davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
INDIA UNDAUNTED
(Reprinted from The Voice of India)

In this age Of conflict. independence has little meaning
for those nations who claim to be Free and for coun
tries under foreign domination independence Day
almost farce. But for those who denied liberty.
the observance of day which they dedicate them
selves is vital necessity 1t is in this spirit that
India observes the Goth Of January.
This is not day of rejoicing, but which
pledges country On this day the sublime gets
strangely confused with the ridiculous. adding
paradox those that already exist in India Thousands Of
men women, and children will meet to take the ndepend
pledge in different parts of each city, and in doing
will defy the existing orders by which group of people
meet together in public place. Large numbers will be
arrested and sent to fill the prisons Private homes board
ing houses attached to schools and newspaper Offices will
be reached Newspapers that print the independence pledge
Will be called upon to furnish large OF money
national fagsymbo Of the aspirations of millions Of peo
ple-wl be torn down il flying any building. For
days before and after the 18th of January there will
be police rule in India backed by the strength Of British
bayonets But in spite of all this the pledge will be taken in
countless homes and from many platforms
But the dark veil of censorship will prevent these facts
from reaching America Such policy of ruthless repression
however does crush the spirit OF the nation and India
looks ahead undaunted.
affairs; ie, the public opinion of mankind. Now the
drawing to end and the destnies of nations
be refashioned the Indian problem should be matter OF
deep concern to all thinking people There be
adjustment of the postwar world until India is free Only
through the gateway Of midas liberty the United
Nations the Promised Land
In this war, which is being fought for freedom may
remind America that there freedom earth or on
any s. ar for those who deny freedom others"
-Nya Lakshmi Pandit
Oeader Of the Indian People
and sister of Nehru)
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
THE WEEKLY DIGEST
NEGRO SERVICE TROOPS

SIS troops blocking its path when
il moved up 10 an advanced supply
point near the Belgian border.
Sixty-two volunteers. armed only
with 1908 Springfield rifles and
hand grenades. went into action
against the Germans. Within an
hour they had killed IS SIS men,
wounded 3 and taken II prisoners.
Then they set about unloading
their ll0-truck convoy.
In the Corps OF Engineers. Ne
groes staff dozens OF Aviation En-
gineer Battalions. which construct
airfelds. Fire-Fighting Platoons
and General Service Regiments.
These last build just about any
thing-roads, bridges, hospitals, air
strips. railroads. The chronicle Of
one regiment since D-Day: it set
a speed record in clearing a mine
field near La Haye du Puts. In
three weeks, the regiment built the
first l,000-bed hospital in France
The men had 10 demine the area
first, then pour the concrete-all
the time keeping patrols out
against snipers.
Using captured German equip
ment. the regiment constructed
the first refrigeration plant In
France. Shortly afterwards II
laid three pipelines-to carry
gasoline, diesel and moter oil
from the Channel coast straight
across France. And most recently.
the men repaired a major rail-
road yard. This was an especially
ticklish job. First they had to
dispose of uneXploded ammuni-
ton strewn about the tracks and
buildings. WELDING acetylene
torches. the men cut up steel cars
which had been bent and twisted
by bomb explosions. Dangerous
work, for there was always the
possibility that they would touch
of live ammunition. The regi-
ment completed the job in
week. with few casualties. II set
the men up fine-they feel cocky
and not little proud. When II
comes to speed. intrepidity or
sheer results. Negro service
troops doff their helmets to no
body.
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
PYLE MEETS DETUOITER

II made me feel good all day.
70 be welcomed like that in my
first, few minutes in the strange
and fsrawsy Marianas. The fell
low who did the greeting was
Seaman Peter Zelles Of Toledo,
Ohio.
The Navy furnishes orderlies for
these rooms, 10 keep them clean.
Mostly they are colored boys. regu-
lar enlisted men. Pretty soon our
orderly walked In. and he started
staring al me and At him for he
sure looked familiar.
HE WAS A GREAT tall fellow.
and he grinned and we shook
hands. for We had been on the
sane ship together when we In
vaded Sicily a year and q half ago
He was a table waiter then. His
rsme is Elijah Scott. his home is
26l Garfield in Detroit. and he's
stewards mate second class He
was on the other side OF the world
nearly year. spent eight months
IN America. and now here he 10
over here. almost as newly arrived
az I am.
From Ernie Pyle's Column In
The Detroit Free Press)
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
HANDLING INClVllITY

