Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 September 1941 — Page 13

“WASHINGTON, Sept. 17.—The fact that we have "delivered relatively little lend-lease aid to Britain is well covered up in President Roosevelt's report on. six months’ operation of lend-lease, ‘The figures, in terms of appropriations, allocations and transfers, are large. In terms of deliveries they shrink like a “pair of wool socks in ‘the laundry. : With regard to food going to England the report is downright misleading. ‘The President's re- . port says that hundreds of thou-: sands of tons of food have gone across the Atlantic. But on the - same page the figures, which ‘look ‘large in pounds, reduce down to less than 150,000 tons. In England I was. reliably informed that § about 200,000 tons of lend-lease : SER food have arrived. That is equal to two and a half days’ consumption in England. No reference, naturally, is made in the report to the fact that for a time 25 per cent of the eggs we sent arrived in England unfit to eat. That situation has been corrected and the British have done their part in trying to cover up the affairs to save the American Government from embarrassment. Food doesn’t have to wait until factories are built. ' We are wasting it here, gorging ourselves. The British need it, especially for their heavy workers. Most of the people have enough to get by. Consumption has been cut 25 per cent but England is not starving. Heavy labor, however, is not being fed enough energy to do a good day’s work. Children are not receiving the milk their bodies need. They need dried milk from here in far larger quanties than we are sending.Under our lend-lease program we have allocated an amount of food equal to about 5 to 6 per cent of England’s annual consumption. Yet. lend-lease has been operating half a year and we have sent just about 1% per cent of England’s annual consumption in those six months.

Still a Popgun Arsenal

‘ THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT does not mention numbers of planes sent, for obvious reasons. I am

By Raymond Clapper

not permitted to mention numbers either. But .I think the facts would support the statement that of needed types we have sent barely token quantities. I refer to heavy bombers and to high-altitude fighters. Britain badly needs more tanks, even though she is producing several times as many as we are. So far as

the British are concerned, ours ‘still .is ‘a popgun (|

arsenal. Take the Presidents own "figures on total exports, lend-lease and all others. His figures show. that the total experts to the British Empire are but slightly higher than a year ago. Shipments. to the: British Empire in July of last year were in fact a trifle more

. than those of July this year. The other months this

year look better but only by small margins. Unfortunately, to say these may give some comfort to Hitler, if criticism» now spurs us to greater effort, to the kind of job of which we are fully capable once we are truly determined to do it. Only now is the Government, after a year and a half, bringing in a cut of nearly 50 per cent in automobile production. The

British are making but 400 passenger cars a year,|g

those largely for export. They have converted their industry far beyond anything we have even thought 0

Let's Get Going

I AM NOT HERE getting into the arguinent about whether we should go fully into the war. I am talking about a policy adopted by Congress and for which seven billion dollars was appropriated nearly six months ago and for which Mr. Roosevelt is about to ask several more billion dollars. Without our supplies the war against Hitler cannot continue. We have made it a policy to furnish those supplies. The British may have no legitimate kick if we do not go to war. But they have a legitimate kick if we fail to deliver the goods as promised. We have not set ourselves an impossible task. It is only that we have dawdled at it, cluttered it up with compromises, with red tape, with delays amounting

to weeks in even ‘getting orders through the. White|

House and into the hands of the contractors. Perhaps the new production setup will improve the situation. "There certainly is plenty of room. for improvement.

Because of the serious illness of his wife, Ernie Pyle has been forced to discontinue his column for a few days. Mr. Pyle has flown to Albuquerque to be i with Mrs. Pyle and hopes to resume his column soon.

Inside Indianapolis (4nd “Our Town’)

THERE'S MORE than meets the eye in the struggle going on before the Tax Adjustment Board to defend the proposed $1.46 Civil City tax rate for next year. The rate happens to be 20 cents higher than this year’s. : A part of the increase is to make up a deficit resulting from the fact the City last year set this year’s. levy 8 or 9 cents lower than was needed. The remainder is for pay inereases. City officials say they're losing valuable employees to better paying jobs in private industry. That much of the story is pretty well known. Some of our leading “meanies” insist there’s more to it. For instance, they hint, maybe the City purposely set too low a rate last year because they didn’t want to go into the Fall election with a tax increase on their hands. . And maybe they'd like to get the increase over this year—an off-election year. -And then next year, when there is an election, it might be possible to make a good impression on the voters by cut the tax rate a few cents. By that time, it’s pri “the voters will be all over beins Uilaed over this year’s increase in the 1942 rate. , we don’t know. But it sounds logical, Fikiss y

