Illinois Valley News, Thursday. May 22, 1941 Page Two Making America's Speediest Plane II ¿>/CE Washington, D. C. SHIP PREMIUMS TO JAPAN It is hard to believe, but the gov­ ernment of the United States actual­ ly is paying war risk insurance to the Japanese for helping to insure the S.S. America, pride of the U. S. merchant marine. This is just part of the revelations over re-insurance which are break­ ing this week at the justice depart­ ment. These probes also show that when a vessel is injured. Axis in­ surance companies get all the data regarding its cargo, time of depar­ ture, destination, and the interior plan of the ship. Thus, despite all the censorship of Secretary of the Navy Knox, Ger­ many has had an easy means of knowing all about every ship that leaves the United States. This is accomplished when Amer­ ican insurance companies, because of the heavy risk involved in insur­ ing a cargo in wartime, reinsure with various foreign companies. In other words, they sell part of the policy abroad, thus distribute the risk. That is how Japan makes a lush profit on insuring American vessels, even vessels owned by the U. S. A. Last year congress passed a law providing war risk insurance for U. S. shipping, but the maritime commission, for reasons best known to itself, has declined to take ad­ vantage of the law. Commission members state quite frankly that they wanted to throw the business to private insurance concerns—as long as private insurance was available. | DEBATE FREEZING AXIS FUNDS One of the most vigorous inner cabinet debates in a long time con­ cerned the question of freezing German-Italian funds on deposit in the United States. In a heated dis­ cussion, Secretary of State Hull and Secretary of Commerce Jesse Jones were the only cabinet members who stood out for letting the two Axis powers continue to spend money as they wished in this country. Many people may not realize it, but whereas the government has frozen the funds of all the conquered nations — France, Norway, Den­ mark. Belgium, Holland, Greece, etc.—it continues to permit the con­ quering nations to use their money in the U. S. A. in any manner they wish. For instance, Germany gets more than a million dollars monthly from the lease of patents to American companies. This is paid in Amer­ ican dollars and can be spent for anti-American propaganda or any­ thing else, or shipped back to Ger­ many. Italian diplomatic attaches, for instance, were found carrying $2,000,000 in U. S. currency in a suitcase from New Orleans to Mex­ ico for propaganda purposes. An­ other $2.000.000 of U. S. currency was shipped to Buenos Aires by the Italian embassy. Meanwhile, France, for example, no longer sells perfume, etc., to the United States, but sells to Ger­ many, which in turn ships the Per­ Vladivostok to th e fume through 1 United States. Reason is that French funds are frozen, so the French can get no money from the USA But German funds are not frozen. so French trade to the United States now increases Nazi profits and helps build up trade channels for the future 8TRE \MI INEl> FOODS Because of the acute shipping shortage, food items for shipment to Britain are being selected for high vitamin and calorie content, also for minimum bulk and weight. In general, preference will be giv­ en to concentrated and dried foods, rather than bulky canned goods such as fruits, which contain a con­ siderable erable am amount of water. Toma­ toes s are an exception because the b< juice they are packed in is high in vitamins One item urgently desired by the British is dehydrated vegetable soup. 12 tons of which w ill make 700.000 bowls. A plan is under consideration to transport some of this concentrated food in the big bombers being fer­ ried across the Atlantic, which can easily carry a 12-*on oad The $400 000.000 that has been al­ located for the foo * f ;v a second's time in many years. I Pacific (U. S.) once asked him if he had ever been hurt in a game. I still recall his answer, “How can anybody get hurt Notes of a Newspaperman The Story Tellers: Raymond Les­ playing football?” lie Buell, a Fortune editor, warns Track and Field FDR is “in danger of becoming the Big Jim won the decathlon, the American Chamberlain.” That takes all-around championship in track the President all the way around the and field, back In the 1912 Olympics. block. He’s been called "dictator,” He was a high Jumper, a broad "warmonger” and now “appeaser." Juniper, a sprinter, a weight man— The name-callers invent the name anything you might ask for. And 1 to fit their special angle . . . There don't believe he trained 10 hours for are six kinds of escort who are prac­ the big show—and they took away tically a guarantee of spinsterhood, all his medals, because he had an anonymous model reports in played a game or two of semi-pro "Beauty Is My Career” In Cosmo­ politan. The half dozen will spend ba deball. Gen. Jan Smuts (second from right), prime minister of South Africa, poring over maps of Africa with This was completely unjust, for plenty on a gal’s face, but nothing Lieut. Gen. Allan Cunningham (second from left), governor of Kenya Colony. They are shown with their aids