NEW yORK-Dame Nav Witty.
the English actress and mother Of
Margaret Webster Is almost so.
She went into a department store.
and the salcSgirl who waited upon
her was curt and insolent. The
venerable lady kept her temper.
especially since she knew that the
SalcSgirl was aware OF her iden-
tity. Finally she said to the sales
girl: Il suppose you feel you're
n good as am" u certainly
am" the SslcSsirl replied Then"
said Dame NAV Whitty. WHY can't
YOU be civil to YOUR equals
Leonard LYONS
In y. Y. Post
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
ELLA LOGAN ON HATE
From an Interview in PM)

From Interview in PM
ID despse unreasonable bates People don't know Why
they hate 'They Just nate When hear psope SNUG
way shouting their heads of about something makes me
mad because right they should realize that the cream
of our manhood there fighting against something
believe and fighting for something do believe
in Lots of people don't stop realize that only by accident
is one white OF the Gentle faith Americans shouldn't
get mad each other II they're going mad let them
get mad at the enemy When the enemy makes ammunition
try kill they make ammunition to kill Ameri-
cans They don't make black bullets Jewish bullets
bullets with the sign OF the them The great under
lying policy that have had in America that we never
like the bic shove the little guy around Yet
day people who will go against that policy
So it's time said them. Stop your shown Bud II
there's any shown be done your strength and start
shown the enemy"
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10

SUBJECT DROPPED
Even questions about williams
religious associations and beliefs
were brought up-although when
Williams quietly reminded them
that these were matters between
him and God, most of the senators
apparently realized that they had
strayed onto dangerously I'M
American ground and the subject
was dropped
Some members Of the committee
seemed to be only mildly inter-
ested in what. from the standpoint
OF the public. is the pertinent
question: Williams competence as
an administrator. The main attack
on his record at NYA was routed
by the Comptr er-General
II is true that Williams is not an
electrical engineer j. A. Krug.
chairman Of the wPB, has never
managed factory, but his ability
70 administer the War Production
board is universally acknowledged.
Williams is an experienced pub
lie administrator with an excellent
record That. above everything
else. is what REA needs-and
what il will get IL majority OF
the Senate does not lose its bear
inss under the influence OF the
testimony which, as Senator Lucas
concluded. was unfair. prejudiced
and incompetent.
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
WORLDLY GOODS

Reprinted from r. CerfS Column
in Saturday Review of Literature
Lincoln was once asked nv
New York firm for information OF
the financial condition Of one ot
his ncighborS. He obliged with the
following: Yours Of 10th instant
received I am well acquainted with
Nr-, and know his circum-
stances First Of all. he has wife
and baby: together, they ought to
he worth S5o,0CO to any man. Sec
ondlN. he has an Office In which
there is table worth $3.50, and
three chairs, worth say 81. Last Of
all there is in one corner a large
rachole which will bear looking
into.
RrSftS sN ~i>s ,,oN,>.
Lincoln"
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10

IeNCdiCN oh hdAiiSiOuo VIVA
sions, a pretty general pattern
of refusing jobs to Negroes
solely because of their color.
We should keep on fighting
against this discrimination by
working for Fair Employment
Practice commissions, both
state and federal, by cases
fought out in the courts, and
by education, persuasion and
protests.
But we can do more than
that. All of the trouble is not
with the white folks; some of
Il is with ourselves. We ought
l. l.
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
RELATIONSHIP. NICE

David =. Loeb. business man
agcr Of the Philadelphia Record,
Is chucklins over returns I'm Office
life insurance applications One
employe. naming his wife as
beneficiary filled out the space
headed Relationship to you"
with the word Nice
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
BREAK BOTTLENECK

