davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-11-28
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

Cordell Hull, who served as Secretary
Of State for nearly IL years, has retired.
Character and courage and ability won
for him the respect of the country Had
President Roosevelt not run for third
term, Mr.. Hull would have been seriously
considered for the Democratic presiden-
tial nomination in 1910. During Mr..
Hulls long service as head Of the State
Department the country faced many
problems in its foreign relations. More
recently Mr.. Hull expended all his
energy in the effort to win success for
the peacetime international organization
which is to be set up, eliminating in the
Dumbarton Oaks agreement. His re-
tirement, because of i'll health, has
brought expressions of regret from the
leaders Of both major political parties.
The Presidents immediate appoint
ment of Edward r. Stettinius, jr, to
succeed Mr.. Hull as Secretary of State
has met with general approval. The
new Secretary of State, serving as Un-
dersecretary for more than a year, has
won the regard of members of Congress
generally and particularly of members
Of the Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee. The latter have held many con-
ferences with Mr.. Stettinius and have
been impressed both with his frankness
and his understanding of the foreign
policy problems which confront the Ma
ton.
The new Secretary is only A years
old, the youngest man to have the Office
for generations He has, however, had
wide experience both in Government and
in business. He was heading up the
United States Steel Corp, as chairman
Of the board, when he became chairman
Of the War Resources Board in 1899.
For two years before he was appointed
Undersecretary of State Mr.. Stettinius
was lease-lend administrator and spe-
cial assistant to the President
In selecting Mr. Stettinus for Secre-
tary OF State the President followed an
almost unbroken rule in making new
appointments to his cabinet When be-
cause Of death or resignation vacancies
have occurred, Mr.. Roosevelt has ad-
vanced the ranking official of the de-
partment-either an Undersecretary or
Assistant Secretary or Solicitor General.
To review few of these appointments:
Secretary Of the Treasury Morgenthau
Evening star., 1944-11-28

was advanced to that cabinet once from
Undersecretary, Attorney General Biddle
was formerly Solicitor General, Secre-
tary Of the Navy Forrestal was formerly
Undersecretary Of that department, Sec
retary Of Agriculture Wickard was Un-
dersecretary at the time Of his appoint
ment.
Secretary Of Commerce Jones and
Postmaster General Walker are excep-
tions - although both held important
Government posts before being placed
In the cabinet. Miss Perkins, head Of
the Department Of Labor, and Secretary
Of the Interior Ickes are the last re-
naming members of the original Roose-
velt cabinet. Secretary of War Stimson
was one of two outstanding Republicans
who were appointed to the cabinet by
the President in 1910 in an effort to
bring a unified support of the national
defense program, then underway.
~
In view of this policy Of the President,
Mr.. Stettinius was a natural for appoint
ment as Secretary of State when it was
found that Mr.. Hull's i'll health would
not permit him to resume the burden of
ofiice. He has the advantage of being
fully conversant with all the negotia-
tions of the United Nations. Further,
his administration of lease-lend opera
tions has given him an even fuller grasp
Of the country's foreign relations.
Two other names had been promi-
nently mentioned as potential appoint
ees in case Mr.. Hull should retire-Vice
President Wallace and War Mobilization
Director Byrnes. Whether either was
considered by the President has not been
disclosed. Mr.. Byrnes' appointment would
have been welcomed in the Senate,
where he served as Senator from South
Carolina for many years. One reason
advanced for his appointment was that
he would have the confidence of Sena-
tors when it comes to ratification OF
peace agreements and treaties.
A Wallace appointment would have
been unfortunate, according to members
OF the Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee. Indeed, some of them went so
far as to say that 1t would have been a
serious obstacle to the entire program.
Whether there would have been an open
fight on nomination Of Mr.. Wallace
they declined to say. But that there
would have been serious resentment
they insisted was the case.
Evening star., 1944-11-28
Keeper of q Trust

