davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1942-10-17

civilians. All "political" offens-
ives-Gallipoli in the last war,
and Norway, Greece. Crete,
Dieppe-have turned out to be
tragic fiascos because they were
taken against the advice of the
military. Wars were won when
the whole conduct of operations
was placed-without strings-in
the hands of the military.
Every time the military men
were prodded by public opinion
the results have been disastrous.
The delay in opening second
front has not been due to a
reluctance to shorten the war
or to overcautiousness but to the
realization that the time was not
yet ripe. The time and the place
will be chosen possibly earlier
than the man in the street
imagines. But it will be ILL
chosen and ill-timed if the mill
tary men make their decisions
under definite orders from the
civilians or under prodding by the
general public.
Evening star., 1942-10-17

from three phrases in Malay which
all begin with the letter "a" and
mean free Asia. prosperous Asia
and Asia under japanese protec-
ton
Leaders Quickly Replaced.
How the rank and file of Java's
10000, 900 Malays like the Japs is
difficult to say, but certainly the
Malay nationalists have found that
as far as their political liberty is
concerned the Mikado is no Santa
Claus.
Although the native princes have
retained their nominal powers, most
leaders of the Malay independent
movement, who were placed in po-
litical posts have been removed as
quickly as they were appointed. In
what light they now regard Van
Mook's program Of gradually in
creasing independence, as against
Jap pennies from the Emperor of
Heaven, can be imagined.
The severity OF the Jap admins
tration varies between East and
West Java and between cities. jap
Army commanders have a heavier
hand than those of the navy. For
example, the admiral in charge of
Soerabaya has permitted the news
paper Soerabaya Handelsblad to
continue publication in Dutch and
it is the only such on the island.
About a dozen Jap papers have
been established from Batavia and
the Batavia radio station is still
broadcasting statements like that of
1t. Gen. Yoshima Hoka, who said
that it was necessary to sustain war
on modern basis and therefore
that territory had to be won where
materials were plentiful.
Gen. Hoka also declared that the
Anglo American ocean bases had to
be "smothered' by two methods:
Occupation where no resistance was
at hand and simultaneous attack on
all enemy positions He admitted
that the second method though
| quick, was dangerous, involving
losing large numbers of men and
material.
Sunken Ships Raised.
Gen. Hoka has been in command
OF the occupational forces in Batavia,
succeeding the invasion commander,
1t. Gen. Hitoshi Imamura, former
director of army personnel. An army
colonel, whom the Dutch officer was
unable to name, is in charge in
Bandoeng.
The Japs have raised several
sunken ships in Tanjong Prick Har-
Dor Of Batavia and their claim that
following the scorched-eart policy
the harbor's usage had been restored
has some basis in fact, the Dutch
captain said. Tanks are occasionally
seen on the roads and troops are
somewhat more numerous there now
although nothing by comparison
with the large Jap armies in Man.
chukuo and China.
More Jap civil servants are con-
tinually arriving in Java. After in
specting Java, Sumatra and Bornec
Evening star., 1942-10-17

and munitions. They strike also
at German land communications
by rail, road and inland waterway.
This has a dual effect-it in
terferes with the transport Of
raw materials to the production
centers and with the transport of
finished war material from the
production centers to the the
aters of operations.
Both of these processes are in
cident to a policy of blockade.
They are not assault in the true
sense of the word. They do not
seek to take possession Of the en-
emy's territory or to penetrate
permanently the interior of his
country. That can be done only
by troops, whether these travel
by land, sea or air to reach their
destination.
Nazis Suffering Losses.
When we read of our ships be-
ing sunk by German submarines
we must remember that the Ger
mans are suffering at the same
time not only from the very
heavy losses inflicted on their
coastwise shipping, which is an
important part of their trans
portation system. but also by at
tacks on rail functions, yards and
even trains in motion.
1t is a serious loss to us when
German torpedo sinks cargo
vessel which is capable of carry
ing 5000 tons of cargo at the
speed of II miles an hour; it is
likewise serious loss to the Ger
mans when one OF our fighter
bombers destroys locomotive
which is capable of hauling 300
tons of cargo at a speed of 80
miles an hour.
We should remember that,
whereas the factories which make
the locomotives are all within
reach of the bombers and are
under constant attack, the yards
which build the greater part of
our ships are not within reach of
any comparable form of German
counterattacks.
This war has become very
largely a war of transportation.
Germany and Japan can retain
their conquests only by remaining
able to concentrate forces rap
idly at any part of the outer rim
of the vast perimeters which they
must defend We can defeat
them only by being able to bring
to bear against them over vast
distances of sea, to operate from
bases which themselves are not
self-sustaining and must in
whole or in part be supplied by
sea-
One of the most promising
auguries of victory for the United
Nations is that they now possess,
and in the future will possess in
increasing measure. more effec-
tive means for attacking the
transportation systems of their
enemies than those enemies
possess, or seem likely to possess,
for attacking the transportation
system of the United Nations.
(Copyrisht, 1912, New York Tribune, Inc
Evening star., 1942-10-17

