davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Outlook improves

Another Christmas has passed. It could
not be merry one with the world still at
war. But as best they could the people made
brave show Of accepting Their lot finding
their greatest happiness il. playing Santa
Claus to their children
What lies ahead in the interval until an
other Christmas arrives cannot be known
But there is some reason to think that next
year we may be listening to the joyful peals
Of Christmas bells instead of bursting shells
and bombs. The war which has cost us so
heavily in resources, broken up so many fani-
lies, taken so many fathers and sons and
brothers from our midst, and laid thousands
In graves on foreign SOIL may have been
brought to g successful. close.
Mr.. Roosevelt, in his Christmas Eve
broadcast, told US some of the preparations
!or bringing this about He confirmed runaors
IT General EisenhoWers appointment to the
command Of al Allied forces operating out O
The British Isles. He tcld Of changes in EURO
pean and African commands with well Oh
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27

served promotion for General Montgomery.
He foretold of approa ching invasions and as
if in confirmation 5000 planes hammered the
French coast in probably the greatest air
raid even this the greatest of all wars is
likely to witness. But he was very careful
to emphasize that the war is far from won
and to say that the oittcriest lighting, the
heaviest losses lie ahead.
He left no doubt, however, and without
specifically saying SO, gave his hearers some
reason to believe that the Allied leadership
considers victory in Europe well within
the probabilities for 1914. Whether Japan will
quickly follow Germany Ill surrendering is
another matter in which one guess is as
good as another. But it is rot unreasonable to
think that with Allied striking power gain
ing as Japan's grows less the battle in the
Pacific may not long survive that in Europe.
Along with the possibility that next Christ
mas may be truly merry, therefore, is the
hope that the following week may introduce
a Happy New Year.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
MARINE TIPS

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-Di
Scissors and candles are muSIs N"
Marines coming into a battle z .'.,
They're among the items WHO ~.
the complete devil-dog Will ''@ '
along on landing operation g a..
cording TO Navy and Marine Vs. n
GERS who learned the hard way "
the Pacific. ,,t
In a list of helpful hints TO Ll'@ ..
mize risk and discomfort W., ~,
officers say one of the most .% r,
portant items a Marine can i.@ ct,
is a comfortable pair OF sIlpP tsr
or moccasins to rest dis DOGS az
a hard jaunt in the jungle
Some don'ts: hn
Don't yell for a corpsman WIZ" N.
buddy gets hit; don't put
spotlight on the corpsman- ,.r.I
Don't forget to dig a deep n
hols with overhead cover eve"
you stop for an hour. n
Respect the Japs' aolliu n,;n,E
the officers say. But don't 'DD
they are supermen.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
More Oil-Where?

Everyone has had the fact imp essed upon
them that rivers Of oil are needed to keep
our fighting machine running. But beyond
general estimates in millions of barrels, fig
ures are seldom published showing just how
the oil is consumed. A heavy bomber uses
200 gallons of gasoline an hour at cruising
speed a fighting plane 100 gallons. The tanks
alone in one armored division burn 10000
gallons in an advance of little more than
100 miles, while thousands of gallons are
also consumed by trucks, self-rropelled guns,
armored cars, and other wheeled units A
single destroyer on convoy duty burns some
thing like 214,000 gallons of fuel oil on a
single round trip to North Africa
The nation is row being told repeatedly
by various public authorities that the oil
shortage is going TO get far, Ear worse be-
fore it gets better. These warnings are
nothing new too oil men any r:oce than they
are to the public.
Gloomy announcements from Washington on
oil and gas rationing are getting tresome.
What the public and the oil industry want to
know is what plans. if any, are in the making
to find and produce more oil.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Carter Goes Abroad

Edward c. Carter, "a leading student If
Asiatic affairs" has just returned from "a
three-month tour of Far Eastern war areas -
MI. Carter Is secretary Of the Institute of
Pacific Relations. He also was, the last time
we checked, chairman of Russian War Re.
lief, Inc.
Mr.. Carter has long been consistent fol-
lower of the Communist party line, in the
extreme vanguard of most RED movements
prominent in many of the most notorious
front organizations
1t is difficult for most Americans to travel
at all. and all but impossible for them to visit
war fronts. Yet Mr. Carter, who would be
unknown except FOR his party line activities
spent three months in the Far Eastern fight
ing area. Is it fascistic to wonder how Gomez
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Over-Optimism