The noisy reapers echoed from the field
And nom the stubble g1istens In the
Snn-
The corn-stalks plundered OF their
ample yield
Lie broken ,ohere the pdgon- -,oheels
haze run. .s
In dusky NOUS the hay Is redolent
And tDedthered cribs strain mighttlY
to hold
Their goods in store, while apple bo.lohs
are bent
As men are bent from burdened years.
long-told.
And he ,oho wrought this miracle
through toll,
Together NTH the elements, knotps he
10 keeper OF trust NTH seed and soil
That holds ,Dithin itself the mystery
OF Ute and death And xot1 NTH
prtdetuI olop
He Sields his land 10 QuietHds an1
snot0.
INEz CLARK THORSON.
Evening star., 1944-11-28
Breakdown in ItoIy

Inc reSlgnatlonS presented by
Prime Minister Ivanoe Bonomi and
his entire cabinet to Crown Prince
Umberto indicate clearly the impo-
tence into which the Italian govern
ment has fallen. This is not an
ordinary cabinet crisis, resolvable by
the succession of a new government
with program and a parliamentary
backing of its own. If the Bonomi
cabinet goes, it is hard to see who or
what will replace it. If, on the other
hand, the Crown Prince persists in
refusing those designations. as he
has thus far done. it is equally diff
cult to see how the present cabinet,
which has confessed its own inabil-
ity. will be able to function in posi-
tive fashion. What all this boils
down to is breakdown, not merely
Of the Bonomi cabinet, but of the
parliamentary regime which it rep
resents
The reasons for this political deba-
Gle are not far to seek The govern
mental structure which nominally
governs Italy was jerry-built affair,
hastily improvised after the Allied
capture of Rome last June. 1t was a
provisional" government in every
sense Of the word. To begin with, it
was an unstable grouping of six po-
litical parties. ranging from the
Communists on the extreme left to
clerical Christian Democrats and
Royalist Conservatives on the ex-
treme right, with only a handful of
moderates and liberals in the center
to balance the extremist wings. In
deed, mutual antagonisms were so
great that only external pressure by
the Allies including Russia, insistent
as they were that some sort of
Italian government be constituted,
brought the six parties into what
was less genuine coalition" than
a political shotgun marriage. Bonomi
himself, an aged parliamentary vet
eran of the preFascist era and
colorless personality, typifes the
limitations of regime which exists
primarily by grace of the Allies and
which has virtually no inherent
power of its own That is one of the
reasons why neither the Left nor the
Right seems anxious to assume office
at this time; why, indeed, many out
standing political personalities stand
ostentatiously aloof.
1t should be remembered that Italy
Is an occupied country in a two fold
sense, still divided militarily between
the Allies and the Germans who hold
the rich industrial north and sustain
a puppet Fascist regime of their own.
With Italy still battle-ground,
apparently deadlocked for another
winter, the Allies must keep a firm
grip on their zone, for security as
well as political reasons No wonder
that politics in Rome, like everything
else, is in confusion. Italys entire
domestic situation revolves in
vicious circle of impotence and frus-
tration, which the ordeal of winter
intensifles. And there seems to be
no immediate way out.
Evening star., 1944-11-28

