Detroit evening times., 1945-03-24
BEHIND
THE NEWS
By Paul
MaIIon

Af fASftlNGJO JON, MdfCn 10
w The peace rumorS have
been coming from nearly every
place except the spot that mat
terS-inSide Germany.
The widest spread expecta-
ton can be traced 10 mis-
understanding of newsmen from
White House order. Word
was passed 10 them from those
august portals 10 standby for
an important announcement
The newsmen figured II must
be peace offer When no an
nouncement was issued they
deduced the warning might
have related 10 the RundStedt
peace offer reported out of
Paris by ms upon which the
White House decided not 10
comment IN the end.
When the peace news does
break eventually il is not likely
10 come from the White House
but from Gen. EiSenhoWer's
headquarters, and there will be
no possibility of doubling its
authenticity Arrangements TO
that effect haveSbeen made.
The surrender will be mill
tary in all probability and made
TO him, rather than through
Berlin-Washington polite al
channels, and he is empowered
to announce It,
4 S FOR the RundStedt peace
~ offer il was simply a bid
TO get us 10 sell out the Rus
SLAMS and therefore could not
be seriously considered.
The other rumorS in general
q have sprung from financial au-
thorities in New York and were
largely inquiries designed TO
sound out the administration.
The Germans. of course, are
facing complete destruction of
their entire country. If any
one with any common sense
could get into authority, the
Germans would decide to save
themselves the rest of the fight.
But I'll our inner reports from
Germany suggest the people are
phlegmatic and in a mood 10
take whatever comes from any
one. They have been beaten
into complete docilitv by years
under Hitler.
The soldiers have shown an
increasing aptitude for surren-
dering since their bulge in Bel
GUM was broken After the
professional soldiers retired be-
hind the Rhine 10 prepare for
the spring campaign, the volk-
sturmerS, left alone at the front,
have not fought well.
But no collapse in morale has
been apparent yet, and the army
as a whole is still tough.
Events up TO the Rhine and
across the Remagen bridgehead
have, Of course, merely been
leading toward A greater full
scale assault. Even the bril-
liant Patton-PatCh encirclement
Of the rich industrial Saar is
merely preliminary.
NEITHER was the collapse OF
~ the Ludendorf Bridge an inn
pediment 10 our further ad-
vance. We had three other
bridges set up and working actu-
ally before the announcement
of the collapse was given out.
For our big-scale offensive
however. we will need at least
two or three other bridgeheads
established in the north. The
best fighting route 10 Berlin is
across the northern plains.
Ahead OF us in the Remager
area is difficult hilly country oI
volcanic origin and of little use
except for Nazi defense. Bu'
ahead of us in the north is the
industrial Ruhr and thickly set
tied communities. vital 10 suS
tenance of the German effort.
1t is being commonly reported
our strategy will he to effect d
luncture with the Russians
south of Berlin, rather thar
heading directly toward the
capital. To do that, we will
have TO break through the Nagi
defenses with a rowing armorec
column.
Our immediate strategy. nc
doubt. will be to develop spear
heads across the Rhine. switch.
ing our power from one 10 the
other. as the Russians do tC
find the weaker resistance
rather than taking fixed route
1t will not be necessary tC
take Hamburg and the northern
coastline, although, if we coulC
land a force there in the real
of the German defense line
they could be dealt a crushing
blow.
The Russians also have beer
hopping up, reducing pockets ir
their rear. knocking out lo
of German forces therein anC
drawing up their power to the
I Oder River as we are 10 the
Rhine. Both are threatening tC
cross AT any point. When tha'
movement starts, you will know
the final drive is on.
Kno,ulndnn Let