The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-09
Observations
Peace-Making Has
Headaches Sans
Thrill, Drama of War
BY Helen Gsssry

OF mind that is Washington.
Looking back on those first
days after the declaration OF war
Remember how difficult the job
ahead seemed?
Much OF that job has been done,
II WAS a tough job. The lash was
applied 70 industry-which didn't
really need a lash at all. Results
have psoved that...armies TO be
made out OF raw civilians. Fierce
killers whipped up out OF peaceful
stay-at homes. But there was an
urgency about the struggle
challenge, We rushed in with en-
thusiasm. And We won.
But here now is the peace-mak-
ing job. That's the test OF free
and wise men. There's no excite
ment about IT,
II was dramatic, hurting our
selves into the maelstrom Of war.
Now il is a peace we must face
peace.making rather All the
nasty human animosities are 60
ing TO spring out-and what
slather we are going 10 be in be
fore there's another Versailles.
How quickly the civilians who
pushed the war ahead will be for
gotten. At a big War Production
Board dinner last week attended
l. and Cha r
les Wilson, former vice chairman
OF the WPB. Donald Nelson, WPB
chairman during the important
war production days, was not men
toned.
Speeches were made about every
body OF Importance on the board
everybody but Nelson. But no
body seemed 20 have heard OF Mel
son. Not one informal question
such as How do you spose good
old Don is going TO like China
was asked over the third whiskey
and soda. As far as that party
was concerned Nelson
the chief to whom everybody there
had kowtowed few weeks before
might never have existed.
II ever there was a town In
which that theory The king is
dead long live the king was FOL
lowed down 70 the last syllable,
that town is Washington.
II you really want to have lit
Tie fun some time with postwar
planners, Just say casually: Sup
pose We do win all those Pacific
islands from the Japs. and we do
believe that We shall win them
what are we going TO do vita
them next -
"Why-er-er give them back TO
the natives? O-er-er get the fleet
10 patrol them You'll get en-
barrassed answers something like
those.
But the Pacific island problem
IL far more solemn than this. Ac-
cording 10 actual estimates II will
take a force OF eight hundred thou
sand men to garrison the Pacific
islands once they come into the
possession OF Allies.
And that isn't all. The garrisons
and the natives will have TO be fed.
On what? Well | wouldn't know.
Most OF the islands haven't shown
themselves two-crops-a-year Edens.
Not yet.
Yet. II the Allies leave them I'M
defended, ungarrisoned there will
be a constant possibility OF newer
and more evil, II possible, wars.
Speaking OF islands, those Aleu-.
tians. the president spoke OF in
his last broadcast, are going to be
something for the adventurous
young 10 grow on. Alaska, itself,
isn't too thrilling, so old time yoy-
ayers tell me.
But the Aleutians-you can carve
out most any kind OF Jack Lon
don life on those hunks OF noun
tains and valleys II you think
there's fat pocketbook in fur
business, there are many Aleutian
isles overrun with hundreds OF
thousands OF blue foxes.
II IL assumed that long ago some
body stocked the islands with few
foxes and meant to come back and
see what happened TO his biologl-
cal fur bearing gamble.
The gambler didn't come back.
Not soon enough for himself For
at the moment there is a fortune
in untrapped blue foxes with thick
beautiful pelts roaming, growing,
waiting for the huntsman.
The Army and the Navy have
each created complete town on
two OF the Aleutians. Somebody
must have had TO dig in with a
thick pick.axe before the settle
ments sprang to life on land that
was overrun with heavy grass
growing from six inches to six
feet tall