by shutting himself up in circular fort
and leaving you free to move about out
side Of it.
SO the enemy will try to take ad-
vantage of the terrain as we'll as OF
the art of the military engineer. He
will try to find position which you
cannot turn: one whose flanks are de-
Tended by woods, through which your
infantry can move only with great
difficulty, or by swamps, or by river,
which may bar your passage or force
you to make long detour. He will do
all he can to gain time, and while doing
so he will hope that so many of your
men will be killed and wounded that
your proportionate superiority over him.
self will be reduced, against the time
when the final fight to finish is upon
him.
Now suppose that in addition to your
rife companies you have platoon Of
tanks-f1ve tanks. From the beginning
of the fight the enemys thoughts will
be fixed on that tank platoon. It rep
resents a terrible threat to him because
it can move so much faster than his
infantry can march If it can get
around his flank, it can cut in behind
him with its terrific concentrated fire
power. 1t can destroy his ammunition
dump, or his supply trucks on the road;
it can get into the town of x and wipe
out his depot; 1t can fall upon his de-
tachments, or his headquarters. 1t can,
in a word, make his military position
completely impossible.
He will, therefore, be very careful to
take up position which will impede
the movement of your armor. He will
try to get behind stream, or to hold
short line between two great forests, or
both (as the Germans are now doing
along the River Roer). He will SOW
with land mines every yard Of ground
which is not otherwise protected. He
will cover every possible route Of march
for your armor with the fire of anti
tank weapons.
He will know that your object will be
either to get around his flank with your
tanks, supported by infantry, or to use
your infantry to break through his front
and thus create fanks to be rolled up.
He will try to force on you the latter
decision, because that will take more
time, cause you heavier loss and give
him more chance to catch part of your
force at disadvantage, in which case
he can use his support company for
counterattack.
It sounds very simple when it Is just
a matter Of three or four companies
and platoon Of tanks, doesn't it? But
the same rules, the same lines Of
thought, apply to the tactics which in
volve armies instead of companies, and
armored divisions instead OF tank pla-
toons.
Our object in the Rhineland is still
to break through to open ground where
our armored divisions can have full
scope; and the Germans can no more
afford to lose the industrial :enters of
the Ruhr than the enemy battalion In
this story could afford to lose the town
Of K.
No1srOhA 1ez<.)
Evening star., 1944-11-28
Problem in Tactics
Bv Mai. Georpe Fieldinp Eliot

Sometimes discussion of problem
in minor tactics enables a better idea
to be gained of the problems affecting
the clash of great armies. We need to
have clear idea of what Gen. Eisen-
hower's armies along the western front
are trying to do, and what the Germans
are trying to do, in order to follow in
telligently the progress Of events.
Let us suppose that you are in COM
mand of mixed force consisting Of four
infantry rifle companies, supported by a
battery of field artillery. Opposed to
you is an enemy force consisting of
three infantry rifle companies, similarly
supported. Your object is to capture the
village of x, through which the enemy
gets all his supplies. The enemy takes
up his position on high ground across
the road to x, with two companies in
his front line and one in support.
With your stronger force, you push
forward two companies to pin down the
enemy's front line outfits, so that they
are fully engaged and cannot be shifted.
Then you extend your line to flank
let us say the left 1ank-by putting in
another company on that end Of your
line. Your line is now longer than the
enemy's, and your third company, hav-
ing no opposition in its front, will be
able to move faster than the rest OF your
line. 1t will tend to swing round and en-
velope the enemy's right flank, thus
threatening his line of supply. He must
now bring up his support company to
stop this threat.
When he does this, he is fully COM
mitted. He has no more reserves. But
you still have your fourth company,
which you can now throw into the fight
either to help your third company over
come the enemy support or on the other
flank. Your choice is made according
to the nature of the ground-you pick
the place where you can move the fast
est and under the best cover from enemy
fire and observation. Other factors be-
ing equal, you win when you put IN
your fourth company-as far as mathe-
matical calculations 60. You have
final punch which the enemy cannot
counter.
Presuming, of course. that the enemy
knows he is going to be attacked by
superior force, what does he do in ad-
vance to provide against disaster? He
digs in, to begin with. He provides his
men with shelter from your fire, so
that they have the advantage of shoot
ing from cover against your men in the
open. This may at first sight seem q
decisive advantage, but it is not. 1t
fixes the enemy in position; he cannot
move from his shelter without losing
his advantage in protection, and If he
stays where he Is sooner or later your
stronger force will get around his flank.
Then, 1t may be asked, why doesn't
the enemy dig trenches on the f1anks,
too? He. may do that but carried to
its logical conclusion, this idea winds
up with the enemy in ring of trenches,
|. able to defend himself for time from
attack from any direction, but COM
pletely immobilised. His object being
to defend the town Of X, he must bar
your path to Il. His object Is not served
Evening star., 1944-11-28

