Side Glances
Washington Merry-Go-Round
EDITORIAL PAGE.
Br DREW PEARSON
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schlro, Publisher
MONDAY EVENING, JUNE 25, 1945
Page Two
The Father and Son Firm of Chaos, Inc.
.JT
EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grande
Ilonde Valley irrigation project.
LA GRANDE A city of 10,000
Extend the city limits.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
The empires of the future arc the empires
of the mind. Winston Churchill.
Germany's Future
Government
Curt Rifss, writing from Germany,
reports that mont Germans regard the
Russian occupation as more lenient than
that of the Americans or the liriti.sh.
Ife bases this statement on his observa
tion of the American occupation pro
gram and on talks with people who have
lived in the Russian-occupied zone.
The NIOA service correspondent
writes that the Russians are trivinn
their German charges more food than
they received in the last months under
Hitler; that plays, movies and concerts
have been resumed; that radio broad
casts stress present co-operation and
future hope, while ours are more in
clined to emphasize past misdeeds.
Most of this Riess says he believes.
And even at this distance there would
seem to be logical reasons whv lie
should.
The Russians naturally hate the Ger
mans who overran their land, laid waste
their cities, and inflicted barbarous
cruelties on their countrymen. They
have greater reason even than the
French and British, and (infinitely
greater reason than the Americans, for
loathing the whole German race.
Vet the Russian government realizes,
as do other governments, that Cermanv
must exist and be lived with in the
future. Moscow is pledged to concerted
action with London anil Washington in
ruling Germany until such time as the
Germans are thought fit for self-government.
When the time come Ger
many will probably be permitted to
choose an acceptable form of govern
ment in a free election.
Naturally each of the three allies
would like to see a German government ,
patterned after its 'own model. 'And the
Russians would seem to have begun'
already a campaign to present commun
ism in the best possible light.
Thus far they seem to be succeeding.
After Goebbels' tales of Russian terror
and vengeance, any gentleness . must .
have been an agreeable surprise to the
Germans. And if any of the numerous
community party of pre - Hitler Ger
many survive, they will undoubtedly
try to help in making this first impres
sion a lasting one.
The prospect of a Russian-dominated
Kurope sets many Anglo - American
minds reeling. But the prospect is not
a foregoing conclusion. The Americans
and British in Germany also have an
opportunity to sell their way of life to
the Germans through propaganda, edu
cation and general behavior.
There is no reason why communism,
republican democracy and constitution
al monarchy should not compete on
their merits for German acceptance.
But it is imperative that the occupying
governments abide by the eventual Ger
man decision. The only alternative
would be to let a defeated Germany
again endanger the peace of the world.
0
Postage Due
Hitler, we learn, built up a personal
fortune by the simple expedient of tack
ing a 101) per cent overcharge on 6
pfennig postage stamps.
What a wonderful extra excuse that
must have given reluctant German let
ter writers provided the na.ified Ger
mans managed to retain that common
civilized weakness of "simply hating to
write letters."
HOSPITAL
Funny Business
s: -p.-- - j fc;" - - I
o SO THEY SAY
I hilve been In business 25
years nnrl these me the smallest
oranges 1 have seen in those 25
years.
Dr. Palsy IVAgostino, presi
dent of Greater New York re
tail grocers' association, anent
recent orange shipments.
The allies owe the success of
the invasion (of Kurope) to the
air forew.
Hermann Gooring, former
Heichsmarshal of Germany,
now an allied prisoner.
If we defend our nation and
continue resistance for five. 10 or
even 20 years on our soil, the
enemy :4s certain to suffer an
eventual breakdown.
Kumataro Honda, former Jp
uncsc ambassador to Germany.
"Could wt got a couple of burps from the fellow who broke the
.world's record for eating fried oggi at ono silting?"
Tft young men and women (of
India) who come to this country,
cannot but be influenced by
American Ideals.
Dr. M. S. Sundaiam. education
al liaison officer for India in
the U. S,. . . .
WASHINGTON When the final history
of the war is told, one of its greatest chap
ters will describe that branch of the service
totally new to., war 4he air transport com
mand. Transporting prime ministers and
presidents, wounded men, jeeps and Pat
Hurley's car over oceans and deserts has
now become commonplace news to the Am
erican public. But behind that commonplace
news is a thrilling story of painstaking,
back-breaking pioneering.