Preparedness Jor Peace SOME OF THESE DAYS our Indiana National

Guard (38th Division) troops, now a part of the Fifth

Diamond Plot

. WASHINGTON, Sept. 1T. This’ is the $611,500 “international spy and diamond smuggling story of a certain rich man—you’'d know just how rich if it were permitted to mention his name, which can’t be done just now because to do so would end his usefulness to his Uncle Samuel. Anyhow, early in the defense effort this . man volunteered his services to his country as an agent in one of the intelligence units. He had all the qualifications necessary, speaking several languages, knowing his way around, having good contacts and all that, so he was assigned to checking up on German operations in South America. One of the facts of life this Fe counter-espionage ' agent had observed in New York was that Nazi agents, when closing a deal, always produced a roll of bills of fantastic denominations like $500, or $1000 or even $10,000. Bills in those sizes are rather rare, as you may have noticed, and because of that they can “easily be traced, merely by noting their serial num.bers ‘every’ time ‘they are banked. Knowing this, the rich-man-counter-espionage agent started to trail the movements of some of these big bills. FIRST OFF, HE FOUND that along in March, 1940, a roll of these 'ox-chokers had been used to open an account in New York by a couple of gentlemen who a short time previously had entered the United States - as refugees, kicked out of Germany by Hitler persecution. Little by little, it was found that this account, - adding up to $611,500, was being transferred by cable + to the Bank of Panama, credited to the account of a man who Ted in Rio de Janeiro.

This Gets Complicated

Then a bank in Rio began to draw on the Panama * account,’and to transfer the funds in U. S. dollars to ‘ ‘a’bank in Johannesburg, South ‘Africa. The purpose

of all .this international banking was apparently an -

. effort to hide the trail. U. S. big bills were used « wherever possible because : they are sound currency the world over, and the jugglers tried to make the exchange: look like normal business transactions. ‘As the money finally got to South ‘Africa, however,

3 Vag Yaoed am found to be used for the purchase - of ‘industrial

diamonds in the: illegitimate diamond

My Day

' WASHINGTON, Tuesday. — Yesterday noon, I went to buy a stamp at the exhibition which opened “retailers for defense week.”

move. While it may curtail some of the buying at the present time, it will put- money in “people’s pockets for future use. We shall need that money to keep . us from ‘too great a business slump

during the transition from defense fo

work to normal activities. It seems 3 to me that in everyhing we do today, oud ve an eye to our present n but at the same time think far against ties we have undergone in the past. For instance, if the production of automobiles is going to be drascurtailed in order that industry may take a } share in defense work, why not plan to put i , Which in ordinary times we might set aside ig 8 new a into defense stamps, and call those stamps: “Our automobile fund” for the future? ery ory ola ar a Hit longer then : d think wise, or even economicall we can arrange our. ova ‘Saances

This effort on the part of retailers to do a real job for defense is a very wise

Army Corps, will be returning home, and whén they do they'll probably have more mechanized . equipment than you can shake a stick at. To be ready to house this equipment, Col. Jobn D

Friday, Indiana adjutant general, is drawing up plans] §

to enlarge our armories and garages. He’s been given a $12,000 allotment for technical help in the plans. . And speaking of the 38th Division, the Division's

press office at Camp Shelby, Miss., writes us to deny|: “persistent rumors” that the 18,000 men of the division|:

“would be moved to a new training camp near Colum-

bus, Ind., at the close of the current maneuver period.” |:

There’ s nothing to it, says Maj. Gen. Dan I. Sulton.

In fact, there's no camp near Columbus and may}:

never be.

Such Modesty, Jack!

JACK HARDING, back home on vacation from his| |

Hollywood script writing, has been knocking his old

friends’ eyes out with his clothing. In fact, they've]!

accused him of out-Hollywooding Hollywood. The other day Jack turned up at a social gathering in fawn colored pants, a trick coat and one of those turn down collars.

-“Na,”*. replied :Hollywood Jack. “Gable borrowed it from me for his latest picture.” . . . John Longsdorf of the Power & Light Co. disclosed at a picnic the other day: ‘that he’s a pretty fair amateur juggler; in fact, a much better juggler than horseshoe pitcher, we hear. .: Lieut. Bernard Crandall, former newshawk for the United Press here, now is presiding as information chief at Selfridge Field, Mt. Clemens, Mich.

