Side Glances
Washington Merry-Go-Round
EDITORIAL PAGE
5
'T
COi.l:.
an s
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Sehiro, Publisher
MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 24, 1943
Pafe Two
0r Changing World
These Was ,a time
WHEM flE. ROPE B4CK
IN PlSN(T
EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grand
Konde Valley lrrl (ration project.
LA GRANDE A city of 10,000
Extend the city limits.
.Whj?! a, bafe'eiliUftffi oil tft '
Hifu)r:ruiii projectors
he lias at least one comforting assur
ance: the project can't he entirely un
successful. Hitler's war, while it failed to estab
lish the rule of a "Nfew Order," did a
pretty thorough job of ruining Europe.
It took a staggering total of lives, agri
cultural lands, raw materials and indus
trial installations. It caused social and
economic upheavals almost as complete
as the political disintegration of Ger
many. And in doing these things it
probably finished off the continent of
Kurope and the liritish Isles as the fin
ancial, political and intellectual hub of
the world a position they held for
2000 years and more.
The twilight of Kurope is painfully
apparent today. It can be seen in Wash
ington, wlii'He representatives of the
once proud and mighty Liritish Empire
are pleading for the American money
which might assure the Empire's econ
omic survival. It can be seen even more
clearly in London at the Council of
Foreign Ministers.
There the conflict of prestige and
political morals is between IUissia and
the United States Iiussia, which Ilit-
' ler hated and feared even more than he
hated England, and the United States,
which he considered decadent and div
ided. .
Today the magnetic attraction of
Russia's Bocial system, studiously ex
ploited by Russia's government, , has
pulled eastern Europe into her orbit.
Today the United States, physically
f unharmed by war, is the world's finan
cial center. However distasteful capi
talism may be to Europeans today
and it has been bitterly and ungener
ously abused from London to Moscow--
the fruits of a prosperous capitalistic
system, which did so much to save Eng
land and Russia in their days of great
est peril, are now as compellingly at
tractive to them as the Russian political
philosophy seems to be.
And so, thanks largely to Hitler, the
paths of wealth and power, and event
ually of culture and civilization, have
turned east and west from the familiar
countryside of Europe.
Europe will retain her monuments and
cultural heritage of antiquity, her pride
and jealousies and discontent. I.ut it is
doubtful that she can ever again exert
the power that has molded history since
the lloman Empire.
So it behooves the dominant states of
Russia and America to live and work
together, to profit by the endless strug
gles which brought Europe to her pres
ent state, to reach an effective com
promise in their possession of world
power despite their ideological differ
ences. Otherwise Hitler will have won the
war.
Funny Business
0R&--.1iiJ'1'1."1" J IT"
Flo ' TK 1 i'j
r. l iu s im I
o SO THEY SAY
The family is the basis of soci
ety and it is to the interest of
the government that the families
(of servicemen) be reunited as
soon as possible.
R c p. John W. McCormick of
Massachusetts.
Ninety percent of the people
who come into Magistrate's court
are not criminals. They merely
are victims of our social-economic
setup and only need our help.
Magistrate Maurice Simmonds,
New York City.
Kurd should reach the low point
of its employment within the next
10 days, and thereafter jobs
should increase steadily until
peak production is reached carlv
in ISH6.
Henry Ford, 3rd.
"Could man who's been splitting tomi gat cup ot cotUs?"
Kurope is a unit and must re
main so. On no account must a
system be evolved that would
divide Kurope.
- Ccoi'ites Hidault, French
eign minister.
For-
By PEW PgAHSOl
WASHINGTON If congress is really in
terested in investigating military efficiency
rather than In political recrimnaton, it will
probe the disastrous Battle of the Bulge as
well as Pearl Harbor.
Casualties at Pearl Harbor were only
around 3,000. But casualties in the Battle
of the Bulge totalled around 60,000. And
just as Pearl Harbor set us back in the Pa
cific, so the Battle of the Bulge delayed
victory in Europe. General Eisenhower had
hoped to finish Germany in the winter, pos
sibly by Christmas, but losses during the
first two weeks of the Ardennes offensive
helped drag out the war.