Here are some things few people know
about the airtransport command: most used
air route in thlt world is not between Wash
ington and, New York, not between New
York and Chicago, but over "the hump" be
tween China and India ... Traffic over this
world's highest mountain range, the Hima
layas, is so heavy that planes travel at dif
ferent altituije so there will be no collisions.
One plane will have orders to fly at 22,000
feet, another at 23,000, and so on. Three or
four different fiir routes are used across the
hump, also to avoid collisions.
Next mostiesvily used air route is across
the north Atlantic. The ATC sends a plane
across the Atlantic every 58 seconds. That's
about as fast as traffic moves on the Penn
sylvania railroad between New York and
Philadelphia, busiest rail line in the world.
The ATC is now flying returning troops
across the Atlantic at a rate of 50,000 per
month ... for years, ATC pilots have been
briefed on how to land on the difficult air
ports of Greenland, Iceland or China. Now
the ATC has the tremendous thrill of brief
ing pilots on arriving at home ports Boston,
Portland, Long Island . . . Pilots say that no
briefing was ever more welcome.
More than 220,000 wounded men have
been carried in ATC planes away from the
battle front. During the early stages of Ok
inawa fighting, planes swooped down on
makeshift runways, taxied up to ambulanc
es, took off right under the noses of Jap
guns. Stretchers were loaded aboard while
the planes refueled . . . One big ATC job has
been getting crashed fliers out of the Him
alayas. Amazing fact is that 75 per cent are
saved . . . Lieut. Gen. Harold George, boss of
the ATC, realized in advance that crashes
would be heavy over the hump, so men were
given special training on how to live in the
jungles. They were even taken to jungle
outposts to get familiar with the jungle be
fore they hopped . . . Every plane flying the
hump has a small tin chest (with its own
parachute) containing medicine, snake-bite,
antidote, water purifier, concentrated food,
signal flares,' mirrors, mosquito nets, etc.
This chest is kept near the plane's door. If
the crew has to jump, the chest is kicked out
before the last man leaves the plane ... In
the jungle anews are taught to stay where
they are until sighted by rescue planes which
signal instructions as to where they can be
picked up . .' . Natives are usually friendly
and the chances of getting rescued from the
jungle are far better han if a flier drops
over the desert or in the sea.
The Japs shot down many ATC planes
early in the war by painting their DC-4's
with U. S. insignia . . . Flying up close, the
Japs waited until they had perfect targets.
hen fired . . . U. S. planes had to be repaint
ed .. . Now, however, the Japs have been
pushed back a considerable distance from
the hump . . .' Early in the war, Roosevelt .
ordered the army to fly 10,000 tons per
month over the hump to Chiang Kai-Shek.
Some brass hats threw up their hands, said .
this was impossible . . . ATC, howevermet
the schedule; today is flying 50,000 tons per
month over the hump.
Before Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt ordered
special fighter planes rushed to the British
in Egypt where Rommel had General Mont
gomery's back to the wall . . . However,
fighter planes couldn't make the long trek
across Africa without refueling and there
was no airport in the heart of the continent.
One day an American engineer was dropped
off a plane almost in the center of Africa, in
French territory not far from the Sudan. He
had his pockets stuffed with money, and his
head stuffed with ideas. That was about all.
He also had instructions to build an airport
. . . Six weeks later the ATC came back and
he had a 4,500 foot sodded runway in fairly
good shape. He had drafted most of the
camels and most of the natives in that part
of Africa and paid them plenty to do the job.
Fighter planes immediately began crossing
to the Egyptian front and the British army
staged its come-back . . . Today the French
are makin diplomatic inquiries as to this air
port, apparently with a view to taking it
over.
Another great engineering feat was at As
cension, the island rock in the middle of the
south Atlantic . . '. The ATC needed Ascen
sion to make the hop from Brazil to Africa.
Only trouble was that Ascension is solid rock
with a peak in the center and no room for a
runway. However, one ATC engineer took a
look at it, told General George: "If you give
me 90 days and plenty of steam shovels and
dynamite, I'll build an air base" . . . George
gave him the equipment, and 90 days later
the ATC had a base.