to compel him to submit by &C
tually disarming and subduing
him. In other words, assault
seeks a direct decision.
Blockade can rarely be decisive
by itself. 1t prepares the way for
assault by weakening the enemy,
and thus contributes to the de-
cision, for the accomplishment
of which actual assault will al
most always be necessary.
Counter -blockade-under which
term the operations of the Ger
man submarines in the Atlantic
may be classified-seeks to weak
en- the aSSailant, to reduce the
force of his blows, and thus to
contribute to a decision by stale
mate, which is about the best
that can be hoped for by power
once reduced to the defensive.
The United Nations air opera
tions against Germany come un-
der the heading of blockade, not
assault. They are extensions of
our blockade by sea, the purpose
Of which is to prevent the Ger
mans from obtaining raw mate
rials or other supplies from out
side the continent of Europe.
The air attacks strike at the
German industrial centers, to re-
duce production-that is, to in
terfere with the translations OF
such raw materials as Germany
already possesses into weapons
Evening star., 1942-10-17
By SAMUEL GRAFTON.

I look with favor on the sugges-
ton that Germanys real reason for
manacling British prisoners is to
stop Commando raids. There has
been something mysterious about
this business from the start. The
Germans have been much more
angry than the offense of which
they complained justified, the tenn
porary tying up of a few German
captives during the heat of an Eng
lish raid on a Channel island.
The anger of the Nazis has been
suspiciouSly theatrical; their selec-
ton of Commands captured at
Dieppe to wear shackles has been
very pointed. But now the German
radio comes out with it frankly:
Germany, says the Berlin broad
caster, does not indulge in red
Indian raids" on Britain, and SO
Germany simply must do something
to lead the British back to "a decent
mode of warfare" So, if for mo-
ment you thought the Nazis had
finer feelings which had been out
ragged by the binding of some Of
their men, lay the thought aside.
White is still white, and black is
still black. 1t Is fear which moves
the Nazis.
Instinctively, a number of Eng
lishmen seem to have caught on,
even in advance of the German
broadcast. The London Times has
denounced Britain's retaliatory man.
acling of German war prisoners. 1t
says, as quoted by the New York
Times, that there is only one answer
to Nazi barbarism, and that is mill
tary waging of relentless war;
Enjoys Soaring Himself.
And Lord Strabolgi, the Labor
peer, echoes the conservative Lon
don Times: The only answer to
Germany is to defeat the German
armies on the battlefield.
Hitler's shackling of Commands
must, I think, be viewed as a lame
effort to get the war back into the
hooey stage. He has almost given
that up lately.
His recent speech omitted num-
ber of his standard vaudeville turns,
his recital of the injustices Of Ver-
sailles, and his terrible description
Of his own anger, the latter being a
favorite performance, for Hitler en-
joys soaring himself by revealing
how frightfully vexed he is.
No, it was straight" speech, q
sober and thoughtful account of q
war underway. by one of the par
ticipants. 1t was Hitler's most i'm
portant speech of the war, because
it was the first in which he ad-
mitted, by tone and implication, as
we'll as by word, that war, real war
Evening star., 1942-10-17

