davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1945-09-10

Japanese and satellite soldiers who
killed prisoners with their own hands,
or officials who ordered such crimes in
the face of international law and the
ancient custom which makes an indi-
vidual who surrenders inviolable, will
be tried. In this category will fall not
only the ignorant and brutal japanese
soldier who found relaxation from fight
ing In making prisoners of war dunn
mics for bayonet practice, but also
most of the highest placed generals
who ordered or approved such brutal
tiles.
The intelligence services in the Pacific
have in their possession instructions
issued confidentially to commanders Of
Japanese units in the field ordering
these crimes as morale booster" for
Japanese fighting men.
The leaders in the Tokyo war and
navy Offices realized the inferiorty
complex of the Japanese people in re-
gard to the Western nations. In order
to convince their men they are a
master race" they ordered the slapping
in the face of high-ranking American
officers, the murder in cold blood of
prisoners and all other cruelties and
brutalities perpetrated by the Japanese
soldiers from the day they set foot in
Malaga and Singapore and the Philip
pines. These were a part of a psyche
logical plan as conceived by the Tokyo
militaristic clique.
The Japanese peasant who forms the
bulk of the army is an utterly unedu-
Gated individual with low mentality.
Members of Gen. MacArthur's staff are
said to consider him less guilty than
the officers who conceived that brutal
ity would make the japanese better
and more efficient soldiers. Only very
few high-ranking japanese officers will
be left out Of that long list of war
criminals. These have been carefully
compiled and all the accusations will
be substantiated by thousands of re-
liable American, British and Dutch wit
nesses who suffered directly at the
hands OF their captors and can tell
heretofore unheard of tales of horror.
The japanese files" in Washington
go back to 1887, after the Panay in
cident, when American missionaries
men and women-were treated ignomi-
nously by the power-drunk japanese
soldiery. There is documentary proof
Of these bestialities in the archives Of
the State Department.
Evening star., 1945-09-10

The long press conference granted
labor reporters by William H. Davis,
director of the Off1ce Of Economic Stabi-
lization; the report by Bernard M. Ba-
ruch to Gen. Bradley on veterans prob
lens, and the Presidents long message
to Congress-which I have not yet had
time to study thoroughly-all indicate
the extent to which Americas leaders
now are concentrating on postwar mat
ters, especially economics.
The Davis and Baruch reports con-
Germ two phases of the same matter.
Mr. Davis is concerned with the outlook
for the American economy in general;
Mr.. Baruch is specifically concerned
with the problems of veterans. But as
he himself points out, veterans and
their families make up fourth of the
American population.
Mr. Davis suggestion that the Gov
ernment wants to see rise in wages,
up to 40 or so per cent, in peacetimes
will certainly shock some people, and
the cry Of imitation" will be heard in
the land. Wage increases without COM
mensurate increase of production of
kOCOS 1Ol NOulO NATURALLY
lead to imitation. Throughout the war
there has been serious danger of infla-
ton, simply because purchasing power
was high and available goods scarce
Mr.. Davis is, think, correct when he
says that increased wages do not neces-
sarily and in general-there are excep-
tions-find expression in the price level
The actual productivity of labor, per
man hour, has gone up immensely dur
ing the war, not primarily due to la
bor's skill, but to vast Improvements in
machinery and decentralization. This
increase of productivity could be passed
on either in cheaper prices or higher
wages, keeping prices at approximately
the present level. The Government. it
is apparent, has chosen the latter.
Americas number one postwar prob
lem is sufficient markets for its vast
productions. They are the only guar
antee of full, or very high rate of
employment. Labor-and Henry Wal
lace estimate full" employment as
100000 jobs. The statistics are un-
satisfactory. More conservative econo-
mists, including those in the Govern
ment, believe 100000 working would
mean over unemployment, such as we
Evening star., 1945-09-10
n This Changing World
BY Constantine Bro,pn