rode into the. midst. of the fray,
exhorting hts followers to rally. The
Roman center, thus encouraged, held
firm; the left stood It's ground; at
last the discipline Of the infantry
achieved an advantage; the Ale
manni fed, thousands perished in
the waters of the Rhine, still other
thousands died on the field, Chnod-
omar was captured and sent a
prisoner to Constantius and Gaul
for the moment was saved from the
incursions of eastern tribes pressing
toward the Atlantic.
In the sixth century, Strasbourg
was Stratisburgum, and the bishop
ric was established. Prosperity
came with the growing ecclesiastical
Importance of the city and with the
development Of an active trade in
wine and much transference of
goods from one mercantile artery
to another all through the Middle
Ages. The citizens of the town over
threw their Episcopal master and
achieved independence at the battle
of Oberhausbergen in 1862. Sub
sequently, the community gained a
reputation for its valor in the arts
Of war against the Armagnacs and
the Dauphin of France in 1445. The
Reformation influenced the resi-
dents in liberal direction from
1920 onward. Actual possession of
the entirety of Alsace passed into
the hands of Louis in 1881, but
Strasbourg was returned to the Ger
man Empire by the Peace of Frank
fort in 1871-since which date it
has been in consistent dispute be-
tween the French republic and the
Reich.
If the old city is not too seriously
damaged in the conflict of recent
days, the personnel of the armies
Of liberation will find 1t fascinating.
It's cathedral is famous for it's rose
window fifty feet wide, it's astro-
nomical clock and its tower four
hundred and sixty-five feet high.
Other attractions are the university,
where Goethe studied; many
palaces, castles, museums, galleries,
medieval shops, stores and taverns;
a monument to Gutenberg the
printer, fine parks-like the Orang-
erie-and several large athletic
grounds. And some Of the prettiest
girls in Europe attend the Hohere
Madchenschule-or, anyway, their
mothers did.
Evening star., 1944-11-28
Scientific SLAUGHTER

In these grim days the gruesomely
incredible is apt to happen. This is
tragically manifest by the revela-
tions of Nazi mass atrocities con-
tanned in 25O00-word detailed re-
port just issued by the War Refugee
Board, United States Government
agency composed of Secretary of
State Hull, Secretary of the Treasury
Morgenthau and Secretary of War
Stimson.
The report covers the hideous
doings at two determination camps"
built by the Nazi authorities in
Southwestern Poland in the two-year
period between April, 1912, and April,
1914. The dreadful stories are related
by prisoners detained there during
that time, who fortunately managed
to escape. These accounts, given in
dependently of each other, not only
tally closely but also are almost per-
feet parallels with the report issued
recently by the Soviet government
Of a similar determination camp
found near Lublin when that part of
Poland was occupied by the Soviet
armies. Evidently the Nazis evolved
a definite determination technique
which they applied in every specific
case. The victims were chiefly Jews.
killed in pursuance of Hitler's
avowed aim Of annihilating that
race wherever it was in his power to
do SO, though considerable numbers
OF non-Jewish prisoners, political
offenders against the Nazis, were
included. The number Of victims
disposed OF is astounding. At the
Birkenau (Brzeznica) camp alone,
conservative" estimate is 1,765 900,
comprising Jews from all parts of
German-occupied Europe. And it
should be remembered that the
figure set by the Russian report for
the Lublin camp is 100000 Fur
thermore 1t should be understood
that the Birkenau and Auschwitz
(Oswiecim) camps. being in that
part OF Poland still under German
occupation, presumably continue to
function and thus raise the tragic
totals.
The whole process u one Of cold
Evening star., 1944-11-28

blooded efficiency wherein mass
slaughter is reduced to an exact
science by huge gas chambers and
multiple crematoria. the resultant
ashes being used to fertilize nearby
fields. The board aptly says: $50
revolving and diabolical are the Ger
man atrocities that the minds of
civilized people find it difficult to
believe that they have actually taken
place" The report is issued to make
the general public aware of the true
nature of the Nazi enemy and its
deliberate plan to enslave and bru-
talize the world, of which mass
determination is an organic part.
Evening star., 1944-11-28

