davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1942-10-01
Stresses Need for Leadership"
In Religion of Jesus.


To the Editor Of The Star:
Recently you printed in your columns
an article over the name of John H.
Phillips, assistant minister of the
Foundry Methodist Church, in which he
expressed his conviction that: THE pull
pit is the place above all places where
the profound issues of this war should
be preached'-a position directly op-
posite that of a godly elderly minister
who, motivated by the Holy Spirit, main
tanned that the pulpit should remain
silent on war issues
Mr.. Phillips says his provocation to
write is not because of his desire to
oppose the one cleric who chose to take
the stand that the pulpit remain silent
on war issues, but because an alarming
number of the ministers and even Of
ficial bodies of denominations have been
in accord with the one cleric he differs
with. Could they all be wrong, and he
right?
True, as Mr.. Phillips states, millions of
people in this country look to their
ministers for guidance and help when
Will dAC UIOuDlCu Wy pTOUs
lens which this war has thrust upon
them.
These are days when family ties are
strengthened, wives think more of hus-
bands, brothers think more of sisters and
parents think more of sons. Those who
are compelled to make these sacrifices of
loved ones want consolation and peace
nf onf - I.
makes the sacrifice worth while, for in
the sacrificing one there is no cause that
justifies the loss of single mothers son.
Mr.. Phillips writes and quote, some
thing is lacking" He calls it spiritual
leadership.
Spiritual leadership is correct, but we
must have that and just that and only
that in the pulpit.
Our Nation, in common with others,
Is in a difficult state of lawlessness and
crime; morals are at low ebb. Most of
our schools are evolutionary, pagan
where Christ is crucified anew. Alcohol
leaves in its devastating course the
wreckage of broken lives, hearts and
homes. Our churches in general are
are laughed at. The holy Bible lies un-
opened in most of our homes. Why?
Jesus gave to us very simple and scien-
tific law of life: by their fruits ye shall
know them"
France surrendered the Bible and en-
braced atheism, her soul was drenched
| with blood. Historians agree that the
Wesleyan revivals saved England from a
like fate. May God now undertake for
us and save America.
/ God give us some stalwarts-men who
believe God and earnestly contend for
the faith, men who will preach the
whole Bible with a passion for souls in
the power of the Holy Spirit; men who
will preach Jesus Christ, crucified, risen
and coming again.
WALTER LEAs, D. d. s.
Blames Russia for Alleged Failure
| To Cooperate Toward Front in Asia.
| TO the Editor of The star:
Wendell Willkie and Martin Chancey
seem to agree. Both want the United
States government to begin . second
frcnt Neither Is concerned over what
our diplomatic, military or naval sources
| Of International intelligence know Of the
dfnculties involved. Ali they seem In
terested in at the moment Is putting all
| our resources into action, no matter
| what the risk may b.
Because o4 The noutTaiit1 paet VAiah
Evening star., 1942-10-01
Hitler Speaks


public address lasting somewhat over
an hour. 1t was delivered in Berlins
gigantic Sports Palace, the German
equivalent Of Madison Square Gar
den. The ostensible occasion was the
climax of the annual charity drive
for Winter Help. The vast audience
included 10000 wounded soldiers. On
the platform sat crowd of Nazi big
wigs, including Marshal Erwin Rom
mel of North African fame, who re-
ceived a great ovation.
Hitler spoke with his customary
mixture of shouting invective and
pointed sarcasm. Axis successes on
the Eastern Front during the sum-
mer were carefully enumerated. The
strategic Importance of a foothoid
on the Volga was emphasized, and
the capture of Stalingrad was
pledged as certainty. But the
Fuehrer admitted a showdown of the
Russian campaign to build up rear
ward communications and gave no
specific hint of further conquests in
the near future. On the contrary,
he intimated that Germany might
adopt a defensive pattern of strategy
when he said: "We are determined
to hold this (the coming) year what
we have, and to attack where we
believe it to be necessary"
That is far cry from his Winter
Help speech of a year ago. Then,
speaking in the flush of recent VIC
tories in the field, Hitler enumerated
prodigious captures of Russian pris-
oners and equipment, asserting
roundly: Nov it can be declared
that the enemy already is broken and
can never rise again." Yesterday, the
best he could offer was a vague
promise of ultimate victory, coupled
with the somewhat dubious assur-
ance that the past winter with its
rigors "has been the severest trial of
our nation. Worse things cannot and
will not come"
Hitler vented his sharpest sarcasm
on the matter of the second 'front.'"
He assured his listeners that, wher-
ever it might be attempted, a second
Dieppe would be the outcome. Vent
ing his customary spleen on Winston
Churchill, he explained his inability
to guess where such an attempt
might be made by saying: IF I had
an enemy Of greater military caliber,
I could figure out where he might
try to attack, but as have to deal
with an enemy who is military
idiot, one cannot say where the in
vasion attempt will be made" To
the non-German mind, this heavy
witted sally may perhaps be taken as
a left-handed compliment to the
British Prime Minister.
The speech also contained digs at
President Roosevelt's "headlong dive
into war;" at the Atlantic Charter,
and other Hitlerian bugbears. But,
by and large, it was mediocre per-
Torrance, containing little that was
either interesting or unexpected.
There certainly was scant comfort
or inspiration to the crowded au-
dience in the Sports Palace and to
the millions of listeners dutifully
clustered about radios throughout
the Reich Tho 1lnderlvipo ironort
was that long, hard road lay ahead,
with no definite end in sight. Even
the Feuhrer seems to have become
chary of roSeate promises.
Evening star., 1942-10-01