’

By Peter Edson

trade. Diamond production is of course closely controlled by the British in South Africa, but a certain

amount of bootlegging in the lower grade industrialf

diamonds is carried on. The fact that the Nazis were forced to go through all this international undercover stuff shows how desperately the German industrial machine needed these diamonds for their precision cutting and machine tooling. Once the diamonds were bought, the problem was to get them back to Germany, and here is where the really fascinating game of intrigue began. From South Africa, the diamonds were smuggled back to Rio. Now Rio ifself is quite a diamond market, center for the Brazilian fields which supply a part of U. 8. industry’s low grade diamond demand, but not enough to meet the world demand for the better quality stones. So the Germans, still trying to cover up their trail from South Africa via New York and Panama, took their smuggled diamonds right back into the: diamond fields of ‘Brazil and there went through a fake “discovery” and mining operation, to make it appear their supplies were obtained on the open market.

And So to Berlin

OSTENSIBLY LEGITIMATE DIAMONDS, the German supply was now taken in the open back to Rio, and here it was legitimate freight which could be taken as legally declared, cargo back to Europe. That was easy. Just-last month, the diamonds were put on board -the plane of an Italian airline running from Brazil to Italy and off they went. Discovery of all this tangled web was unfortunately not made in time to prevent the shipments covered by this particular $611,500, but from here on this daisy chain is broken. Freezing the bank accounts of Germans prevents transfer of funds outside the United

* States. Blacklisting of firms acting as German agents * has blocked their further commercial activities.

And the British are a lot wiser than they were before this began, so a eloser check is being kept on the outlaw diamond: All this intrigue has two rather amazing morals. First, no matter how mistreated or persecuted refugees may: have been while back in Germany, some of them still aren’t above doing business with. Hitler, if they can make a profit at it. And second, those diamonds could never have been flown from Brazil to Italy if U. 8..0il companies operating in South America would

Just id selling 100-octane aviation gas to Italian

By Eleanor Roosevelt

so that they are o helptil to the: Government at Bresent and “useful to us when the day comes for buying that new car. ‘Women are as. interested in all these business questions as men. During the week of Oct. 5 to 11, which will be observed as Business and Professional Women’s Week throughout the nation, there will be special emphasis on the plans laid by which women, many, of whom are influential in business and professional groups, can -aid the defense program. ‘I. wish they would all think not only of the problems which. come before them in business, but also of the many local’ problems which in the end, are going to be very vital in national defense. A particularly vital problem is. tion, of volunteers inj" i where Spo efforts ‘will. be valuable. - : am coun on these important women’s organizations to make a valuable contribution in the working out of the volunteer services. They must be

rendered on a very large scale if this country is ever |i

to be really well prepared and fully defended. 1 was very much interested to see yesterday that ne “Reader’s Digest” is going to be published in as well as in Spanish. This publication an RAE gu BRL t in this country a magazine that is read by our South and Central Afetican EE with

“Where on earth did you get that out- i fit—borrow it from Clark Gable?” ‘asked Herntan|" - Wolff.

, and I wish|

things : But it will be short-lived comfort | Jas

est annual show,

BRITISH AIR RAD | ON ROME HINTED|

Seen in Reprisal for Cairo Bombing; Vatican City To Be Spared.

By WILLIAM H. STONEMAN

LONDON, Sept. 17.—It is assumed. here that Rome will now be subjected to at least one bombardment in reprisal for the raid on Cairo yesterday in which 39 were killed and 93 injured. Final decision on the matter: was expected to be. taken Ry the - War Cabinet today. An official statement issued by the

view of German threats to bomb Athens and Cairo, His Majesty's Government - wishes it understood that if either of these two cities is : molested it will commence a systematic bombing of Rome. Once this has begun it will continue as convenient to the end of the war.” Vatican To Be Spared

The statement added that “the greatest care will be taken not to bomb Vatican City and the strictest orders to that effect have been issued.” It further charged that the Italians were holding a bombing squadron in readiness to bombard the Vatican in event of a raid in order. to discredit the.British in the eyes of the world. Rome: is-a harder target to reach than Cairo and is heavily protected by fighters. and ' anti-aircraft. the. other hand, it is easy fo find, its principal targets are easy to identify

first-rate importance. Duce’s Home Easy Target Several of Italy's greatest air-

skirts and all of Italy’s principal north-south railways run through a bottleneck at Roma Termini Sta-

certain not to be himself; lies ‘on a broad thoroughfare which any fledgling bomber pilot could find.

renian Sea which ‘is less than 20 miles awa,

thoroughgoing fashion and by firstclass pilots ‘who can be depended upon not to drop Snythiog ; on Vatican City.