To the Editor of The Star:
The article by Sylvia Porter in the
November 19 issue of This Week con-
tains some fantastic figures on the re-
turns which may be expected from War
Bonds at the end of 40 years. I cannot
imagine that they were furnished by
the Treasury Department.
For example, s75 bond will be worth
500 at the end of 10 years, but the other
figures are absurd. At the end of 40
years your original Investment can give
you return of $237 o2, not $64s. .1+ouite
an important difference.
That is still good return on YOUR
original investment, and there Is no
sense in misleading people on the eve
OF a new bond drive.
One thing that perhaps Is not gener-
ally known may induce people to hold
on to their bonds till the final date of
maturity. If you will study the redemp-
tion values given for each Of the years,
you will discover that it is not in a
uniform progression. Your profit is
reasonable but modest for the first seven
years but rises sharply in the eighth and
ninth year. EVERETT WARNER.
To the Editor Of The Star:
In the This Week Magazine, supple
ment to The Sunday Star of November
19, a table Of values of War Savings
Bonds headed Typical Savings Table"
Is misleadingly compiled, at least in my
opinion. Until I checked the figures
listed, presumed that the yield Of one
bond Original cost, s1875) after 40 years
was $l62.03. I found that these figures
represent additive amounts. In other
words, the figure for 10 years represents
the yield on one $25 bond held for 40
years. one for 80 years, one for 20 years
and one for 10 years.
VINCENT E. SHERMAN.
ton:
'on the basis of the current rate of
bring 500 In 10 years. This repressnts W =
return OF one-third of the original invest
,aan! If at,se at the end Of 70 years; the investor
the next 10 years he will realize an addi-
0ah sddisSa q tns e X sa7s ssss
vests another $75, he will realize at the
in asa'i3sn rs investor y pq,s in ANOTHER s7s,
the 40th year he will realize an additionsl
q %nd the thss IL G5 a.ua. 'GIs IT. sSs Ss
Evening star., 1944-11-28
Hitler Did 1t
From the Horton (Kans.) Headlight.

From the Horton tKans.) Headlight.
There is a movement on foot In this
country, backed by some teachers or
ganizations and high-up educators with
political ambitions, seeking to remove
the schools from local control and place
them under Federal bureau politically
appointed and maintained. Teachers
would take their orders from the bu-
reaucrats and would teach such subjects
from such books and by such methods
Is the higher-ups prescribe Parents and
local school boards would have no voice
whatever In the conduct Of the schools.
Well, Hitler made the plan work in
0ermany-N that's the kind Of . system
the American peopls wantl
Evening star., 1944-11-28

ports, in the years immediately before
the war, were about two and half bill
lion dollars year The British claim
that they need so per cent increase,
which brings the total to less than four
billion dollars.
Since customary credit terms in ex-
port trade would not require the imme-
diate use OF the whole proposed loan In
international trade, it is clear that a
billion or two would be used for the re-
habilitation of Britain herself And
since additional loans or lease-lend are
suggested, we would, if the entire pro-
posal is accepted, be financing not only
a restoration of Britains export trade,
but large domestic program of re-
Mobilization and reconversion.
Such loans to Britain are apparently
only minor part Of the whole program
of foreign lending, There Is Russia, for
example. with ideas of still larger sums
And there are France and many smaller
nations.
The advantage to us from these loans
was suggested by President Roosevelt in
his horn of plenty speech in Chicago
He then said that we could treble for
eign trade after the war He hedged this
promise by suggesting that this goal
could be attained with congressional
approval" This can mean only one
thing-that Congress approve a heavy
lending program to finance the expan-
sion of our own exports
All this, in time, will be presented to
Congress, in which New Deal strength
is somewhat greater than it has been
since 1912. 1t will be interesting to have
Mr.. Roosevelt return to Congress with
a program that differs only in degree
and detail from the Coolidge Hoover
policies which he so roundly denounced
in 1882
Released by the Associated NeNspapers, Inc !
Evening star., 1944-11-28

The latest example of a busman's
holiday is the marriage license clerk
who goes out to Laurel and heads
for the daily double window.
Evening star., 1944-11-28

The coal compartment in many
an empty cellar today could very
well be called a has-bin.
Evening star., 1944-11-28
Bond Figures Questioned

E. G. and CRAIGHILL HANDY
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-11-11
NEW ORLEANS COTTON

NEW ORLEANS. Nov. 10.-[P)-
Cotton closed steady Is to Is cents
a bale higher today.