The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-03

1lOIlS OI DdrTelS OI OH III MOS For the chief strategy O. the Allies has been to cut Hitler off from oil-oil in the Caucasus, oil in the Near and Middle East, meanwhile bombing his oil sup plies in Rumania. So if Rommers forces get near these oil fields, they must be wrecked at all cost.
 And what frankly worries U. s. oil experts is that they may not be destroyed. It is generally known that British oil wells in Rumania fell into Hitlers hands in complete working order. U. s. oilmen had been sent all the way from Texas for the express pur- pose of touching them of with nitroglycerine. But the British decided Rumania was neutral, so nothing was done.
 In Java, however, very careful preparations were made. This time there were no neutrality to worry anyone. Japan had attacked, and there were about two months in which to prepare the dynamiting of the Dutch East Indies oil wells.
 But this time, though it never leaked out, something happened. The Standard Vacuum wells were completely destroyed-in the face of enemy machine gun fire. Amer ican oil equipment and property valued at $15O,OO0,0 ,000 went up in smoke. But the Shell Company's wells were not wrecked. Later the British reported that this was due to a slight error in judg- ment."
 Naturally, therefore, the fate of the Near Eastern wells causes concern. Most of them are British, and this time no one wants another error in judg- ment, no matter how slight. For such an error would put millions of barrels of oil immediately i'm to the hands of Hitler.
 SUPREME U. s. COMMANDER
 British failures and errors in judgment have brought increasing pressure here for an American supreme command over the Uni- ted Nations.
 One error earlier in the war which has served to bring this point home was the case of the barges loaded with dynamite with which the British planned to block the Danube at the Iron Gate, thus preventing Hit Ter from sending submarines and other water borne military sup piles into the Balkans.
 The two barges were loaded with dynamite, and everything was perfectly planned, except for one thing. The British insisted on pacing up and down on the decks of the barges in the daylight to get their usual daily exercise, in- stead of staying below all day and coming up at night.
 So the Germans saw them, re- ported suspicious looking sailors to the RumanianS, and the barges were seized. So now the Danube, unblOcked, Is an inn pOrtant means by which war supplies are transported to the Black Sea against Russia, and perhaps will be used later against Turkey and the Near East.
 NOTE: When the Nazis con- cealed their troops aboard mer- chant ships to make their surprise conquest of Norway, no suspicious characters took constitutionals in the daylight.
 KING PETER
 After his speech in the House chamber, 1S-year-old King Peter of Yugoslavia stood in line for als most an hour shaking hands with members of Congress, and dem onst rated that he was both a smooth politician and a lover of American jazz.
 When tall, white-haired Repre- sentative Ewing Thomson of Texas introduced himself, the young monarch asked. "Where did you say you were frOm?" thing. including unavoidable haZ-