As fast as the Japs in New Guinea
repair that famous bottleneck span
on their invasion route, Allied flyers
80 over and score another grand slam
Ct this bridge.
Evening star., 1942-10-01

1t seems all wrong to cut out hair
pins for the duration, as has been
suggested. Naval strategists, and
women, know how important it Is to
rule the waves.
Evening star., 1942-10-01
Everybody's Song Book-Carries all

Everybody's Song Book-Carries all
the old songs we love to sing, COM
plete with words and music. The
music has been carefully edited by
musicians of note, and the arrange
ments are in keys within the range Of
most voices. Besides the words and
music to 205 songs this book tells
when and in what circumstances
THE Star Spangled Banner" Amer
ica," Home, Sweet Home" and other
famous patriotic songs were written.
Every home should have a copy. To
secure your copy inclose Is cents in
coin, wrapped in this clipping. and
mail to The Star Information Bureau.
Name
Address
Evening star., 1942-10-01
Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor must
bear the name and address of
the Uriter, although the use OF
a pseudonyna for publication is
permissible. The Star reserUes
the right to edit all letters 1Dith
a Die1D to condensation,
Evening star., 1942-10-01

Russia signed with Japan in April of
l94l, Russia saw fit to confine for the
duration those United States Army bonn
bardiers who considered 1t polite to use
Russian territory as a base for operations
against the menace from the Far East,
II Russia would (and she could allow
United States Army bombardiers to use
her territory for this purpose, two Sec
ond fronts, one for the Far East, the
other for German-E Europe, could begin
In Russia. But unless Joseph Stain Of
fers more constructive cooperation, Rus
sia will be faced with the same fate that
confronted France, when Russia need
lessly failed to go to her aid British and
American Communists who are merely
opportunists give little heed to this.
FREDERICK G. FROST.
Evening star., 1942-10-01
Believes Pagans" Also
Have Interest in War.
To the Editor Of The Star:


This, perhaps, is minor point, more
in the nature Of quibbling than Of con-
structive criticism; but If our aims are
the four freedoms, and they are to be
positive, dynamic programs applying to
all peoples, the thought may be per-
tinent
Lord Halifax, British Ambassador,
spoke well last Sunday in emphasizing
the Christian cause of the United Ma
tions. But like many other commenta-
tors, his words, or lack OF sufficient
words, could seem to imply that other
religions are of little consequence in
winning the war and building a better
future.
Can any one deny that the Jewish
peoples have q vital stake in the war
and ensuing peace? Or the Hindus and
Moslems of India and elsewhere, or the
pagan Chinese (who, however, draw from
the three great philosophical systems Of
Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism)? It
is, believe, a mistake to think Of high
spiritual attainment as a gift of any ono
religion. Christians working for the
four freedoms, including that Of re-
ligion, should do so in . spirit OF toler-
ance and recognition Of the universal
code which is to be found in the higher
aspects Of all faiths.
M. H. HoWARDs.
Evening star., 1942-10-01
Calls Attention to Invention
Resulting from Terra Gotta Wreck.

To the Editor of The Star
Your editorial on the B g. o wreck hit
the nail on the head. The speed of rail-
road trains calls for the use of an auto
matte stopping device that will act If
train fails to respond to signal. Allow
control invented by Washington man
soon after the Terra Gotta wreck in 1906.
Owing to the expense of installing it, the
railroads rejected it and Congress would
not pass law to compel its installation
Safety first: Take no chances on sig
mails In bad weather.
VIC. JASPER.
Evening star., 1942-10-01
Landover. Md.