President Roosevelt's warning against
over-optimism follows similar word from
high military and naval soul ces which have
been intensified of late.
The generals and the adm;rals are not
building up Nalibs for themselves They are
doing what most insiders think is their
solemn duty.
Fortunately, they are permitted to be
bit more specific now than formerly. Thew do
not have to stop with pointing OFT the number
OF statue miles that separate our advance
troops from Tokyo and Berlin but are al
lowed to give us some idea of the perils that
pockmark those statute miles.
Hitler has replaced and equipped the 20
divisions lost at Gtalingrad. The Nazi army
is bigger than ever The Luftwatfe is stronger
than it was in 1899. The number of workers
in German factories has risen by IL millions.
or slightly more than so per cent
Sixty-ton Tiger tanks are appearing in ever
sreasng numbers against both Anglo.Ameri-
cans and Russians. They aren't the invincible
weapons the Nazis expected OF our laymen
reared, but neither can we scott at them, The
Germans have new rocket gun that is
giving us plenty Of trouble The rocket bombs
are going to require our Ingenuity to offset.
The German food ration is better now than
at the outbreak of the war
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27

ury. Certainly, this great poten.
tial reservoir of American ener.
gy could be used to better ad-
vantage to hasten the end of the
war, rather than lie dormant,
sapping the very strength Of our
great Democracy.
Take a look around and see if
you don't agree. Check the waste
in war industries, compare the
normal costs of production versus
the nigh wartime costs of pro
duction. Ferret the political para
sites from non-essential jobs anc
watch the Golfers of the Treasury
swell. An increase in taxes among
the people in the lower income
bracket is but the easiest way out.
and not the proper way to lower
our national debt. Victory in the
global war lies in nationwide CO.
operation, less spending, sysmat,
ic savings in war bonds, less
waste, hard work and above all
tho will to win.
]. S. H.-Ex-Serviceman.
Wilmington, N. c,
Dec, 26, 1913.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Censorship

Our dispensers of information in Washington
might pender with profit the wise observa-
ton made by Paul Bellamy, editor of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer. in recent address.
Said Mr.. Bellamy: My quarrel with much
of the censorship idea entertained by both
the Army and Navy, and to a certain extent
by other departments of the government, is
that many of these officials 40 not seem to
realize that the American people are an
adult race. that they know about the facts
Of life, that they know about birth and
about death, that they know about cowardice
and about bravery. about good and about
wrong. 1t is folly of the worst kind to try to
keep bad news away from them, and it is
equal folly to keep good news from them
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
FROM A SOLDIER OVERSEAS

So you're sick of the way the coun-
try is run,
You're sick of the way that ration
ing's done,
You're sick of standing around in
line;
You're sick, you say-well, that S
lust fine!
Yes, I'm sick of the sun and the
heat.
I'm sick of the feel of my aching
feet.
I'm sick of the mud and the jun
gle flies,
I'm sick of the stencil when night
mists rise,
I'm sick of the sirens wailing
shrek,
I'm sick of the groans of the
wounded and weak,
I'm sick of the sound of the bomb
er's dive,
I'm sick of seeing the dead alive,
I'm sick of the roar and noise
and din,
I'm sick of the taste of food from
a tin,
I'm sick of slaughter-Tm sick
to my soul,
I'm sick of play killers role,
I'm sick of blood and death and
smell,
And I'm even sick of myself as
well.
But I'm sicker still of a tyrant's
rule
Of conquered lands where the wild
beasts droll;
Pm cured damn quick, when I
think of the day.
When all this Hell will be out OF
the way,
When none of this mess will have
been in vain,
And the lights of the world will
blaze again,
And things will be as they were
before,
And kids will laugh in the streets
once more,
And the Axis flag will be dipped
and furled
And God looks down on a peace
ful world. d
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Idle Planes

