The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1945-04-30

Silently, carefully, the cars are
shunted alongside incoming ships,
ships from Okinawa, Saipan and
Guam. bringing the wounded
home.
Almost every day they come
in and are rolled out, nOiseless-
ly, tenderly, boys who will never
fight again, some boys who will
never work again, all boys who
hope there will be no war again.
A mile or so away from the
waterfront, sit the representatives
Of 46 nations trying to make that
hope come true. 1t is confer
ence which the world has await
ed so eagerly; for which the
State Department has planned so
carefully. Fifty official have been
here for a week oiling the diplo-
matte machinery. An unlimited
budget has been at their disposal.
The city of San Francisco has
thrown all It's hospitable energy
into roofing for the Conference.
Yet it got off to a discourage
ing start. There has been some
thing lacking no spark, no
contagious enthusiasm, no great
personality to lift - things out
of the dOldrums Of diplomatic
routine.
Perhaps it was the absence OF
that magic personality, which
even in his old age and ill-health,
could inspire an assemblage to
the heights of achievement. Per-
haps it was the lack of a great
dynamic leader. At any rate the
early sessions featured the same
cut-and- dried formal futility as
the fr0ck- coated diplomats who
mourned the League of Nations
to death at Geneva.
RIO ENTHUSIASM
Three years ago at Rio de ia
metro, another conference was
held Of American foreign minis
tiers to solidify the New World
against attack. There, nothing
hinged on stiff -necked formality.
Instead Of three solemn speeches
as in San Francisco - dolefully
opening the conference, any Rio
delegate might take the floor and
say what he thought.
Nobody cared about lunch. Mo-
body cared about he Rio recep.
ton scheduled for the late after
noon. Nobody cared about the
heat. The Conference was car
ried away with its own enthusi-
asm; with its own anxiety to
achieve.
At San Francisco-how differ
ferent. No delegate had a
chance to speak at the opening
session. He could not pour OFT
to his colleagues his hopes ana
dreams for future peace. He
could only sit and listen - lis
ten to the solemn, carefully mo.
dulated voice of the far-distant
President, listen to the perfume
tory speeches of welcome reeled
off by local officials.
1t had the atmosphere Of an
undertaker's parlOr; or perhaps
a us. Steel Corporation direc-
tors meeting over which Ed
Stettinius once presided. In
stead it was supposed to be a
conference carrying with it the
hopes, the ideals, the future
of mankind.
Meanwhile, from incoming
transports, cots laden with wound
ed men were loaded on hospital
trains to roll away quietly almost
as if they did not wish to
disturb the solemn serenity of
the delegates by injecting any
unpleasant reminder of war.
FROM WEST TO EAST
The Army Is working today on
a new film to accompany 1.-TWO
Down and One to Co." a movie
already prepared to help explain
to war-weary CTS the reason they
pack up their kits in Europe and
60 on to fight another war in the
Pacific. The two films are in
sidered far more important thar.
tended to bolster morale, now con
the actual physical problem OF
transfer to the Orient.
Greatest problem after the
victory in Europe" according to
Colonel william Menninger,
world. famed Chief Of the Army
phychiatrists, will be that Of
persuading combat veterans who
have completed one job 70 pack