Praises Broadcast
On Foreign Affairs.
To the Editor Of The Star:
The Sunday morning broadcast over
Station WMAL by your editorial writer,
Lothrop stoddard. on stalmsrad, etc,
was sRcellsnt =. J. MORROW.
Evening star., 1942-10-01

Expresses Appreciation
OF Columnist's Article.
10 the Editor Of The star:
The article by Samuel Grafton in "I'd
Rather Be Right" Thursday evening was
svsry good indeed.
Nms. l. L safAI.Lwoon.
Evening star., 1942-10-01
Suggests Sacrifice
OF Stop Sign Pests.
To tbs Editor Of The Otae:

To ths Editor Of The Dtas:
Should the present voluntary drive not
produce = sufncient quantity Of scrap
metal to meet our requirements, the Gov-
ernment may decide to have an "all-out"
drive. When and II that time comes, I
should Ike to suggest that consideration
be given to replacing the metal supports
Of the yellow stop signs throughout this
city and in most all Of our cities and
towns, with wooden supports
@s4H E. r. HAAS.
Evening star., 1942-08-30

position. Their defense was built
around small groups In dugouts and
caves, communicating with each
other by radio. In many of the cliff
side strongholds radios were found.
In one case, on the third day, a
Jap was still firing from his deep
cavern after all his comrades had
been shot.
For two days he had lived with
corpses, without food or water.
Three Japs cornered fired until
they had only three rounds for one
pistol. Then one of them killed his
two companions and turned the gun
on himself Some caves were
manned by 30 or 40 Japs. When
the one manning the machine gun
was picked off, another would take
his place, SO on till the last man
was dead.
Seaplane Base Taken.
The assault ON Gavutu, mile-long
island which was the site of the
principal Japanese seaplane base in
the Solomons, began at II on the
7th. In the dawn bombing raid all
the planes based there had been
blasted before they could leave the
water .One four-engined bomber,
ripped by American bombs, now
rests on a bed of coral off G avutu.
Nine zeros. fitted with floats, and
f1ve big patrol planes lie wrecked
on the beach or under the waves.
AS noon drew near, the landing
boats approached Gavutu from the
shore of Florida Island. Even be-
tore the assault wave had formed.
the Japs opened up with a rain of
1lre from their hill fortress. The
marines came in under this fire.
Ihey had hoped to land on the con-
crete seaplane slips, but the naval
gunflre and bombing had hurled
huge blocks of concrete into the
water, blocking the approach.
The attacking marines had to
Chamber onto a wharf higher than
their boats, swept by machine-gun
f1re. Maj. Robert H. Williams, their
commanding officer, was badly
wounded leading his men in the
nrst wave and had to be evacuated.
Capt. George Stallings took COM
mand and led the attack which
wiped the japanese from Gavutu.
Captain Blasts Caves.
On Gavutu is hill 148 feet high
which the Japanese had converted
into a honeycomb of cavern en-
placements. Tunnels connected
many and some rock -hewn cham
bers were 20 feet by 20 feet. The hill
rises steeply from the fiat strip near
the beach and from the mouths
OF scores of caves the Japs poured
down whitening fire. Many Ma
rlnes showed great courage that
Evening star., 1942-08-30
Navy Photo.

concentrated in the ravine north
west of hill, a precipitous rock
| covering the southeast end of Tu-
lagi, and one the slopes of the hill
itself. Withering machine-gun fire
from pIllboxes and dugouts poured
out on the marines. A company of
marines under Capt. Harold T. A.
Richmond, by this time was ad-
vancing southwark from the north
end of the island. 1t, too, was held
up by heavy machine-gun fire.
At dusk it was decided to organize
a defensive line northwest of this
hill. Captured japanese maps had
shown their defenses to be concen-
trated under that hall. At 22::30
the Japs counterattacked and broke
their way through two companies
OF the raiders, isolating one of them.
The Japs worked their way north
ward, fighting with knives, rifles
and grenades. 1t. Col. H. E. Rose
Grams, commanding battalion,
evacuated his command post only
two minutes before the Japs occu-
pied it.
In the grim night battle 1t. John
b. Doyle, jr., held mortar OBJ
servatlon post in front of the former
British residency on the hill north
OF the playing ground. With only
squad of eight Or nine men he
pushed back the Japs, kicking them
over the side OF the precipice.
Blasted Out of Each Position.
In the morning the marines re-
sumed the offensive. Two COM
panles, which had mopped up the
northwest end of the island upon
landing the first day, advanced
southwark. On the second day they
pushed through from the beach
west of the playing ground. That
gave the marines positions for NOR
tars and machine guns on three
sldeS OF the main Jap position. BY
lo00 they had blasted the Japs out
OF their strongholds and completed
physical possession of the island.
mat was not the end of the story.
however, for snipers were still con-
cealed in trees, tall grass and caves.
Twice the next day marines combed
the area, finding snipers each time.
Not one of the hundreds of jap
anese on the island surrendered.
Ihey had to be blasted out of each
Evening star., 1942-08-30

