER: California. This state has been found very suitable
for the growing of cork oaks.
NEXT; In the ashes of Vesuvius. " ' 7
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