How many extra American lives were
lost as a result is not known. But what is
known is that U. S. supply officers imme
diately placed huge orders for more tanks,
more artillery, more of almost everything
as a result of the heavy supply losses in
the Bulge. That is one reason why acres
and acres of supplies are scattered over the
country today.
What never leaked out at the time of the
battle is, that 20,000 U. S. infantry troops
we're flown straight from the United States
into the Bulge. Losses were so heavy and
men so tired sufficient shock troops were
not available in Europe. It was the longest
air-borne troop carrying feat in history.
Also it never leaked out certain U. S. in
telligence officers in Washington warned
the Bulge attack was coming, and that noth
ing was done to prepare for it. These are
a few of the things congress could investi
gate with profit to future military effi
ciency. Here are some more.
Nasi Captive Talk
Congress doesn't know it, though the army
docs, that captured German officers have
now thrown significant light on the Bel
gian Bulge operation.
They have testified the Bulgj operation
was planned as early as November (though
it didn't get started until Dec. 16). It was
planned by Hitler himself. General generals
were taken by a circuitous route to Hitler's
headquarters, then near Frankfurt, where
they were searched and placed in chairs
four feet apart.
Remembering how one colonel brought
in a bomb concealed in a brief case at the
last staff meeting Hitler took no chances.
His gestapo men wanted to be able to see
both sides of the chair in which each gen
eral sat; also, didn't want the generals to
know exactly where Hitler's headquarters
were.
Hitler then unfolded his plan. The gen
erals debated whether the German army
could squeeze enough gasoline and supplies
from other operations to start the Bulge
attack. Most of the general were opposed.
They thought the idea was sheer suicide.
But Hitler's mad fanaticism decreed this one
last attempt must be made to break the
American line and get through to Brusseb.
Naiis Understood "Nuts"
Lieut. Gen. Kurt von Manteuffel was
among those who left the meeting heartsick.
Before beginning the offensive he went to
see his wife and children to tell them he
never expeted to see them again. Later he
was to surprise himself by getting as far as
Bastogne, where he sent the message to
Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe, to sur
render. McAuliffe's now famous reply was,
"nuts," and General Manteuffel has since
told U. S. interviewers that he understood
quite well what "nuts" meant.
Another German opposed to the Belgian
Bulge campaign was the man generally
credited with master-minding it Field Mar
shal Kurt von Rundstedt. Last December,
American correspondents cabled accounts of
von Rundstedt had planned and led the Ar
dennes attack. But when interviewers asked
him about the Belgian Bulge, he gruffly
replied:
"Do not connect me with that operation.
That was Model."
Von Rundstedt was referring to Field
Marshal General Walther von Model, his
colleague on the western front, who had
been strong for Hitler's plan to catch the
American army off-base.
Despite the opposition of regular German
army officers, Hitler guessed shrewdly in
picking the time and place for his attack.
Tragic inside fact, however, is that U. S.
forces would not have been caught napping
if the advice of two war department col
onels in Washington had been taken; also
the advice of the assistant secretary of war,
John McCloy.
Washington Have no Advice
McCloy, looking at the map of the west
ern front several days before the Germans
launched their surprise attack and noting
the thinly spread American forces in the
Ardennes forest, remarked that he thought
this was taking a chance. Members of the
See WASHINGTON . . . Page 4
WE, THE WOMEN
Br RUTH MILLETT
Mrs. G. I. who was a good sport all through
the war is about fed up.
While her husband risked his life over
seas and she ran the risk of being left alone
to support and bring up her children you
didn't hear her complain.
She went about the job of being both
father and mother as cheerfully as she could,
all the while striving not only to keep up
her own morale but the morale of her hus
band overseas. Without bitterness she ac
cepted sacrifices that only part of the pop
ulation was called upon to make.
But the war is over now, and she wants
her husband back. She knows her children
have suffered emotionally from having a
father taken from them. She knows it is
going to take plenty of time for the chil
dren and their father to become adjusted
to each other, after a long separation durine
which the father has had no responsibility
for the children and they have learned to
make a mother the whole center of their
existence.
She knows that the sooner her husband
gets back into civilian life, the better off
the family will be financially. And a man's
career is important when there are children
to be educated.