transport plane taken over by the Army
operated by it for IA months and recently re.
turned, was used iy the Army during that
period an average Of AZ minutes day
American Aviation says that If it had
been retained by the commercial line from
which it was appropriated, the plane would
have flown an average Of 10 hours a day.
The Army took over $50 planes from
private lines, in all, says the magazine. Was
the time OF all wasted like that Ct the plane in
question? Probably not. But who knows?
Does Congress3
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Raymond Clapper Says:
FDR Should Clarity
Status OF Gen. Marshall

world and give him the prestige
of a fixed and universally under
stood position.
The same goes for Admiral Err
nest ]. King. He, too, is the SUBJ
ject of some speculation. From
the start, when the word first
reached him at Quebec that Gen.
eral Marshall was under consi-
deration for Allied commander in
Europe, Admiral King fought
against the beaking up of the Joint
and Combined Chiefs of Staff
teams here. He lost the first
round, but in the end his view
point prevailed, and undoubtedly
his strenuous argument on behalf
of retaining General Marshall in
his position of power in the gen
eral conduct of the war prepared
the way for a reversal of the
Quebec decision.
Had General Marshall gone to
Europe, Admiral King might have
had to give more Of his time to
the global aspects of the war and
might have had to relinquish some
OF his duties as Chief of Naval Op-
erations. But that does not appear
to be in the cards now that the
Shift of General Marshall has been
abandoned.
Admiral King is a hard driver
and he wastes little time in being
diplomatic, so he is not without
enemies. But the team of Mar
shall and King is so strong and is
doing such an outstanding military
job that there could be no reason
why President Roosevelt would
wish to break it up.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Spreading 1t Thin

Now the Supreme Court rules that it is
proper for union to at.e,npt, by picketing
with Unfair signs, to ruin business which
has no employees except it's proprietors Mr..
Justice Frankfurter feels that it is quite
fair for the union 10 pin the opprobrious adj
iective fascist upon men who decline to
io;n . union for the privilege OF working in
their own little cafeteria.
The law, says lawyers is what the court
saws it is But justice and common morality.
thank God are less flexible and idealogical.
And in the long run justice and common
morality can change what JUDGES think is
! the la,
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
BOX
STOP THE WASTE
To The Editor:


Secretary Morgenthau continues
to howl for higher taxes, while
in most groups, the people are
taxed to the bone, especially 50
in the white-collared class. Gov
eminent spending has reached a
new high in the last year or So
war workers and government en-
ployes are receiving salaries I'M
paralleled in the history of our
country. While all of US are SYM
pathetic in the war effort and feel
that anything which will shorten
the war and save the lives of our
boys overseas. should certainly be
done at any sacrifice, and willingly
it is natural TO rus to wonder why
government employees and many
OF the workers in war industries
should be paid such fabulous sal
aries to carry on in jobs for which.
in most cases, good normal liv-
ing wage should suffice.
We VI lliC lOWCI lIlCOIllo DrdCh-
cts, who have continued in our
efforts to exc out an existence on
pre-war salaries in the face OF
higher living costs, in jobs just
as vital to the war effort and we'll
being of our country as most gov
eminent employees and war work
ers, find it increasingly difficult
to understand this cry for more
taxes, when likely solution can
be found right in the governments
own backyard. It would require
but a fleeing glance here and
there to see the waste in both
manpoWer and in money-thou'
sands and thousands of unneces-
sary clerks, etc.. who have little
or nothing to do, and who through
no apparent farft Of their own,
are constant drain on the Treas
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Our Chief Aim
To aid in every way the prosecu-
tion of the war to complete Vic.
tory.
THOUGHT FOR TO-DAY

Twas the day after, Christmas, when
all through the house
Not thing was 10 order, though John
Henry's spouse
Was a thrifty New highlander, tidy and
trim.
John Henry looked out on the snow
covered lawn
And sighed as he murmured, in an
guish and pain:
''Tis the day after Christmas that's with
us again!''
And he boldly declared, ere the New
Year came in,
There will be no mole Christmas ex-
change for him.
To this earnest resolve his good wife
said, "Amen!''
But we know they they'll both do the
same thing again!
Florence Amelia Cummings
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
BY RAYMOND CLAPPER