back recently from Port Moresby's
backdoor to Kokoda-reached a
secret field near Bandoeng. How
ever, the Langley went down with 80
American P-40 Kittyhawks, under
bombers from carrier borne Jap
planes.
Fighter protection never reaching
Java, the attack bombers were like
wise destroyed OF the ground when
the Japs discovered their secret field.
Dead Denied Burial.
For three days after fighting in
the hills around the Netherlands
Indies capital ceased, the Japs re-
fused to permit burial squads to
leave Bandoeng to inter the dead.
They apparently believed that the
undertaken squads would strip the
bodies of weapons and slip into the
mountains to join the guerrillas.
1t. Gen. Helm Ter Poorten, the
supreme Allied commander after
Gen. Sir Archibald P Wavell left
Java, two days before the Japs
landed, is now confined in the Ban
doenl barracks. For the first sew
eral weeks of their confinement all
Allied officers grew beardS-involun-
tarily. The Japs took away all
razors, both straight edge and safety
types, in order to make impossible
any attack upon sentries. The Dutch
are almost always clean-shaven and
Javas first crop under the greater
prosperity in Asia" plan was scores
of curly, blond boards.
Gov. Gen. Tjarda van Starken-
borgh Stachouwer was first confined
to the Bandoeng barracks with Gen
Ter Poorten, but grew i'll. AS early
as July the report was current that
he had been allowed to join his
American wife in small villa near
the governmental seat at Buiten-
zorg.
Start Culture on Malays.
Within a fortnight of the surren-
der the Japs turned loose on the
bewildered Malays their long-pre-
pared campaign Of spiritual and po-
litical conquest of the Malay race
This differs entirely from their atti-
tude toward the Chinese, who, like
the Slavs under the Germans, are
intended to be slaves and coolies.
The Malays are told that theirs
similar to the Burmese-is race o1
warriors like the Japs and meant
to be aggressive partners in the new
era of Japanese power, which /!
planned as the first step in world.
wide domination by Asiatic races.
The Japs moved adroitly to ge'
full political cooperation from tn,
native princes Of Java and Sumatrs
by giving them all the powers o.
which Dutch resident commissioner!
were diveSted.
| At the same time a triple A plan,
which bears no relation whatever tt
President Roosevelt's farm admin.
| istration, was turned loose. Poster.
brought in by invasion conveys wer.
plastered Immediately upon ever,
wall. They showed Malays laugh.
ing with every tooth showing.
The triple-A program Is so-calle<
Evening star., 1942-10-17
Brifons Bring U. 5. Planes
To Patrol Atlantic Coast
BY the Associated Press.

oy tne AS6OclALeo Press.
BURBANK, Oalif, Oct. ia
battle-scarred squadron of Lockheed
Hudson bombers sent to England to
raid the Axis has come home-but
not for retirement.
Lockheed Aircraft Corp. an.
nounced yesterday that the SQUAD
ron-still flown by British crews
is now patroling the American At
Antic Coast. rendering these waters
as dangerous for enemy U-boats as
the closely guarded United Nations
shipping lanes on the European side.
This reversal Of the usual Ameri-
can ferrying procedure is the first
in which British-flown planes have
defended American shores, a Lock-
heed spokesman said.
The crews, as well as the planes,
are veterans. The pilots flew Blen-
helms on Army cooperation work
before the fall Of France. Then
switched to Hudsons for British
coastal command operations against
U-boat bases at Lorient. Brest and
elsewhere on the French coast. At
Brest they bombed the German bat
tleships scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
Evening star., 1942-10-17
I'D Rather Be Riqht'-
Nozi Stacking of Commondos Viewed as Reverson
To Days When Hiter's Wroth Won Victories

in the sense of long and dubious
struggle, actually existed
I like to play with the thought
that the shackling business is
reversion to type, Hitler's effort to
get back to those pleasanter days,
for him, when he pounded the desk
before poor Schuschnigg. and roared
at Sir Neville Henderson, and made
the radio rock with his surrealist
imagery about the extent of his
wrath, and won his greatest victories
by foaming at the mouth.
One can almost hear him: "I'll
stop those Commando raids!" and
almost see him, issuing the order to
shackle the prisoners of Dieppe. 1t
is actually an attempted come back
by a master political strategist, by
one of whom it is still true that he
won his most profitable victories
before he used his armies. Only this
is 1912, and nobody seems scared.
And the British, showing themselves
at their best, reply impudently by
actually raising a moral issue over
even retaliatory shackling, and they
urge that the thing be settled by
Hitler's defeat.
The Answer Is More Raids.
Is there no way, then, to stop the
Commandos? That must be the
thought with which Hitler is living.
Surely, some clever stroke can be
found. He shackles his prisoners.
In the midst of war, he tries to start
an incongruous debate about how
he can hurt the enemy, if the enemy
doesn't look out, sheer pretense that
he is not doing all he can. 1t is
an effort to turn the calendar back
to 1888, when an outcry could win
him country, when couple of
roars could give him half a con-
| tinent.
Only the bombing of London has
intervened, and clear-headed Eng
lishmen say that, of course, the
answer to the shackling of Com
mandos is quite clear; it is more
Commando raids.
Some day we may get, in detail,
the story of the psychological hor-
rors which will afflict the Nazis as
the prospect Of their defeat changes
from fanciful far-of image to dull
instant certainty. They will pull
more pillars down than Samson did
The Stacking business seems first
gesture along this line.
AS from a great distance, we can
see the man who profited so much
from our lack of realism, come to
the agonizing conclusion, that the
world is. incredibly, a real world at
last, one in which there are nc
longer charmed lives nor mystic
privileges.
Evening star., 1942-10-17

