Imperial Valley press., 1942-10-20
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

If the full story of the war could
be told now, you might be able to
read not only the official commu-
niques of the Army and Navy but
also an occasional economic COM
munique, telling how the battles
of economic warfare are being
fought by small eXpeditionary
forces armed more with dollars
than with bullets. sent into all sorts
! CT inaccessible places to get out
stuff like Latin American natural
rubber.
The general" of one of these
Commando expeditions slipped into
Washington early in october, and
after a series of check-ups with
state Department, Office Of the
Co-ordinator of Inter r-American
Affairs, Rubber Reserve Corpora
ton and other government outfits
of that kind, he slipped right out
OF Washington again and went back
to the Amazon without ever max
ing a headline.
This general in question is a
twinkling- eyed, ruddy-faced little
dynamo named Douglas Allen. He
worked in Secretary of War New
ton D. Bakers office in the last
war, but fer the past Is years he
has been doing business in the
Amazon country and so, when this
campaign was launched, he was
natural selection to head up the
operations end.
-; lie
with a cane, but aside from that he
is an inconspicuous figure and he
likes to work in an inconspicuous
manner, quietly and behind the
scenes. Not that he doesn't get
around. He has even-league boots
for that and he covers this vast
Amazon valley-an area bigger than
the whole United StateS-with
amazing facility, negotiating trea-
ties and deals, working with the
South American government and
business men to organize rubber
bank. reorganizing river tranSpor-
tation. arranging for the mlgra-
ton of 100000 or more workers and
their families, starting airlines, ad-
vancing colonization.
SEEKS NO MEDALS
For all this work Douglas Allen
does not deserve the full credit
and he doesn't want it. Unlike
good many generals, he doesn't
want any medals pinned on his
chest for donig obvious jobs. Allen
doesn't give interviews in South
America or North America either
He wants no credit.
II was only last April that the
President signed an executive or
der giving the Board of Economic
Warfare responsibility for acquir-
ing stockpiIes of critical mate
rials and giving BEW authority to
issue directives. II was mid-May
before an organization could be
set up. Rubber Reserve already
had Allen on the job in Brazil.
In Brazil, a SIS million rubber
bank has been organized, the Bra
zilianS furnishing 60 per cent CT
the capital.
The entire Amazon river trans
portation system had to be reor-
ganized. In the United States, two
big coastWise steamers were pur-
chased and reconditioned for serv-
ice between Belem and Manaos.
AS ocean vessels can ccme up
the river as far as Belem, here
was a complete new water trans
port system.
The Brazilian government plan
ned a mass migration OF some l50,-
900 of its inhabitants. Before this
migration can be completed ar
rangements must be made to house
these workers and to feed them in
the jungles Half million dol
lars worth of food was bought
one item was 1000 tons CT beans
and arrangements made to supply
them at fixed, reasonable prices
with everything they'll need from
shotguns to machetes, outboard
motors, fishhooks, vitamins and
ouinine by the hundred pounds.
Perhaps the final touch in all
this fantastic program is the or
ganizatiOn of airlines to supple
ment the water transportation. In
two days, Washington approval
was given for a S. million con-
tract with Pan American Air
lines to operate rubber eX-
press" air route from Miami to
Manaos. SOkorsky SAB flying
boats will maintain a daily 19-
hour schedule on this hop.
From the Amazon rubber capital
of Manaos, 1000 miles up the Anna
zon, South American airlines Will
relay these shipments to remote
Jungle camps, above water falls
which river boats cannot navigate.
And on the return trips they'll
bring out this precious rubber.
War Shipping Administration IS
organizing a no-dues club for mer-
chant sailors who have survived
enemy action. If every houSe-
wife saves four ounces Of cooking
grease in a week, the total will pro-
duce glycerine for 13 million
pounds of gunpoWder. =. OPA has
now issued nearly $50 maximum
price regulations in addition 10
GMPR. the General Mexlmum
Price Regulation. Motor truck
operators may make only one de-
livery trip a day to an apartment
house or office building, no matter
how many tenants it has.
Wooden ersatz shoe soles come un-
der price regulation, same as leath-
Ell.
Pnn A.