The Omaha guide., 1945-04-07
Newsletter
| WHATS HAPPENING IN
Washington


HISTORICAL LIGHT on We DAY
Most Americans think Civil War
ended with Lees surrender at APP
pomattox on April 9, 1865. But note
what General Grant wrote in his
Memoirs:
"Lee said to me that the South
was a big mt and that we
might have to march over it three
or four times before the war ended.
but that we would now be able to
dOit, as they could no longer resist
u.s.,
Thennote this sequence:
April 26, 1865: General Joe +.
Johnston surrendered to General
Sherman in North Carolina.
May 10, 1865: President Jefferson
avis was captured at Irwinville,
Georgia. He was trying to join
General E. Kirby Smiths forces a
cross the Mississippi and continue
the war.
May 26. 1865: General E.. Kirby
SMITH Surrendered - trans-Mississ
ippi department, leaving no other
Confederate army to continue the
war, according to General Grants
Memoirs.
The Civil War didn't end until
seven weeks after Lees surrender.
The European war likewise may
nd in a v-SITUATION.
LABOR: Three months
ago, the very mention of
sion was blamed for labor shortag-
es in critical war plants; it made
war workers over-conscious of the
~desirability of permanent peacetime
jobs.
Many observers at hearings on
chaos in Detroit labor-manage-
ment relations" held by Mead Sen
ate War Investigating Committee
are veering to the opposite conclus-
ion. Since Battle of the Bulge
armed services have successfully
stopped not discussion of, but even
planning for reconversiort Sc
lence, isntead of being helpful prov
ed harmful. Workers not SO
dumb as Washington thoughtful,
stantly recognized that a sudden |
ending of European war would
nQICa Qhrnnf ctnnno o1 -; ..- /
es; r~econversion would then have
to start from scratch.
SOpkesmen for automotive indus-
try now urge WPB encouragement
Of recOnversiOn planning to mini |
mfze transitional unemployment.
second recommendation; hat De-
troit's designation as No. 1 critical |
labor area be changed to No. 81
Through new war business thus ]
made possible. management could
contract termination tit- .
tiers" which has slowed up many
workers.
POSITIVE DAY: Complying with
secret Byrnes order. each war a
gency has submitted report on prob |
able economic situation in its field |
after We Day, with recommended
ions for future regulations. Gov-I
eminent doesn't wan to be caught
without blueprint in case of sud- |
den ending of European war. |
NO EVEN STARTS: Numerous re-
quests that industries be given "ev- /
en- start" in reconversion have been
rebuked by WPB. War MobiIiza-
ton n R~econversion Act declares
that when facilities, materials, com
p%onents, and labor are not needed
for war production, WPB shall per- /
nit expansion, resumption. or init
iation of production for non-war ;
use; such production must be per
mitted eve though competitors
are still in war work.
"NAMELESSo CAR, To relieve
automobile shortage. a single manu- /
facturer may be ordered to manu-
facture a "nameless" or victory" !
car. WPB says one producer would
utilize labor and materials more e.
economically than all producers OPP
Grating a small but equal percent
age of their facilities. Such a car
an economy model-would be as
sembled from parts produced where
ever there was available capacity.
No picking of preferred sources of
supply. The maker of this car
would be just as Interested as his