public opinion on the political
leaders is hailed everywhere,
there is some question as to the
wisdom of applying the same
power on military men who are
attempting to determine the
course of strategy on realistic
basis and do not want to have
their hands forced by emotional
or political considerations.
1t is obvious that because mill
tary operations and the strength
of all belligerents in a particular
theater of war must remain
secret, the public is not in pos
session of all the facts concerning
strategy. If the public is to form
an adequate idea of the war all
news, good and bad, must be
made available for general con-
sumption.
Emotional Opinions.
But all this is, of course, i'm
possible-and so the public gets
only very general picture of the
war. Therefore the public must
formulate It's own opinions. re-
garding the prosecution OF the
war, and these opinions neces-
sarily are emotional ones. The
people are impressed by the noble
fight of the Russians and by the
extreme suffering of the nations
under Nazi domination. They
cannot have clear view of what
we might do now in q military
way and of what we may be able
to do next year or two years
hence. Lacking this inside
view" the public is inclined to
demand operations which might
prove not only difficult but fatal.
Strategy determined by public
opinion must inevitably lead to
what may be called mob STRAIT
egy" and can only result in harm
to the Nation.
There is no question that mill
tary men should be subject to
criticism as much as civilian
leaders. There is no reason why
an admiral or general who has
made a mistake should not be
brought to task and punished
adequately. The armed forces
themselves are in favor Of such
action. Too many high-ranking
officers have been booted up
stairs" after failures.
Evening star., 1942-10-17
Gold Brick Added
To Metal Scrop Heap
prths Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
SAN DIEGO, Calif.-There is gold
in San Diego's scrap metal pile
well, anyway, there's a gold brick.
Two smoothies sold it Is years
ago. 1t went for $500 and the
promise it would be bought back
for $4,000 when the brick, which
they wanted guarded over the week
end, was minted. They never re-
turned.
Attorney Robert Hamilton, who
acquired it from the victim and
used it as a door stop. turned 1t in.
A post mortem revealed 1t was
mostly copper, lead and zinc.
Evening star., 1942-10-17

in August, the japanese Minister to
Indo-China stated in Singapore:
I'VE must work hard to establish
the greater Asia, even if it takes so
to 100 years." adding that the Jap
anese's most urgent task is to bring
out capable administrators to the
Indies.
Hunger was general during the
first weeks in Java after the con-
quest. Dutch civilians started soup
kitchens under charitable auspices,
but the Japs interfered and forbade
the committees to serve the hungry,
being suspicious that they were
espionage organizations.
The Salvation Army, for example,
is regarded by the Japanese military
somewhat as the United States Army
regards the bund. However, further
representations by the food commit
tees induced the Jap commanders to
relax this prohibition. Food in Java,
as far as the Malays are concerned,
is now plentiful, only butter being
scarce.
Japan's conquest in Indonesia
differs only in this way from Ger
manys scavenging in the famine
ridden Balkans
(copyrisht, 1912. by Chicago Daily NewsJ
Evening star., 1942-10-17
This Changing World
Difficulties Of United Nations Declared Due More
To CiviIion Influence Than to Mistakes Of Military

The difficulties of the United
Nations so far have been due,
however. more to civilian in
fiuence than the lack of vision
by military leaders. Despite what
is frequently said publicly, the
general strategy has been di-
rected by civilians who have
acted as executives and not as
trainers of global strategy. More
than once it has happened that
certain military movements
considered necessary from a mill
tary point of view-were not
made because of political con-
siderations.
Mr.. Winkie is heartily ap-
plauded when he implies that
civilians like British Prime Min
lister Churchill determine the
course of action after taking into
account the conflicting views of
the military experts. The mill
tary men, however, do not have a
free hand. We have no unified
high command settled in one
person.
The British think in terms of
what is good for the Empire, the
Russians, in terms of what is
best for the Soviet; and so on.
The stage of analyzing the war
globally has not yet been reached.
If we should lose the Solomon
Islands nobody should find fault
with the military men, although
some of them necessarily will be
made the scapegoats. 1t was the
political strategy, dictated by
civilians, that prevented us from
rushing all the needed support
after our first victory in this vital
war zone.
The question of whether the
military should be given all dis
cretionary power in a war is ma
turally one which will be hotly
debated in all countries still
under Democratic forms of gov
ernment. Dictatorship and
pOWer in the hands of the mill
tary 60 too much hand-in hand.
But no war has yet been won by
Evening star., 1942-10-17
Spirit Of American
Prisoners in Java Fine
Despite ScantY Fare
Dutch Officer Who
Escaped Reports How
Jops Woo Malay Race
Third of q Series.)
Bv GEORGE WELLER,
War Correspondent of The Star and CT
cago Daily News.