Several large volumes, containing, ac-
cording to some reports, no less than
10000 names Of Japanese war criminals
are already available for the American
military courts.
1t is not known yet what lists are In
Gen. Chang Kai-shek's files. But II
he decided to prosecute war criminals
from the time Hirohito's generals sacked
Marking in 1888, there is no doubt
that the number of Japanese slated for
trial and execution squads would easily
go into six figures.
According to information available
from Gen. MacArthur's headquarters,
the guiding principles of the American
courts in Japan will be different from
those of the Allied courts which are
slated to begin trying German war
criminals in November.
The American delegate on the War
Crimes Commission, Supreme Court
Justice Robert Jackson, and the repre-
sentatives of the other Allied powers
have agreed to a new definition of war
criminals. According to the Allied ju-
rists, all those individuals who have con-
tributed to the outbreak of the war,
either directly or indirectly, are con-
sidered war criminals and must be tried
\
This newly introduced principle of
international law is retroactive and 1t is
on this basis that men such as Admiral
Raeder, former Foreign Minister Won
Neurath, former Minister of Economies
and Finance Schacht, Munitions Mag
nate Krupp Won Boklen will appear be-
fore the Allied supreme court to answer
charges. The sentences are without
appeal.
These defendants are being placed
In the same category as the outright
murderers, such as the former governor
Of Poland, Frank, and many other
Gestapo and SIS men who were guilty
of barbarisms exceeding those of the
darkest ages in Europe. This new legal
conception may serve very useful pur-
pose; it may force leaders of other ma
tions to think twice before they decide
to start another war. In the event of
a defeat their mere presence in the
government or at the head of units of
the armed forces would make them
ordinary criminals.
The guiding principle which will de-
ter1nine who is war criminal in the
Far East is said to be different from
that established in Europe.
Evening star., 1945-09-10

them the springboard they required
for flank attack. The fortihcations
along the sea thus were rendered
useless. On February Is, 1912, the
city surrendered.
Now 1t once more Is under the
British flag. The shame of Singa-
pores loss has been wiped away by
the victory Of the United Nations.
Its emancipation thus is due to the
cooperative endeavor OF the whole
civilized earth. In It's future prog
ress that circumstance, of course,
should be remembered. Singapore is
one of the great cosmopolitan
centers of the planet. Such is It's
history; such is its destiny.
Evening star., 1945-09-10
The Rubber Problem

The Office of War Mobilization and
Reconversion is to be commended
for establishing an interagency COM
mittee to work out co-ordlnated
national policy on rubber. This is
a problem of great Importance, full
of such economic ramifications that
it will require the most careful study
If a satisfactory solution is to be
found.
When the japanese struck south
ward in the Pacific. they cut off 90
per cent of the worlds sources of
natural rubber. and the United
States thereupon found itself des-
perately in need. along with its Al
lies, of one of the most indispensable
materials of modern war. Few
Americans can have forgotten the
resulting muddle. which was over
come only after a special study
finally led to adequate synthetic
production.
Today, with the war ended, the
situation is completely changed, and
according to Director John w. Sny-
der of the OWMR. we and the world
at large may be faced with serious
rubber surplus within the next few
years. To meet this situation, the
committee he has set up under the
Craftsmanship of William L. Bait of
the War Production Board-a COM
mittee to be made up of representa-
tives of such Federal agencies as the
RFC and the State, War and Navy
Departments-will be charged with
the responsibility Of gathering data
on all phases of the problem, in
cluding relative output costs of the
natural and synthetic product. In
addition. the committee will be ex-
pected to survey plans for the main
tenance of a. synthetic industry, the
disposal of surplus plants, the estab-
1ishment OF strategic stockpiles, and
the encouragement of a mutually
advantageous program for import
ing from the Far East.
From the domestic standpoint
Evening star., 1945-09-10
Pearl Harb0r Probe Value
By Maj. George Fieldine Eliot