flag on Jep-held territory. The
rising sun still floated over TanaIn-
bogo, half q mile away, but the
Marines shot it down, leaving Old
Glory as the sole nag waving at
dusk over that once strong Japanese
base.
Marines under Capt. Crane, who
had landed on Florida Island with
out opposition, were ordered to
Gayutu about 1400 the afternoon
of the 7th. The troops embarked
and Flight 1t. c. E. Spencer, their
Australian guide, showed them the
way to Gavutu, where they arrived
at dusk. The commanding officer
there directed them to land on
Tanambogo, nearby small island
connected by q acauseway with
Gavutu. Heavy fire from Tanam-
bogo made an advance across the
causeway impossible.
Tank Leads Tanambogo Attack.
Five minutes OF naval gunfire pre-
ceded the landing of Capt. Cranes
men. The last shell hit q fuel
dump near the beach just as the
Marines landed, brilliantly lighting
the beach and silhouetting the at
tackers. The Marines were jammed
between two piers, one of which had
been built since their guide last saw
Tanambogo, and heavy machine
gun fire strafed them from the hill.
Seeing that they were caught in
a pocket, unable to peep over the
edge of the pier or to set up ma
chine guns without drawing wither-
ing fire, Capt. Crane ordered the
operation delayed until dawn and
made his way back to Tanambogo.
Two of his men, stranded in tn
Evening star., 1942-08-30

day in assaulting the formidable
stronghold.
Capt. Harry L. Torgerson. for ex-
ample, covered only by the fire OF
four OF his men. rushed from
cave to cave, hnrling into them
charges Of INT tied to boards with
short fuses. BY himself he closed
up more than so of the pest holes
and came out OF his daring days
work with only wrist watch
broken and his pants blasted OF.
Platoon Sergt. Harry M. Tully,
who had seen many OF his best
friends shot down In the first blast
of machine gun fire from the cliff
for two days and nights operated as
lone wolf. surprising the Japs in
cunning and patience, picking them
off one by one after lying in wait
for long periods. From Gavutu he
picked out machine gunners on
Tanambogo, 500 yards away, and
shot them down.
BY night he sat on the beach,
watching the water for tell tale
traces of Japs as they swan into
the beach behind logs. Once he
watched log float to the beach
only feet from where he lay in
wait. The Jap did not stir for 18
minutes, nor did Sergt. Tully. Then
the Jap lifted his head and Tully
shot him.
Flag Raised on Gavutu.
In sense it is wrong to mention
heroes by name, for not all heroes
can be named and to omit them
seems to derogate from their cour-
age and brave deeds. There were
so many heroes in the assaults on
Tulagi, Gavutu, Tanambogo and
Guadalcanal that not all can be
named and not all will ever be
known.
In two days of bitter fighting
the Marines cleaned out the Japs
on Gavutu. In the afternoon of
August 7, even before their conquest
was complete, the Marines ran up
the stars and stripes from the hill
top on Gavutu. The bugle blew
colors and the marines paused long
enough to cheer the raising of our
Evening star., 1942-08-30