War Correspondent of The Star and Chi
cago Daily News.
SOMEWHERE IN AUSTRALIA,
Oct. 17.-Despite the thin fare,
principally rice, on which American
and other Allied prisoners in Java
subsist, their spirits are good, ac-
cording to a young Dutch officer
who sailed in 25-foot boat nearly
to Africa to escape. He had served
in the army in Tjilatjap, outbound
port for most Java refugees, until
near the end, when he took native
troops toward Soerkarta, in Gen.
tral Java, to meet the Japs.
This officer said Comdr. Schok-
king, the Dutchman who as cap
tain of the port Of Tjllatjap sent
scores of ships away-some to safe
ty, some to death-and to whose
sang -froid scores of individuals owe
their life and liberty today, was in
a prison camp.
While lauding the stamina in
battle of the American 131st Fielo
Artillery of Texans. under Col. B
B. Tharp, the Dutchman did not
forget to mention the British anti
aircraft gunners, veterans of the
battle of Britain. whose train was
wrecked by a fifth columnist. be-
tween Malang and Soerabaya. Many
deaths resulted, but most of the
Britons managed to reach Tjilatjap
Gunners Pay Debt.
Your correspondent met one OF
these gunners on the day he him.
self escaped from Java, late las
February. This gunner, dirty. tirec
and getting ready to be bombed
was sitting in sandpit at thu
waters edge. in Tjilatjap, when hi
offered to share with the writer hi!
poor breakfast of slab of breae
Smeared with canned jam.
The next day the grimy battery
shot down of 27 Jap bombers
the Dutchman said. The Briton.
went to prison camp, like tn,
Americans, with the satisfaction o.
their duty to the Dutch fully done.
L. H. Rithman. jolly. rotund di.
rector of the Dutch Press Bureau
and probably the worlds most near.
ly painless governmental propa
gandist. is in concentration camG
with captured correspondents ane
censors, the refugee stated.
Your correspondent remember
being bombed seven months ago il
Bandoeng with Mr.. Rithman, wht
was wearing his diversified helme
and docilely holding a rubber plu,
like whistle between his teeth, &C
cording to Dutch copybook rules TO
air raids. Six American A-20 Havo
attack bombers lay boxed on Tjilat
jap wharves. waiting for an escor
of American fighters aboard tn
American aircraft tender Langley
which never arrived.
The Dutch, using native labor
nevertheless. managed to build {
,unway even while the Japs wer,
swarming across the island ane
within two days American planes
the same type which swept the Jap
Evening star., 1942-10-17
Bombines Offset Sinkings
Allies Have Effective Means to Attack
Enemy Transportation, Maj. Eliot Declares
BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT

BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.
A very close analogy exists be-
tween operations by submarines
at sea and the bombing attacks
now being directed by the United
Nations against German-occu-
pied Europe and Germany itself.
Both are attacks against COM
munications or against produc-
tion-that is, both are directed
toward the endsof weakening the
war effort Of the opponent either
by reducing his ability to produce
materials of war, or by imparing
his ability to transport war ma
terials to his theaters of active
operation. Both are, therefore,
forms of blockade.
There are, in the final analysis,
only two ways of attacking a ma
ton, just as there are only two
ways of attacking a fortress.
These two ways are assault and
blockade. Assault seeks to pene-
trate the enemy's defense, to gain
access to the interior of the coun-
Evening star., 1942-10-17

many's first line planes now are
grouped approximately as follows
Eastern front-2,50o planes, with
nearly half of these in the Stain
grad area.
Mediterranean-800 planes. nearly
half in Southern Italy and Sicily.
Western Europe-800. including
$50 fighters and $50 bombers.
Germany-300 to 500, including a
large number of night fighters.