So she is tired of being a good sport and
putting her country ahead of her family.
She wants her man back home. And it
burns her up to think she knows no more
about when that will be than she did when
the war was going on. 'They don't tell us
a thing," her husband writes. And, "I haven't
the slightest idea when I wil Iget home."
Mrs. G. I. is fed up with that kind of
treatment. She figures that at this point
nobody needs a father more than his kids.
And if the government doesn't want a new
pressure group on its hands it had better
consider Mrs. G. I. Joe. Her patience can't
be counted on indefinitely. In fact, it has
just about run cut.
Behind Scenes in Washington
Br PETER EDSON. La Grand Craning Observer Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON Evcrytime a newly-appointed
public official comes to Washington,
the quaint old capital custom is to stand the
poor character up at a press conference so
as to let the boys and girls look him over.
It's an ordeal only slightly less trying than
the death march on Bataan. The poor vic
tim is propped up like a duck on a rock and
trick questions are heaved at him like dor
nicks to sec how he flinches. To keep him
from being too badly bruised, he is usually
surrounded by experienced hands in his de
partment. But mostly the new man has to
fend for himself. If he bounces back the
brickbats as pearls of wisdom and in gen
eral, handle himself well, he's a good joe
and he's in until further notice.
William Benton of Chicago was subjected
to this hazing 24 hours after he was sworn
in as assistant secretary of state. He turned
out to be a medium sized gent with a nice
voice, and a nice smile and a slight need
of a haircut, unless he likes it that way.
The sour apple job that has been wished
on Benton is to bo in charge of public af
fairs. This doesn't mean he's to be in charge
of public ceremonies. It means public re
lations, only to say it right out that way in
the state department would never do. Ho
is also to be responsible for supervision of
the Office of international information and
cultural affairs which hiccoughs into OIICA,
and the interim international information
office which stutters into 1ISO. What th:s
all amounts to is that Benton's lot from here
on is to sell the state department at home
and abroad, and not short, either.
Judging from Benton's self-confessed rec
ord, he can sell anything even the state
department. The things he's sold before com
ing to Washington a'e unbelievable. He has
sold advertising, the Encyclopedia Brittan
nica, movies for school rooms, and muzac
the canned music they play nt you with
your meals to drown out the clatter of dish
es and your own voice in restaurants that
can't afford or haven't space for a live or
chestra. Benton's latest venture was in trying to
sell "subscription radio," which is radio for
entertainment and information only, with
out the commercials. It would have been a
blessing if he had been able to put this
over, and he would have been hailed as a
public benefactor far and wide, but he was
lured away from this worthy venture to
go into the' service of his government.
Benton is so good as a salesman that he
even sold his name and got to keep it. That
was when he pulled out of the advertising
firm of Benton and Bowles about 10 wars
ago. His partner in this business. Chester
Bowles, is the same Chester Bowles who
has had to ell OPA. He's good too. But as
to which is harder to sell OPA or depart
ment of state, oh, you decide.
Benton says he has severed all his past
and private business connections and from
now on till he gets fired, or gives up, hi
will be strictly in the sales end of the diplo
macy business. That's too bad. If he could
have moved some of his past into that noble
Victorian pile of building blocks which
houses the department of state, think what
an improvement it might have made. Ev
ery conference room wired for technicolor
and sound advertising sale presentations for
visual education on every wall. Lipstick,
perfume and corset ad models all over the
place.
Appropriate muzac for every international
situation: Chopin's "Polonaise" while fixing
the Curzon line. "Vienna Breeze" if the Rus
sians weren't cooperating on Austria. A
tango for the Argentine and "Song of In
dia" when the independence issue comes up.
Visiting diplomats might bring their own
records. The British, here to negotiate a
loan, could overtuie with "You Made Me
What I Am Today, I Hope You're Satisfied."