Fifty million letters were flown by the
ATC to Europe in April. This peak load has
now dropped off due to troop transfers out
of Europe, but the ATC has been the largest
mail carrier in history . . . Also it runs the
world's largest hotel chain. It must be pre
pared to handle 1,000 men a night at Natal,
Brazil, also feed them. ATC hotels are scat- ,
tcred all over the world to handle ferrying
and combat pilots . . . When the weather is
bad, hotel facilities overflow . . . ATC flew
about half the combat planes across the At-'
lantic, the rest being flown by combat pilots.
They made the hop in big batches of 50 to
100 at a time.
WE, THE WOMEN
Br RUTH MTLLETT
Well, it looks as though men are at last
admitting they are afraid women.
Florida has just passed a bill outlawing
suits for alienation of affections, breach of
contract to marry, and seduction.
At the time the bill was introduced there
was some talk about the pathetic plight of
old men sitting in the sun and being neatly
hooked by women not reluctant to have
their broken hearts mended with handsome
cash settlements.
With the shortage of men in the marrying
market it was inevitable that the men would
get scared and start to run.
For men women would have by-passed are.
now being fought for.
And while an old man in pre-war times
might have been able to sit comfortably in
the sun without running into any more
trouble than sun burn, today he has to be
wary of the husband hunters.
There was only one thing wrong with that
popular song "They're cither too young or too
old" as far as women are concerned. : And
that judging from the statistics on girls
marrying men younger than themselves and
the common sight of the old boys being sur
rounded by beautiful babes at parlies is
that the- song should have been "They're
neither too young or too old."
And especially not too old. For the young
men usually don't have any money. But the
old men have made theirs, and as far as
women are concerned a tidy bank account
makes a man look ten years younger and at
least five times handsomer.
So you can't blame the men for trying to
protect themselves against the more schem
ing sex, now that age is no longer a protection.
Behind Scenes in Washington
Br PETER EDSON, La Grand Evanlng Observer Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON Greatest paradox in to
day's Ameriphn lack of understanding of
Russia is that the Soviet government should
be said to need a new press agent.
While the Germans may have invented
propaganda, the Russians certainly perfected
it. They got so good at it that they scared
everyone half to death. That in itself even
tually caused the Russians to announce
abandonment of their program to promote
world communism, through the commintern.
But now the circle seems to have been com
. pleted and the USSR frequently finds itself
in the American dog house because its poli
cies are misunderstood in this country or are
not satisfactorily explained by Moscow. Re
tiring Attornr-y General Biddle, in making
a report to congress on foreign government
propaganda activities in the United States,
declared that while the British information
services spent $2,000,000 in the U. S. in 1944,
Russia did not report any such expenditures
because she conducted this work through the
1 Washington embassy and other agencies not
subject to registration. Whatever the media,
the effect seems to have been negative.
But the Russians are still no slouches on
their puhh" relations in Kurope. They do a
tremendous job throgh Moscow radio, oper
ating much as the British broadcasting cor
poration does in beaming Wgrams in all
known languages to all parts of the world.
The day after the Red arrruVs moved into
Berlin they seized the German radio net
work. Radio Berlin, with the most power
ful transmitter in Europe, blankets western
Europe Moscow has given the manufacture
com im emu tuncc. mc T. a iif.r,...:.'rr.
"Before I cul these, will you inspect 'em? I don't remember plant
ing anything here, but they look pretty good to me if they are
weeds!" i
o McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
REFUSING FINESSES
MAKES 6 DIAMONDS
One of the hands that enabled
Mrs. R. C. (Sally) Young of Phila
delphia, Sam Katz of Milburn, N.
J., Mrs. Lou Jaeger and Peter
Leventritt of New York to tie for
the eastern mixed team-of-four
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Q2 fi 4765
!8 76 I Deller Q2
Mrs. Young
A None
VAJ 8 7 6 5
AK94
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Duplicate N.-S. vul.
South West North East
1 V
2 V
3
6
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Opening V 2.
1 A Pass
2 A Pass
4 Pass
Pass Pass
2d
championships, as played by Mrs.
Young, is shown here.
This is Sally Young's first ma
jor victory in some time. She
practically gave up major com-
QuestionsSc Answers
Q How has the price of helium
gas been Jreduced since World
war I?