The trouble with the congressional
investigation of the Pearl Harbor dis
aster is that the Investigating Com
mittee can hardly avoid permitting the
intrusion Of partisan considerations.
Democratic members will naturally be
anxious to protect the reputation of the
late President; they will wish to show
that he was right in all that he did,
whereas as a matter of course he made
mistakes, being human, and it Is i'm
portant that those mistakes be brought
to light. Republican members, on the
other hand, will naturally bethink
themselves of the advantages to their
party in throwing as much blame as
possible on Mr.. Roosevelt and his po-
utical advisers.
The composition of the committee
seems likely to give advantage to the
Democrats. There are to be 10 men,
bers, five from the Senate and five
from the House. Almost certainly this
will mean, in practice, three Demo-
Gratis and two Republicans in each
group, or a total of six Democrats and
four Republicans on the whole COM
mittee. There does not seem much
advantage to be gained in equalizing
the numbers by some device such as
changing the total membership to or
IL, or appointing three Republicans in
one of the two groups; for that might
work out very badly by bringing the
committee to frequent deadlocks as
controversial discussion develops.
What would probably be better, could
it be legally done, would be for the
committee to appoint an impartial
chairman to preside over its meetings,
with no vote save when there is an
equal division, but with power to ar
range the agenda, to give instructions
to the committees counsel, and to par
ticipate in the examination of wit
nesses. Such man as Bernard NJ.
Baruch would fill this position ad-
mirably. Then there would be some
point in equalizing the political men,
bership of the committee. I am not
certain whether this is possible under
the laws.
It is unfortunate that the investiga-
ton of Pearl Harbor land, it is to be
hoped, Of the conditions in the Philip
pine command at the same time) could
not have been undertaken by a COM
mittee Of eminent and able civilians,
Of wholly nonpolitical character.
II this could have been done, It would
Evening star., 1945-09-10
Checkinq-Out Hour

Remember it tDeH: the way the after
noon sun falls
Through the quietly impersonal no.
tels bland 1Dindo,p shade,
Remember it as no1o you gather key
and glance at dra,Der,
Ren,arking the hour, and that the bill
is paid.
Impersonal the trtdescent pigeons In
the sun beloU
That Dheel and settle on an unkno,on
asphalt root,
Anonymous the glitter OF the taricabs
in restipe rank,
The figures on the pauen1ents, pre-
occupied, uloot.
Remember this moment, as you turn
and close the door:
The cryptic mirror and the desk NTH
dusty tDordless pen;
Who iDiH be here tn time to be tptH not
be you,
For this Is place and hour you totH
neper knotD again.
FREDERICK EBRIdHT.
Evening star., 1945-09-10
300 Billion DoIIurs
From the st. Louis Post Dispatch.

from bne o. LOuls FoSt.DlSpdtCn.
One speculative survey of the end Of
the global war contains the statement
that it cost the United States 300
billion dollars" If this were actually
correct, and all the war cost this country
was money, we would have the right to
be even happier than we are over vic
tory.
What it cost us, actually. was human
and material resources for which money
is most imperfect measuring rod. Our
manhood has been decimated by death
and disease, our oils, ores and other
elements of real wealth have been dan
gerously depleted. These are the real
war costs, not the dollars Of increase
Ia the public debt.
Evening star., 1945-09-10
Postwar Navy