IN rum ~ supplies from Nor
handy b me tror' hncS TIE arS;
ooIt.cnecN was POI, and 5cach
lloarsooc-ge ttire cargo ashore re-
oaGed and d ,Na'crCG 80 forward
dumps Ne-ro >tCvcGo-cS and 6ack-
d. erS had the o;SscS, hand IN
orcak.rg ne oo,;lenecS Four o.:
4 every hNe por; oa,,a.ions VCtc
Negro internationally bon ocd and
,.tatod, the men worked TIC holds
o. the vessels. s.Ung caGGo onto
ducks, barges. landing crafts in
.oaded he stuff en- the shore, then
reloaded II onto trucks 4 .cN
GGyS after D-Day oHc oUtii.
worked 50 hours had S-hoar
srcak. then wen: back COR another
3+-hour shlf: Sievcddri : IS ,oUsh.
Crue.nc. unClsToroUS-o3t IS one
TIE key transportation JOBS. for
:he speed w.th waiSh cargo Can &c
ne cadcd and 81 rs turned around
s an essential de;crmnar' OF NE
s,ro ~ OF tonnage port car
handle
Tic amph.biouS ducks so-cal.cd
after the manufacturers serial Icy
;crS. DUKW) were OF prime I'm
portance in movlpg carco from
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
By ERNEST LINDLEY
REPRINTED from the Detroit Newsl


AT the conclusion Of the hearings
on Aubrey Williams. Senator
Lucas OF Illinois, made statement
which merits the consideration not
only Of every member Of the Sen
ate. but OF every citizen who
wants efficient public service and
: interested in the fair play ana
o.eN.ty-indeed, the AmerlcanlSm
of the Senate In this statement,
Senator Lucas said:
Some six weeks ago Aubrey
Williams was nominated as admin
.s.sator Of the REA He called on
nc 10 answer any questions ! de-
ed 10 ask him about his past
.e. his activities ard theories OF
government
"Frankly. I was not interested
n submitting questions to Mr.. Val
ans AZ that time. advised him
would reserve my questions for
nc hearing which would soon be
held before the Senate Committee
on Agriculture ana Forestry.
Let NE say 10 the committee
that al that hour was opposed 10
the confirmation OF Nj Williams.
sHhough had made no statement
That was the first time had
ever met the man had heard so
much about him through ru1or,
ianuendo ard general converse
ton that | had formed precon-
ce.Vod notion aoou, this man
expected 10 see 4 loag-ha.red pro-
fesSionsl type with his every Utter
ance colored oy communism
However : found him 70 Re
very so.t-spoken. mili-msnnereo
mar
After listening 20 his testimony.
ficr listening 10 the unfair, prell-
creed. incompetent testimony DC
offered ssa.rs; this man. was
d an convinced that Aubrey
Williams is competent and quail
% 10 &C. as administrator O: me
HEA
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
Atlanta NAACP
Has Conference

ATLANTA, Ga In conference
with tho recent ODT directive re-
s'rIctinS uneSScntial travel. 'hc
Alantd hrancn ~ the NAACP.
will be host n a small regional
Leadership Training Conference 10
DC held here March 1911.
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
MARRIAGE IN HASTE

CHAT. In Roanoke. Va. Navy
Lieut.. Ug) Martin Wilbournc. UNI
rNpectcdly bound for overseas
duty. hoped of his train. married
the girl awaiting him at the station.
hoped hack. departed bridclcss
Elapsed time: Is minutes.
lime
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
BY PRIVATE IRWIN ROSS
(Reprinted from The New Republic)
private Ross is stationed in Paris in the Office OF
Chief of Transportation

When the fourteentruck convoy reached its destination
the gasoline dump wasn't there had moved the previous
day. trying keep with Patton army The Negro truck
drivers jumped out of their cabs to stretch their legs then
piled back into the trucks and drove night and the follow
ing day, until they located the dump and unoaded their
During the night it raned. and the backout
blinded them. Two trucks skdded off the and over
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10

