Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-10
Lack Of Oil
Brings Italian
CoIIapseNear
Nazis Have Plenty, Fail
TO Help Out Ally
BY PAUL MALLON

WASHINGTON. Feb. TO-
w Where the Italians slipped
was on oil. Mussolini has just
begun to fall if the semi-official
analysis of his predicament here
are true. Unless he gets gaso-
line-and apparently he can't
he will wind up flat on his
back.
The British met little or no
air resistance in their sweep into
Libya because Mussolini's planes
were practically fuelless soon
after the first blow. British air
bombers concentrated upon the
stores of gasoline accumulated
along the coast in about 80 spots
and wiped them out. Insuffi-
cient air fuel has also prevented
the Italians from putting any
formidable air force against
Greece.
Proof that these symptoms
represent a disastrous shortage
at home lies in recent announce
mentS cutting further the rations
for private Italian automobiles.
A good grapevine indicates that
even the activities of the Italian
fleet have been curtailed for
lack of fuel.
DECULIAR circumstance is the
L Germans seem to have
plenty. but so far have con-
tributed little of it to desperate
Mussolini except by establishing
a Stuka nest in Sicily. Obviously
Hitler is guarding his supposedly
adequate stores for the air CAM
paign against England.
Not alone for this reason. the
italian cause is regarded as
hopeless. Mussolini's men were
able to break their own worlds
record for retreating by running
80 miles day tbrother, that's
running) upon the good roads
into Bengazi. But the good road
ends there. Only treacherous
desert trails lead back to Tripoli.
Italian collapse in Libya will
open the way for the British
to reinforce Greek attack and
British home defense with ships
and planes, thus multiplying
Italian troubles.
The Albanian strategic point
OF Tepeleni has been falling for
two weeks without hitting
the ground, but when it finally
folds Valona must go, too, and
the Italians will be rather thor
oughly whipped in that quarter
also.
"A Tx pressure on the heads of
- big business men in the de-
tense drive is getting heavier.
Administration Senator Nc
kellar has introduced a bill to
abolish all dollar-a-year jobs
and to restrict government
workers to reasonable govern
ment compensation only. This
would mean $4,000 to $4,000 a
year which is hardly enough to
pay the insurance premiums of
some OF these executives.
There is talk of congressional
investigation of contracts
awarded to companies having Of
ficials on the defense commission
staff. Sears-Roebuck's vice presi-
dent, Don Nelson. a former KEY
business man in the defense
regime, is on the verge of resig-
nation. The New Dealers are
saying he is dissatisfied at loss
OF powers in the reorganization,
but his associates know he
wants to keep himself in line for
promotion in the mail order
house.
Reorganization of the office of
emergency management, a hold
ing company of the defense pro-
gram, is imminent and the New
Deal boys are actively campaign
ing for control of this agency.
To top it all off the idea of
creating an overall policy COM
mission at the top continues to
gain ground.
How much of this represents
authentic White House inten-
tons, and how much is merely
an inside drive by the remnants
of the New Deal extremists is
not yet apparent.
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