While they represent the result
OF long Navy study Of the matter,
the identical concurrent resolutions
to be introduced in House and Sen
ate today to Ak the size of the post
war Navy are obviously designed as
the beginning and not the end of
the discussion. In their joint state
ment to the press, Senator David
I. Walsh and Representative Carl
Vinson, respective chairmen of the
Senate and House Committees on
naval affairs, say there will be no
decision on the size of the Navy until
the committee members have made
a thorough study Of the changes 1t
will be necessary to make in the
structure and organization of the
Navy due to the probable emergence
of new weapons of war employing
80 robot and atomic bombs" That,
in a nutshell, is why the future size
of the Navy and everything else in
the military line are going to remain
indefinite for some time to come.
The Navy's idea of the postwar
Navy contemplates about four times
as many ships, and far better ships,
than our authorized naval strength
in 1888. An interesting proposal in
this connection, however, is that
only a third of this tremendous
force would be fully manned; an
other third, manned with skeleton
crews, would constitute a reserve
force, and the balance decommis-
stoned and laid up against some
emergency. The estimated cost of
this postwar Navy is not given. If
its maintenance meant anything in
the nature of a guarantee of peace,
the cost would be justified, whatever
1t is.
But the atomic bomb has fiat
tened out good many ideas of
warfare, including previous concep-
tions Of the sort of the Navy we
must keep afoat from now on.
Evening star., 1945-09-10
Breuk for the Tuxpuyer

OF all the advocates of Govern
ment reorganization who so far
have testified in favor of that highly
essential undertaking, Controller
General Lindsay c. Warren should
have the prize for calling spade a
spade.
Here is his salty description of the
executive branch of our Govern
ment: "A hodge-podge and crazy
quilt of Implications, overlappings,
ineficiencies and inconsistencies
with their attendant extravaganza.
It is probably an ideal system for
the tax-eaters and those who wish
to keep themselves perpetually at
tached to the public teat, but it is
bad for those who have to pay the
bill"
Continuing in this delightful vein,
he adds: with nearly 800 billion
debt, hope I am not to be con-
sidered as too old fashioned if I
say 1t is time to draw in our belts;
to see that the Government at least
gets value for its huge expenditures,
and to weed out inefficiencies and
hold those in charge with a respon-
sibility that cannot be lodged or
evaded. One of the necessary and
essential parts of the reconversion
program is that the Government put
It's own house in order
BY way OF illustration, Mr.. Warren
has furnished the following data:
The transportation field is divided
between seventy-f1ve bureaus, divis-
ions and agencies; public housing is
financed by fifteen agencies; eight
departments and agencies have their
fingers in the pie of labor relations;
eight bureaus and agencies have
something to do with vocational
education and rehabilitation; six
agencies are concerned with nutri-
ton and research In that field;
three or four agencies are doing
something about juvenile delin-
quency; the Children's Bureau, the
Federal Security Agency, the Social
Security Boards Bureau Of Public
Assistance. together with programs
of the Federal Works Agency Bu-
reau of Community Facilities are in
volved in aid to the States in care
Of dependent children.
This indictment of confusion
comes from a man who heads an
agency directly responsible to Con-
gress, rather than to the Executive,
who spent years in the House of
Representative and is as jealous as
anybody of Congressional control.
But with other reasonable men he
favors handing the problem Of Gov
ernment reorganization over to the
President and letting him 60 ahead
In the abolition of functions, crea-
ton of new departments, amalga-
nations and anything else he
chooses to do-with the right Of veto
of any particular plan reserved to
Congress by concurrent resolution
within specified time limit.
That is the only way in which
effective reorganization can be
brought about. In Mr.. Warren's
excellent language, Congress can
give the taxpayers their first break
In long time by giving the Presi-
dent the authority he asks for
Evening star., 1945-09-10
Chino's Day of Triumph