turned. Wnen GAVIN came, SnlperS
fred al a truck from a haystack,
and at high noon. passing through
little town. they were bombed
by German planes. Casualties: two
men, one truck. But they kept dyiv-
ing and the. gasoline reached the
army. They had been on the go
for "A hours.
This incident epitomizes the story
of Negro troops in the service
forces of the United States Army.
Criticism is sometimes heard that
the bulk Of Negro soldiers have
been assigned 10 service rather
than combat forces This is true
out there Is tendency 10 under
estimate the crucial contribution
they have made as service troops
Negro soldiers came ashore with
he Engineer Brissdes on D-Day.
Negro troops in the Transportation
Corps. Engineer. Ordnance. Quar-
termaster played an outstanding
role N winning the Normandy sup
ply battle; Negro truck-drivers. in
me crucial weeks after The ST. 10
oreak-thyough. hauled the bulk Of
the supplies 70 The armies sweep
Ing across France.
In the last war. supply and
transportation were relatively
safe rear-echelon activity. In this
continental campaign-a hazard
Gus amphibiOus operation devel-
oping into an unprecedented war
If n the
wheels Of the amphibious ducks,
the stevedores unloading cargo
on the beaches. the truck drivers
straining to get the last mile out
Of their g. ton GMC's. have fire.
ouently found themselves in the
front line. trading blows with the
enemy.
Many o, ne Negro ,rIck-dv.yers,
Who We.e no. con. bat.ra.ned. can-c
ashore or D-Day Private Walter
Pearson Jr. o: the 1888 Quarter
master Truck Company. VIII BRAIN
YOU Il you breathe the eF.tAet
combat" HIS story : tyP!-a'.
NJ .-uck drowned ca' ne re-
sorted. and had 20 SWIM ashore
hsG@ IL va A.sA - - NANs4 ~hAt aANaN.
oe dug OF; when the oivt roof
cayed IN on ne. A couple Of gre
rades were thrown a. the truck
While ! vas hauling ammunition
On D-3 a. bomb dropped in front
Of me and tore UP the radiator
and both front tires. The fragments
killed severa. foot soldiers"
Another truck driver spoke UP.
II came in after the other fellows
had landed" he said Guess il was
around 2l.30. ! helped unload
Let's. ;hen moved 10 an area about
q mile from the beach when II
started 20 &c; hot. On D I. when
The Jcrr es were stratlnc one came
over our area ! manned nc So
,ISer machine gun or PcarSen's
igack saw INC ;racCrS from ne
.uo 90 INTO his motor and ne
crashed a'mos: immcd THco
SayaSed part. :rc~ .Vn dead
I~rd 'ruchs % Keep the others roll
NJ
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10

ship 20 shore The duck men are
new kind 90 truck driver.
equally az home on land and water.
The ducks, small. easily navigaple.
highly mareuvcrable, are essen
italy 2i2-toc trucks. fitted out with
steel hu.ls and propeilors so that
they can take of IN the surf as
soon as the @Aee,s leave the sands.
Operating them is a hazardous job.
# The craft IS Improperly loaded.
or If the seas are rough, it is likely
- tip over. Al night during the
rs' few days after the invasion.
ne exact location OF i:e.ghtors was
.lltle hay. The duck drivers were
old 10 20 out and unload any ship
n sight They found the ships all
r.ght but sometimes the ducks
we're sunk by h;ticg mines and
other submerged objects
RED BALL EXPRESS
Negro soldiers share much OF
the cred. for the success of the
Red Ball EXpress-perhaps the
most important tyanspor, operation
n the Battle for France, The ex-
press runs from the Normandy
peninsula 10 forward supply dumps
"a thousand miles round trip, the
biggest truck hau. in military his
DRY, four times as long as the
Burma Road II is a startling IN
novatio- created TO nee, stu
ton equally novel Original plans
allied for ne pacing OF supply
jumps a, different points across
france. sradaaisr moving them
forward each time The army made
a sufficiently .ayge advance. But
when Patton broke CT; 81 Nor
mandy or July =. al plans were
abruptly swept ASIDE HIS amor
oiled forward SO RAPIDLY that there
--UaS-.n chance for supply depots
- follow. The dumps mad 10 re-
main where they were close 20
Cheroours and the Normandy
beaches. bat meantime Patton oes-
rerate,y needed supplies n order
70 keep Co.r- Thrce tens we're
particularly y..el i,.d aMTGni-
HoA and POI ,pe;ro Oh. .uor.-
Giants particularly POL.
Trains are the hes, means Of
moving large Quantities OF sup
plies over long tsta. CO, bu, in
July and August our military rail-
ways were just getting into opera
ton and couldn't carry the load
The burden was tossed 10 the
tracks, and the Transportation
Corps improvised truckline that
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
THE WATCHT0WER B,

THERE is much talk in the air about Jobs and
i about how many jobs colored people will be
able to get after the war. There is much shout.
ing about the discrimination practiced by white
people, both employers and unions, and most of
this shouting is justified. There is as has been
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
BIRTH FACTS