in and strongly armed, fought from
their fortresses to the last man.
Brig. Gen. William H. Rupertus, as
slstant commander of our forces
who directed the operation in that
area, described the battle as "the
most wonderful work we have had
in history" Hundreds of Marines
became heroes and veterans in the
bitter fighting.
The honor of being the first to
land in Americas Pacific offensive
fell to company under the COM
mand Of Capt. E. j. Crane. They
landed on the west side of a Flori-
da Island promontory which over
looks the island fortress of Tulagi
which the Raider Battalion was to
assault half an hour later. They
met no opposition at this point, but
late in the day were to see some
lively action.
Harassed by Snipers.
The first wave of the Raider Bat
talon, under the command of Col.
Merritt Edison, hit the beach in the
northwest end of Tulagi It is
hilly wooded area and the Marines
expected tough going. The Japs ap-
parently expected no landing, how
ever, and offered no opposition on
the beach. One man was lost by
snipers bullet, the rest landed safely.
Avoiding the trails along the
shore which were commanded by
steep cliffs, the raiders made their
way along both sides of the central
ridge of the little island, pushing
through dense brush and woods.
In two hours and half they COW
cred mile and half, from the
beach to the southeast. Then the
shooting started.
The Marines came up against
strongly defended hill where a con-
centration of machine-gun nests
held them up for an hour. The
battle was Joined at short range.
with Marines sneaking up on nests
OF Japs concealed in caves and
crawling down the steep cliffs to
drop hand grenades into the cliff
holes.
japanese Counterattack.
A company on the north side of
the island pushed through strong
opposition and took the ridges above
the playing ground The Japs al
lowed them to pass through, then
opened up from the rear. Snipers in
trees, behind rocks. concealed in
buildings. harassed the Marines.
The enemy's main defenses were
Evening star., 1942-08-30

them, except for the damage done
by naval gunfire and bombing. A
fine airport, with runway 1,4O0
yards long already completed, was
almost ready to receive planes.
At noon on the 9th our visitors
in the sky returned, this time bent
on a daring raid. AS our transports
dispersed out to the open sea the
Jap bombers came in. Almost
sklmming the waves they lunged
in among the transports and cargo
! ships. was watching from the
beach of Guadalcanal and saw the
big bombers burst into flames as
they ran into murderous anti-air-
craft fire from the ships.
One, two, three-then I lost count
in the confusion of the battle. Some
ran the gauntlet of ack-ack and
headed for the open sea, only to
fall prey to our Navy fighters dart
ing at them from high above. We
heard that 40 bombers had started
on their mission; we heard that
lew returned to their base. Ger
talnly their losses were enormous.
In their suicidal raid over the strait
they hit one of our transports. The
Japs' second attempt to disrupt our
operation had failed miserabN.
Jap Warships Turned Back.
The night of August 8 was one
OF alarms and excitement. We
learned later that fighting was still
continuing across the straits in the
Tulagi area. In Guadalcanal it was
sleeplesS night for other reasons.
FIRST, the rains came, in a drizzle
then IN torrents. The command post
mad moved west, and we were biv-
ouacked beneath the trees without
tents. Every one and his gear was
thoroughly drenched. Trying to get
cat nap IN our puddles of water,
we were aroused by a thunderous
bombardment.
out at sea, to the west, the big
guns spoke. Flashes of light told
us that a naval battle was in prog
ress. We do not yet know the full
story OF that battle, but we do
know that the Jap ships were turned
back-ships which undoubtedly had
slpped toward Guadalcanal and
Tulagi to blast us by night to sink
our transports and supply ships and
oomoard our forces on land before
we were fully dug in and squared
away. The Japs' third determined
attempt to knock us out had failed
After the sound of battle receded
ana we were bedding down again in
our puddles, rumors few thick that
the Japs were attempting to land on
the beach 200 yards north of the
main command post Flares dropped
py Jap planes to mark Lunga Point
gave ring of truth to the alarm
and IN the blackness and rain our
own landing boats had been mis-
taken for the enemy. The truth
was learned before any damage
was done
Tough Fight on Tulagi.
Since then We have been digging
IN, scouting out enemy detachments
pottlng the pesky snipers one bv
one, getting ready for ANYTHING
that may come. A few Jap planes
make us a daily visit, about noon,
but are of more interest as chro-
nometers than as raiders. Enemy
subs pop up in the strait now and
then and lob few shells into
Guadalcanal. In any case, their
periodic popping has become part
OF the accustomed music of Quad
alcanal, and we pay little attention.
The marines have what they want.
and they mean to hold it.
Our comrades In the Tulagi area
have had q tough fight. The Japs
there cut on from escape, we'll dug
Evening star., 1942-08-30

confusion. swan back to Gayutu
during the night.
The next day the Tanamboeo
fortress was finally cracked by Ma
rines under 1t. Col r. G.. Hunt.
Two tanks were sent in ahead OF
the troops from Gavutu. One ran
about 100 feet inland when the
Japs swarmed over it, thrust an
iron rod into its treads. poured gaso-
line over it and set it afire.
A Marine lieutenant, opened the
top of his tank turret, trained his
AA gun on the Japs and killed %
Of them before he was knitted to
death. The infantry followed the
tanks and amply avenged their
comrades death by finishing of
the defenders with the tactics so
effective on Gavutu.