This will long be a red-letter day
in Chinese annals. For it marks the
formal surrender of japanese forces
scattered throughout much of that
vast country and aggregating fully
100000 men. The scene of this
mass capitulation is Nanking, the
legal capital of the Kuomintang
government which was abandoned
to the Japanese invaders for the
provisional capital, Chungking, far
in the mountainous heart of West
ern China beyond the Yangtze
gorges. An added touch of retribu-
tive justice is found in the fact that
this crowning humiliation to the in
vaders takes place at the scene of
their worst, or at least their most
publicized, atrocity in China-the
terrible rape of Nanking," when
the captured city was given over for
many days to the savage lusts of the
japanese soldiery.
The Americans are remaining
tactfully in the background, despite
the fact that the Chinese troops OF
occupation were all flown into Nam
king by American transport planes.
This airborne occupation of the re-
gained Chinese capital emphasizes
the unusual nature of the japanese
collapse in China, which was due
basically to defeats by American
and Russian arms in the homeland
and Manchuria rather than by a
breakdown OF their military situa-
tion in China. BY and large, the
Japanese hold on China remained
unbroken, and the Chinese armies,
though in process Of reorganization,
were not yet strong enough to begin
the ouSting of the invaders. Hence
we have the extraordinary spec
tacle, not only in Nanking, but also
at other key points, of token forces
OF Chinese troops taking the sur
render of great bodies of Japanese
soldiers not yet exposed to physical
combat. Indeed, in many areas, the
Japanese may be left in control to
maintain order until the requisite
Chinese forces are available to take
over.
Another noteworthy aspect of the
Nanking capitulation is that it Is
conducted wholly between the Jap
anese military high command and
the representatives of the Kuomin-
tang government, headed by Gen
eralissimo Chang Kai-shek. The
rival Communist regime has no part
in it. This political triumph of the
Kuomintang government is due
primarily, to the recent settlement
negotiated between it and Soviet
Russia. Thereby the threat Of an
armed race between the rivals to
occupy the Japanese zones, which
would presumably have kindled the
flames of civil war, was averted.
From a long distance viewpoint,
the Nanking capitulation liquidates
a cycle of chronic Japanese aggres-
sion on China which began half a
century ago with the Sino-Japanese
War of 1894-5 The weakness of
the Manchu empire thereby dis
closed encouraged the Japanese
warlords to their dreams of domina-
ton over their huge neighbor,
which, after many temporary sue
cesses, have come to a sudden and
catastrophe end.
Evening star., 1945-09-10
The Atom as q DESTROYER
From the Wichita Ea gle.

From the Wichita Eagle.
Because its first assignment was one
of destruction, mission carried out so
successfully as to be almost beyond hu-
man comprehension, man will stand in
awe OF that recently discovered force
which, delivered in the shape of bomb,
brought surging death and destruction
to Japan. Viewed only in this deadly
form, it's possibilities are so fearsome
as to forecast the end of man and al
most complete humiliation OF the planet
on which he lives,
Evening star., 1945-09-10

1t used to be said that the sun
never sets on American charity. Let
us hope that 1t never will set on
American insistence on fundamental
human justice and decency.
Evening star., 1945-09-10

The only exception to the rule
that men reap what they sow is the
amateur gardener who gives up long
about midsummer.
Evening star., 1945-09-10
Letters to The Star
Quotes John Adams on D. C..
And Self. If.C1oyernment

To the Editor OF The Star:
On September !, The Star published
the views on democracy given by a
Tokyo newspaper. The Japanese said:
"The basis for modern society Is de-
mocracy. Unless repentance and al
legiance are based on democracy, it is
futile to hope for political results from
the rebirth of the japanese nation"
But are the United Nations really
sincere in their desire to instill de-
mocracy all over the world?
How can the United States impart
true democracy to the japanese and
other Axis nations when we still lack
democracy in the City of Washington?
The Capital needs its political rights!
Nearly l45 years ago, government
was promised to the District of Columbia
by President John Adams.
On November %, 1900, at the opening
OF Congress, our second President said:
ut is with you. gentlemen, to consider
whether the local powers over the
District of Columbia, vested by the
Constitution in the Congress of the
United States, shall be Immediately
exercised. If, in your opinion, this i'm
portant trust ought now to be executed,
you cannot fail, while performing it, to
take into view the future probable situa-
ton of the territory for the happiness
Of which you are about to provide. You
will consider 1t as the Capital Of great
nation. advancing with unexampled
rapidity in arts, in commerce, In wealth,
and in population, and possessing within
itself those energies which, If not thrown
away or lamentably misdirected will
secure to 1t long course of prosperity
and self-government."
We Washingtonians still are waiting
for government.
DAVID r MIQQI .ETON