Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-09-08
Russians Set
High Price
On S+alingrad
Experts Still Think Reds
Can Last Out Winter
By PAUL MALLON

Hdlutu dS INV iiobiN AOA cOi''N
days. but the Russians have ex-
pected to take a Sevastopol price
for il.
The Russians held out for
weeks. one will remember. at
their Black Sea naval base. in
the face of a military situation
which was even more desperate
than that now confronting them
in the angle bend of the Volga.
They piled German dead upon
every inch of lost ground.
The story of Stalingrad is
simply too much concentration
of German firepower.
When the NaZis worked them
selves around TO the north OF
the city. and then to the south,
they were able TO pour unprece-
dented, fire into the Reds from
three sides and sprinkl IL
heavily overhead with the hard
est dive-bombing attacks of this
war.
Nobody here, however. has
changed his mind about Stains
ability to continue resistance
through this winter, although
the best authorities have toned
down their expectations of how
strong this resistance can be.
ON THE map. the possibility
" exists that Hitler can even
tually push eastward to meet the
Japanese coming west through
Siberia and establish joint
communicable Axis empire over
this great stretch of Europe and
Asia.
But the unknown (and gov
erning) factor is the condition
of the German and japanese
arms and nations.
We had many reports OF their
internal weaknesses earlier IN
the war. and presumably still
are getting them, but we have
come TO place no confidence in
them, since our initial optimism
proved unjustified.
The toll of the Russian cam
paign must nevertheless have
cut deep into Hitlers strength.
Every erman. killed at
Stalingrad will make that much
easier the establishment of the
coming second front.
WENDELL WILKES mys-
w FERROUS hop to the Middle
East. with lot of secret let
tiers from President Roosevelt,
is easy to understand. if you
fit together his itinerary and his
opening remarks on arriving in
Egypt.
He did not go directly to
Stain but arranged stops in
Egypt, Iran. Iraq and even
Turkey-strategic points in the
next battle-ground If Hitler
penetrates the Caucasus.
What Willkie said when he
arrived in Cairo was that we
would win the war, not be iso-
lationist after ii is over, and
that Hitler had now reached the
peak of his power.
Churchill travelled just about
the same road, with fewer stops,
earlier, but British prophesies
are not so highly regarded in
that quarter of the world by the
natives and their rulers.
Mr.. Willkie. as titular head
of the opposition party in this
country, carries great weight
there because anything he says,
to back up Mr.. Roosevelt's
promises. makes them appear TO
be unanimously adopted Ameri-
can decisions.
He should be able to Offset the
Nazi propaganda, which has
been playing up internal political
differences in this country, and
the history of British promises
in the Near East.
NORTHERN Democratic poll
~ ticians cons Tered ii a
shame the way Republican Sena-
tor Brooks of Illinois stole credit
for eliminating the poll tax re-
striction on soldier voting in the
South.
They knew the willy Repub-
lican leader. McNary, had put
Brooks up 10 thus smothering
the Democratic claims for Negro
approval, founded on the fact
that Democratic Senator Pep
per of Florida first proposed the
idea.
II hurt particularly the Kelly
machine crowd in Chicago where
the Negro press was giving a
big hand to Brooks (up for re-
election in November).
So the Kelly crowd got busy
on the other side of Congress-
Unfortunately (for them the
House handler of the bill was TO
be Representative kocialkow-
ski. the Chicago representative
thrown over 10 Kelly in the
recent primary.
They had actually deprived
him of denomination, so they
could not expect much from
him now.
But other of their agents got
busy ttheir senatorial candidate
against Brooks, Representative
McKeough, and rules committee
chairman Sabath) and they or
ganized against the southern
Democratic bloc TO put the