Thorpe was never a field or track on the third finger of the left hand planning the defense of Africa. Inset: South African troops who are fighting in behalf of the British empire professional, At that time he was ... An editorial in the SEP states: in East Africa, with captured Italian guns and material in front of the Fort of Mega. not even listed as a pro ball player. “If the country is unable or unwill­ On the boat taking the team to ing for the duration of the war to Sweden, Thorpe was seen one night freeze its economic disputes, to for­ hi sitting and looking along the deck. get its class jealousies, to put out of Someone asked him what he was its mind such a thought of equity of sacrifice, then its life is in danger" thinking about. . . . Them's fine words. We hope "I'm Just measuring the bropd the Satevepost will set an example jump,” he said. "This is my train­ . . . Page 122 of the SEP has a ing for that event. I figure 1 can do cartoon about a silly ostrich with 23 feet. 8 inches.” its head buried in the sand. It's Which is just about what he did. good to know they can laugh at them­ Thorpe as a ball player was at selves . . . Read Stanley High's least gixid enough to crash into the piece: “Hitler Ersatz Religion" in big leagues with the New York Reader’s Digest. He says Germany Giants. is their God. Hitler is their Christ “This fellow would be a great ball and Mein Kampf is their bible. player," McGraw once told me, “ex­ 5Á ■ cept for one thing. He can't learn The Front Pages: The Associated to hit a curve ball, And that's Press contributed great space and something no one can teach an- ink to a group's selections. They other.” honored outstanding American wom­ Defenders of Africa Carry On f '4 fwo Fronts t Time «SW- Z' All Around Stars There have been others who could (io more things well than Thorpe could do—or ever had the chance to do. But not on the big time. For example, Harry Fisher of Williams was a star In al least eight sports—foolball, baseball, basket­ ball, tennis, hockey, squash, swim­ ming. and one or two more. Elmer Oliphant of I’urdue and West Point was another all around brilliant at many games. So was Neil Snow of Michigan, one of the best. So was Roy Mercer of Pennsylvania. Vic llanson of Syracuse was an­ other. But none of these quite reached the heights in three major sports that Big Jim gained in the palmy days of his career—a career that extended over 15 years. What gave Thorpe these winning qualities? In the first place, he was amazing­ ly quick and amazingly strong In the second place, he was as durable as iron. You couldn't hurt him with a crow bar. In the third place, he had a keen, quick competitive brain. In the fourth place, he was completely fearless. In the fifth place, he was at his peak under pressure. He reveled in the tougher going. There was nothing that could make him tighten up. Here's one example—In one of the hardest of all the West Point-Uarlisle games, plated at Thr Point, Thorpe was standing on his own goal line. The signal had been given for a kick and his team was expecting it. Thorpe turned to the referee (Bill Langford, as I recall it) with this remark. “They think I’m going to kick, but I am not.” He faked a kick and ran the ball 85 yards down the field Maybe there have been greater all-around stars with greater natu­ ral qualities than the American airedale. I doubt IL en—who "made the greatest strides in the last 50 years" ... In the field of aviation the honored were Ruth Nichols, a South American lady named Mrs. Miguel Otero, and Anne Lindbergh . Amelia Ear­ hart. in short, is not only Gone—but Forgotten . . The Pulitzer Prize Committee's award to the Pulitzer paper in St. Louis (for getting rid of a smoke nuisance) was like seeing a man pin a medal on himself. This column's orchids for the best editorial cartoon of the month go to Rollin Kirby of the N. Y. Post . . . The caption was "The Capital of the World of Tomorrow Will Be Either Berlin or Washington” (which Will­ kie said in a speech) . . In a sofa ch iir is "Isolationist” with his news­ paper (featuring Lindbergh's oppo­ sition to British aid) on the floor . . . "Average American" (that's you and me and Kirby) is pushing a finger in The Old Man's direction and saying : "I don’t want war any more than you do. but I don’t pro- pose to let this guy Hitler take ME over. And don’t you call me a war- monger!” These pictures show German blitzkrieg machines at rest after vic­ tories in Greece and North Africa. At top. Stuka dive-bombing planes being serviced at a Greek airport with gas, oil and bombs. Below: Some of the* huge German tanks are shown in the North African desert at El Brega, after rushing the British back into Egypt. Big Hank Greenberg, (right) tbe most valuable man in the American league, looks wistfully out towards the diamond before starting his last game prior to his induction in the army. Several hundred friends came to say good-by. Secretary of Navy Frank Knox shown on reviewing stand at Fort Dix, N. J., during the first all-out review of the Forty-fourth division. The review, staged In the navy secretary's honor, was part of a Seventy­ eighth division reunion.