Q At the close of that war it
cost $2500 a cubic foot; in 1944' it
cost two cents a cubic foot.
petition during the war, but she
demonstrated with this hand that
she is still a master. She and two
others were the only ones to
reach the slam in diamonds on
this hand. However, the others
went down, as they took both the
club and the diamond finesse.
Mrs. Young refused both finesses.
She won the opening heart lead
with the ace, ruffed a heart, re
turned to her hand with the king
of diamonds and ruffed another
heart. The hearts were now all
good, so she picked up the dia
monds, cashed her ace and king
of clubs, and when the 'queen fell,
the jack of clubs gave her all 13
tricks.
O IN FORMER
YEARS ,
30 Years Ago '!
David B. Stoddard left on a
trip through Idaho and Utah.
A. K. Twidwell, well-known
pioneer, went, to Fall Rinaf, Kan.,
to- visitfriends. ---?
Mrs. O. E. Silverthorn.-return-ed
from Portland where she
spent several weeks with her
daughter, Marjorie, a student at
Reed college.
Q What is a "French land
ing" in aviation?
A Landing made on two main
wheels, with tail remaining in
flying position as long as possi
ble before comng to a stop.
Q What are the deepest
soundings made in Lake Super
ior, deepest of the Great Lakes?
A 1290 feet.
QWhat are your chances of
making a flush with a one-card
draw?
A Thirty-eight to one.
Q Which of the United States
has the largest national forest
area?
A Idaho, with 20,026.274 acres.
15 Years Ago
C. L. Graham was employed as
a full-time county schol clerk,
after serving as deputy county
clerk.
Miss Dorothy Wall, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Wall, was
visiting in Haines with her cou
sin, Miss Mary Dodd.
Bishop and Mrs. W. P. Rem
ington sailed on -the Mauretania
for London to attend the Lam
both conference of bishops of the
Episcopal church, held at Lam
beth palace, home of. the Arch
bishop of Canterbury. :Aflcr the
conference they went;to jtpberam
mcrgau to attend the.'fPassion
play and to Italy. v
10 Years Ago
Harold Zurbrick of La Grande
purchased two purebrfcd regis
tered gilts at the Oregon State
college at Corvallis, planing to
use them in 4-H club work and to
show them in local fairs and at
the Pacific International.
A playground program was
launched at Riveria and Willow
schools.
H. E. Dixon and family were
in Portland on business.
of radio receivers a high priority and the
formation of radio listening groups has been
promoted in all the Russian-occupied areas of
eastern Europe. Moscow itself has announc
ed there are over 5,000,000 of these radio lis
tening posts loud speakers in centers where
thrc is no other means of spreading informa
tion and where the people meet to hear the
news that Moscow wants them to hear.
An analysis of monitored Russian radio
programs since V-E day gives a pretty good
line on wat the Soviet has been trying to put
over. Briefly, the dominant note is anti
fascism. That's what they fought the war
for. Russian radio socks fascist tendencies
wherever they raise their head in Poland,
Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Italy,
Germany or the United States. Positively, it
plugs the need for future international co
operation and a post-war world based on
more democracy in political, economic and
social fields n end to armed conflicts, ec
onomic rivalry and colonial expansion. This
line is carried so far as to declare that if
present cfforls to create a world peace or
ganization fail, another world security or
ganization will eventually be created. But
in general there has been an expression of
confidence that the San Francisco confer
ence of the united nations would succeed.
As a line, there is little in this to criticize.
What has apparently caused a drop in Soviet
popularity in the United States is the inci
dent of the 16 Polish leaders nirw- on trial,
which still doesn't make sense to American
readers or listeners, anyway they look at it
or hear it. Hence the need for a new Rus
sian public relations policy.
This Curious World
CJt- WINTER
IS AS IMPORTANT TO &R0WIN6
r-LNi Ai IS THE WARMTH
OF SUMMER T Di sure
OF OUR. TEMPERATE ZONE
WILL NOT AWAKEN IN SPRIN6
unless 1 HcY HAVE SEEN
iY LOW TEMPERATURES.
WW
A-ER A DEER PASSES THE
PRIME CF LIPE, ITS ANTLERS
EACH YEAR AVAY HAVE A
NUWSER CP POINTS.
t i
v
1
WHR'S UABRf
NEXT: The brighter side of a black sheep.
"How about thii bull siean it
- 1 - I illlY -1'i'i'J?"
au"r.,''f r- - -
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