WASHINGTON-It is unfortunate
that President Roosevelt has not
done more to clarity the status of
General Marshall. Here is by all
odds one of the greatest generals
of the war. and yet he has for
months been the subject OF Specu-
lation as to what his future assign
ment would be.
General Marshall arrives back
from the Pacific theater, which he
visited on his way home from
Teheran and Cairo, in the midst
Of much gossip about his status.
At Quebec it was decided that
General Marshall should command
the Allied forces in Europe. Pres
ident Roosevelt's advisers were
reluctant to make this change. But
Prime Minister Churchill was in
sistent. He argued that General
Marshall was the ablest man
available.
Finally we gave in when it SEEM
ed as if the assignment could be
broadened so that General Mar
shall would be more than the COM
mander of the cross-channel op-
GRAFTON.
That was the way it was left,
subject to approval by the British
War Cabinet Then the trouble be-
gan. The British War Cabinet felt.
according to the story in Washing
ton, that the assignment should be
restricted to command of the
cross-channel invasion. For in
stance, the Mediterranean theater
was to be left outside the jurisdic-
ton.
Under such a limited command.
General Marshall would have lost
control of ALLEGATIONS and DISPOSE
tons. He would have had no voice
in determining whether the priori-
ty on the Burma campaign, for in
stance, should be lowered or
where Italian, Balkan and Eastern
Mediterranean priorities should be
placed. In the distribution of land
ing craft and other critical mat
tiers General Marshall would have
to take what was allowed. He
could not reach into the Mediter-
ranean Or other theaters.
In effect it would have been a
sharp restriction of his control
over the war as a whole, in ex-
change for limited command.
The Americans refused to ac-
cept such an arrangement for
General Marshall. And on Stains
insistence at Teheran that the
British and Americans get down
to business and name comman-
der immediately and fix their tar
get date, Roosevelt and Churchill
went back to Cairo and fixed it
up that Gen. Sir Henry Maitland
Wilson, British commander in the
Middle East, would take over the
whole Mediterranean area, enab.
ling General Eisenhower to take
command of the cross-channel Oh.
Grafton.
This is by far the most sensible
solution. General Marshall is too
able and knows too much about
this war to be limited to one as.
sault task. His return by way OF
the Pacific was significant. He
must correlate the CAMPAIGN
against Japan with the canpaign
in Europe, which is now preparing
for climax.
1t is good that a final decision
has been made. But it would be
better if all this We're made clear
officially and in way that would
remove General Marshall as the
SUBJECT OF gossip all over the
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
interpreting
The War
By ELTON c. FAY
Associated Press War Ap,,rs

The reason for Japan's riposr
ly use Of her army is begi9r.Ns
to emerge. ming
She appears to be husbands.
it for the DAY when, with bas
perlmeter defenses crushed Nv 4 .S
steadily advancing weight ~ ' M
lied sea and air attack. sbe VI r,- Al.
make one last, all-out effor -tl0s.
the ASlatic doorstep of her bor, VI
land. ''0ilie'
And veteran military men saw
In crisp army language, that '@ ~,
will be one hell Of an effort II
1t should be. Estimates nt a.
number of Japanese men nnJ wv
arms range from $500 900 10 ' noorr
than 100000. Her losses s ,n0sa
She engaged the United s t.'+oe
and Great Britain in war NAV nv
pc much more than 100000 do'
flclt more than corrected b,, w. w.
humber of men reaching mijitsrv
age in the past two wears
The heart of Japan's land fore.
es is the Kwantung army tbs
elite group of Nippon, well.eouin inv
ped. experienced. Its command d' ip,
cludes Manchuria. Korea, Inno,
Mongolia and North China-and i.
influence in the political and
economic affairs in the homo i,
lands is strong.
About it probably will be built
The combined land forces from
either areas for the final attempt
to stave off defeat of Japan
President Roosevelt reported
chat he discussed with Generals.
simo Chang Kai-shek all the mani
fold military plans for strjkmg
at Japan with decisive force from
MANY directions and noted that
Chinese ground and air forces
augmented by American aviation
are playing vital part in start.
ing the drive which will push the
invaders into the saa."
That. then. suggests big scale
warfare on the Asiatic mainland
Because of the current serious lin.
itations placed on supplying force,
i'll China, it is highly unlikely that
major Allied effort is Imminent
-bllt ic iS certain
To meet such blow from ,he
west will be the task Of a japan.
csc army unWeakened by losses
in Pacific island campaigns.
In some military quarters, there
is a belief that Japan. despite her
heavy shipping losses, could aug
ment her troop strength at the
perimeter Of her distant defenses
many tins if she 50 chose. 1t is
pointed out that Japan probably
was able to salvage hundreds Of
thousands if not a million Or more
tons of shipping scuttled Or aoan.
doned when the big ports q Asia
and the islands fell into her hands
Moreover, since the supply routes
are in many instances Of an is
land-to-island nature, even small
coastal craft are useful to the
japanese. The japanese, with a
fine flair for efficiency and cold
disregard for personal safety and
comfort, can pack in 5000 troops
into 5000 tons vessel.
On land. Japan has excellent
transport lines to the south-gFeaf
stretches of rail ana his~"e.
routes along the China coast and
down across French ndo-CAlna
and Thailand into Malaga from
where the Netherlands Indies are
only a short water haul.
Despite these facilities there Is
no evidence that Japan is divert
inc any substantial blocks Of army
strength to the outer island &C.
lenses The major part Of Japan
ese garrisons on the Pacific IS
lands is made up CT marines, win
army con.>1ents a comparative
" minor part of the forces
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
QUOTATIONS

