The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-06-21
THINGS THAT AREN'T
HELPING WIN THE WAR


The sign on the McCloskey
shipyard personnel office at Tam
pa, Fla.-"Keep Out! No War
Bonds Issued Today" Slow
ness of war plants in delivering
war bonds purchased through sal
airy allotments The retiring
of some Army officers by "Admin-
istrative Action" without written
charges, without review, trial or
board of hearing. They merely
let out. Then after they return
home, sometimes they get call
that if they will contact group
of lawyers in Washington, the
latter are in the know and will
have them reinstated for a "small
fee," ranging from $500 to $1,000.
CAPITAL CHAFF
General Albert C. Wedemeyer,
crack strategist of the u. S. Gen.
eral Staff, who had opposed some
of Churchill's strategy ideas, has
suddenly been transferred from
War Plans to North Africa o.. AS
semblyman w. H. Goldthorpe has
taken a leaf from federal statutes
supposed to bar Congressman such
as Eugene Cox of Georgia from
taking fees, and has put through
the Wisconsin legislature a strict
law against fee-taking Harry
Hopkins knew very little about
the creation of Justice Byrnes'
new War Mobilization Office be-
fore 1t was created-though he is
a member. Some politicos inter-
pref this as meaning that Harry
Is slipping. in his close personal
friendship with FDR-but he isn't.
-. Under Secretary of War Pat
terson and Under Secretary of the
Navy Forrestal are pretty much in
the White House doghouse these
days. That may be one reason
why Forrestal is already looking
around for a good Republican can
didate to which to hitch his wa
gon Shenango Depot, Penn
Sylvania, has a stockade where
about 1000 soldiers are detained
as prisoners, but thousands of 9TH
er Al men are sent there for
transfer to other areas. 1t is a
transfer center, and the fact that
a man is sent there does not mean
he is going to a dumping-ground.
ARMY DOCTORS STYMIED
Next time the Army tries to re-
cruit doctors in peacetime, a lot
of medicos who periodically be-
came reserve officers long before
Pearl Harbor are going to think
twice before they do so again.
Reason is that the doctors
who became reserve officers well
in advance of war have now
been penalized. They are sty-
mied on promotions. Meanwhile,
doctors who have come into the
Army recently have shot way
ahead Of them in rank.
What happened was that after
lot of Reserve Corps doctors had
been brought into the Army, still
more doctors were needed. So the
Medical Corps upped its bids. 1t
offered higher commissions as
majors and lieutenant colonies to
doctors in civilian life.
Meanwhile, when lower ranking
former reserve officers raise the
question of promotions, the stock
reply is: "The tables of organiza-
ton do not permit it,"
PLANES TO RUSSIA
About a year ago, Russian Red
Army men in Washington almost
got down on their knees begging
for airplanes. U. S. planes were
much scarcer then than today.
Production was low and there were
also heavy demands from Egypt
and Macarthur.
At one time, the Russians ac-
tually suggested that the best way
to parcel out Lend-Lease equip
ment would be to adopt a very
simple standard. namely, which
army was killing the most Ger
mans.
Gradually, however, planes were
sent to Russia, until today they
are going in tremendous quanti-
ties. This is one reason why the
Nazis have lacked heavy superior
ity n the air which previously
they had.
In fact, the Russians now
have shifted their pleas away
from airplanes and concentrated
them on food. With the bread
basket Of Russia In German
hands,, large sections Of the pO-
pulati0n are starving.