% Wave: Il guess you know
there's a baby born every min
ute in New York City?"
sailor, Well. don't look at me.
! live. in Wichita"
Readers Scope
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
By ROY WILKINS

and wrong all down the line.
Step into the shoe shine stand at Grand Gen.
trail terminal or Pennsylvania station in New
York and ten white men will be shining shoes
and all you will hear is the snap of the cloth
the shoes.
The other day stepped into an Office in the
Empire State building where seven white girls
were at work. All could hear was the type
writer one of them was using. day later
entered an Office where three colored girls were
at work and could hear them before opened
the door.
Then there is the habit of our women of hang
ing around and visiting their men on the job.
1t used to be habit with Pullman porters and
dining car walters, but there was often good
excuse. crew might have been doubling out,
or passing through on long trip, and wives had
TO come down TO the train to get money, bring
clean clothes, and say word to their men who
had been away for long time. But today this
practice has spread There is hardly place
where our men work that you do not find. at
some time, woman women visiting and
laughing about personal business.
a week two ago a dining car crew, not
satisfied with loud talk, laughing and horse
play in the pantry, began visiting with the
colored girl employed in these war times to
sv'eer out the coaches. She was passing through
and one waiter demanded: You still single
ant you, baby"
The point is that we can correct these habits
ourselves. We can be good workers, attending
10 the job While on ii and playing when
we away from it. The going is sure TO be
hard and rocky after the war. Discrimination
there Will be, and we should holler about it,
But all of our troubles may not be due to dis
elimination; some may arise strictly because Of
our own conduct
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
Red-Baiter Tactics ToMa|ign Aubrey Williams

portant agency 20 abused and 50
maligned.
"Ninety-eight per cent of the
evidence presented before this
committee would not be allowed
to be offered before q court of
competent jurisdiction.
IF you could convict him OF
anything. il would be that he is a
humanitarian"
What was the nature Of the tes-
iimony against Aubrey Williams
which moved Senator Lucas TO this
denunciation? -
First. there was the attempt 10
'ag Williams With the Communist
label-sn attempt supported chief
y by two witnesses whose rec
ovds Lucas did not hesitate to
deScrib be as ''unsavory"
Most Of the evidence was OF the
sort which red-baiteTs have used
for years 10 try 10 smear as Com
murlSts such men rs the late
George W. Norris.
QUOTES FROM SPEECHES
To bolster the thesis that Will
.iams. II not a Communist, was
some other kind Of foe If the
American form OF government.
Senator BuShfleld. his chief in
quiStog. quoted from Williams
speeches. passages which reflected
lis dislike Of monopoly and the
concentration OF wealth. his deep
concern with overcoming poverty T..
ana MS desire 10 widen the doors
81 opportunity for all.
Ale-icsn system. so were. or are,
.h0maS Jefferson. William Jen-
~lass Bryan, Robert VI LaFollette.
father and son alike, Theodore
2posev Woodrow Wilson,
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Wen
de. L. Willkie.
The upsho; was that the COM
r.;tee found out what a great
many other people already knew.
s.rce ne has never concealed ii:
that Williams is progressive
Williams economic and political
views may no; be aitosether irrel-
evan. 10 his fitness 10 serve as
SEA administrator.
But Of what relevance are his
views on Negro rights:
Were the members who pur-
sued this inquiry fearful that
williams would employ Negroes
in REA or sell electricity to Ne
gro farmers:
REA. like almost any other
Government agency. already has
Negro employees. And. Of course,
it sells electricity to Negroes
indirectly. rs il G,es to white
farmers also. through co-opera-
tives organized under state laws.
Under these state laws, Negroes
are members Of these co-opera-
tives generally throughout the
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
NOMINEE MALIGNED

Mr.. Chairman. in my 10 wears
in Congress ! have never seen
witness under consideration for
appointment rs head Of an I'm
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
SUBJECT DROPPED

South and ~ . rule attend their
meetings.
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10

tThe following is a portion OF an address by Mr..
Cohen before the New York state Conference OF
NAACP)
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10
COMMON GOALS

II is our duty TO he'll? build bridge Of better
understanding between Negro and Jew. We
dare not commit against each other those
crimes of intolerance and hate from which we
both suffer. Rather let us say Behold how
good and how pleasant IL is for brethren 10
dwell together in unity"
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-10

NVNTtNN WY NWnNN'
\. Lincoln. ="