H., women can keep secret as well as men
out 1t takes more of them. 'e'''
-, e. nave no sympathy for people who use
all theirs on themselves. WIZ use
i, professor says there should be easv chs;
~ tscture room. Students howev.r .na.,.
pa Ncuiaf-they'n sleep in any kim @ten
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
PRISONER

WASHINGTON. Dec. 26. Up -
The Navy department disclosed
today that Dempsey Ernest Me-
Gowan, fireman second class of
charlotte, N. c., was listed as a
prisoner OF war but it did not spec
ny which enemy had captured
him. McGowna's next of kin is his
mother, Mrs. Lula Odessa Nc
Gowan, 1923 E.. 35th street. Char.
1ctte.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27
Fair Enough

(Editers Note-Ths and the News accepts no
responsibility fer the per sona views Of Mr. PeGsr.
ind sften disagres with them - much - many Of
lis rsaders His articles serve the gsed purpose Of
naking people think.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-27

There are modern Icelanders
who trace their descent from
Sporo, the first white man born
In America-about the year 1000
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-08-03
After Dark
News and Comment of the Night Clubs.
Mark REGISTERED US Patent Once

sharing each others company, ex-
cepting photographer off by him.
self brooding among his flash
bulbs.
At just the moment when every
one felt the brightness of the af-
fair would collapse of its own ar
tlf1ciality, some one grabbed. the
microphone. A well-modulated voice
announced that the two tradition
ally huge birthday cakes would not
be distributed among the assem-
bled patrons; the pastries were ear
marked for the Red Cross. The
party seemed to come to life. More
over, it was announced, the pa
irons were thereby invited to add
a bit of cash to the gift of cake
which servicemen wounded in bat
tie would receive the following day
about the several military hospitals
in town. A Mr.. Magruder weaved
to his feet. He would start things
off, he said; several bills of stable
denomination f1uttered into the lit
tie basket.
Animatedly, the other baskets
went around from hand to hand.
The well-modulated voice burbled
further into the microphone. Other
less tprofessional-sounding voices
added remarks which aroused no
especial interest, but which were
undoubtedly apropos Upwards of
$3.50 was revealed as the total COL
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-08-03

lection. mot enough" said Mr..
Magruder, coming to his feet once
again. And the bills fluttered some
more.
You could hardly call the eighth
anniversary party dull, after all.
X X
A Indigenous localite we know
a past master at the art of huffing
and putting, has been of the furious
opinion that the transients have
completely taken over Washington.
He gets so angry about it that he
could beat his WIFE if he had a wife.
1t was not until the other night,
however, that he discovered the
transients think the same thing.
When he was introduced at a local
night club, there was a moment of
stunned silence. pierced suddenly by
the observation from a ringside
table:
My Lord, Washingtonian."
The applause was terrific, but 1t
left our man more angry than ever.
r
Youth invaded the Mayfiower
Lounge the other evening. And by
youth" we mean the 8-or-9-