CCWt mS BY HCA SEBV1CE. IMC. T. M. II EC. U. 9. PAT. Oft: f'S" L
"Pop, why don't you try to look like these Marines In
the comic strips?"
e McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WILLIAM E. McKENNEY America's Card Authority.,
TOUGH NO TRUMP
NEEDS FEELER PLAYS
When Aaron Goodman and
Samuel Gold of Montreal came
to the summer nationals this year,
we were reminded that only a
few years ago a Canadian team
won the national team-of-ffour
title. Goodman and Gold made a
fine showing in the World Cham
pionship Masters Pairs this year.
With just a little better luck they
AQ842
V 9 5 3 2
K
J 1076
Goodman
K97
V8
A Q 10 9
'3
A984
73
W E
S
Dealer
Gold
A A J6
VKJ6
J754
2
KQ
A 10 5 3
VAQ10 74
86
532
Duplicate Neither vul.
South West North East
Pass 1 Pass I V
Pass 2 A Pass 3 N. T
Opening V 7. 25
might have won it. They finished
tenth in a field of 90 pairs of the
world's outstanding bridge play
ers. In telling me a b o u t .today's,,
hand, Gold said, "When the dum
my went down, I knew I had a
difficult contract to make. When
I won the opening heart lead
with the jack, I knew I had to
keep North from getting into the
lead. First I cashed the king and
queen of clubs to find out if the
jack and ten would fall. When
this failed, I decided to take the
spade finesse. In order to do so
I led a small diamond. I could not
take the diamond finesse, because
of the danger of losing all the
hearts, so I went up withithe
diamond ace a, n d fo.ttunaicly
caught North's singleton king. I
cashed the ace of clubs, ran off
the diamonds, cashed the king
of spades and was able to take
the spade finesse with safety."
Thus Gold made six-odd on a
hand on which he could easily
have gone down. Many careless
players did go down, because in
stead of playing for a possible
down one, they foolishly led the
diamond jack and took the fines
se. Then, of course, the opponents
cashed four more heart tricks.
o IN FORMER
YEARS
Thirty Years Ago
The north side of town was re
ported building up as fast as
other sections of La Grande, ac
cording to contractor George R.
Lyman. Several new houses were
at the moment in procession of
completion, at Y avenue and
North Ash, on north Birch and
on Z nvenue. Frank W. Pattison,
A. E. O'Brien and W. A. Smeal
were contractors.
Thirty-eight persons bought
round-trip tiHtets to' Pe'ndtet'.
lo.AJip wund-up., , , '.
Enough chicken and other de
licacies to feed ,20 persons were
stolen from the K. of P. hall early
in the morning after a banquet
given by the Royal Neighbors.
O BARBS
The Japs want us to forget
Pearl Harbor. It's typical of their
cheek expecting us to turn the
other one.
Fifteen Years Ago
Gertrude Bell of Cove made an
111 lime record in the open' class
of the Oregon state fair by win
ning highest honors senior and
grand championship on her Jer
sey cow. Allen Mills and Herbert
Hlokland each won first in beef
classes.
Four forest fires started ear
lier in the week in th? county.
The fires were below Cabin creek
rear Palmer Junction, near Glo
ver crossing and west of Elgin.
A Camden, N. J., woman asks
divorce because her hubby in
sisted she ride on the rear of his
motorcycle. Just another wife
who won't take a back scat.
A stolen City of Oakland fire
tug was found on some mud
flats. The city fathers are still
burning.
Ten Years Ago
Rep. Walter Pierce, speaking at
the Sacajawea, announced him
self in favor of the Townsend
plan . . . Registration at Eastern
Oregon Normal indicated a large
increase . . . Bids on rcgrading
and surfacing 4.28 miles of the
Rock creok-Wallowa section of
the Wallowa lake highway were
to bo taken.
This Curious World
7Ac term (Hi)(5'ig(Pti?ig "" ''f jf "1
WAS INVENTED BY JAMES WATT, f J fl
WHO EXPERIMENTED WITH DRAY f f - 111
HORSES AND CONCLUDED 1 . '
AVWFIV THE EACTH WAS
ROUND 2,000 YEARS
BEFOR'E COLUMBUS
TWOCMSjVr IT WAS.
T. h. ate. u. t. ,f at. err.
9-25
WHERE'S i.AeR
ANSWER: D.'.er, Delaware.
NEXT: Where does the magnet get Its name?
ii