COUNCIL FOR’ SOCIAL.

Plans for the national convention of the National G

Cabinet on April 18 stated that “In’

and it contains certain objectives of

ports are located on the city’s out-| . tion. Mussolini’s home, where he is|

.Rome is easy to locate because of |. the River Tiber, and Lake Bracciano, several miles north of the city, and| it can be approached over the Tyr-{-

ye 5 If it is decided to bomb Rome. it] Fk will unquestionably be done in al

STUDIES TO CONVENE

for the So- 5

All New World Roms

‘Democratic Rights, Daniels

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 17 (U. P.) —] Republics of the New World won independence through courage and conflict and all stand ready to preserve their democratic right to self-

bassador to Mexico, told the American Legion's 23d National Convention : today. or Mr. Daniels’ address . came as strong Legion support for the national Administration’s foreign.policy and defense strategy appeared assured. The Ambassador, World War Navy Secretary, told of continental solidarity throughout neighboring Mexico and South America. He cited

to their readiness to: uphold the common cause. “With three continents burning up in the fires of war and their peoples raging with hate or suffering under ‘oppression, this convention of Legionnaires, who have been’ tried in the furnace of battle and come out purified, gathers in the comforting’ and inspiring knowledge

icans from ‘Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego is consecrated to continental

undergird democracy and the right

government,” he said. “Each and all have joined in the high resolve to stand ' together agains} any totalitarian: invasion by propaganda, gun, or bombs, and in the solemn consecration that in mutual protection any attack upon

on one Will “call into action the com-

HOLD EVERYTHING -

government, Josephus Daniels, Ame

statements and quotations of presi-|1 dents of these republics’ attesting

that the heart's desire of -all Amer-

solidarity—solidarity to uphold and of every man and all peoples to self-}-

The* massed colors of Illinois posts provided this spectacle during the ‘American’ Legion “convention parade in Milwaukee. More 8 Shan a niin Speriate rs watched the Legion, lent strong, stage its great-

* 8 8

bined . resistance of the other 21 republics.” Simon Bolivar, the ‘South American “liberator,” was a century in advanee: of his age with such a plan of solidarity, but language barriers, :lack of - communication and misunderstandings of his aim prevented .its full fruition, Daniels said. . The ‘convention was expected to receive a cabled message today from ‘British Prime Minister 'Winston’ Churchill. Chairmen’ of the key committees on foreign affairs, national defense and ‘Americanism scheduled a conference to. preview. conflicts in their final reports.Resolutions ‘embodying. the committee recommendations will be sub- |' mitted late today or tomorrow. The ‘national defense group was expected : to draft its proposals on the TREO of 8) program already Vy: fon’s permanent mt That program called for elimination” of an existing restriction of sending troops outside the Western Hemisphere, a permanent system of universal military training, further strengthening “of - present armed forces, and ‘higher pay for the Army and. Navy.: . . ~There "was mounting: evidence that the Legion would. Soften its attitude toward Russia advocate] American aid for the Pit in ‘its war with Germany without relaxing opposition to the spread of communism- within- the United: States. The: committee on Americanism,

{ihe ob of: all.Com-

ublics Ready’ fo Defend

- | Council 47,

.. | cial guests at the reception. Members of the Junior Order of United ‘American ' Mechanics

fo ‘attend.

| BP.) —Burnet R. Maybank was con-

One of the ‘merrymakers was Gén. JF. Howell, 9, ‘Bristol, Vai commander-in-chief of the Confederate veferans,. He gels an eartul from John E. Newcomb, . 80, assistant, segsasiatiarmm,

Members of Bell Telephone Post 134 from Indianapolis, always. In the convention Indianapolis was represented by many. other units, too. They. included this drum and

bugle corps. from the Legion’s “home city.”

Tells Veterans

munist activity, ignored the question of aid to Russia, ‘its’ members said, but checked with.the foreign relations committee to assure there would. be “proper safeguards” aguinst the spread of communism in amy resolution Tavis aid to Russia. One - ‘leader: privately expressed doubt ‘that there would be any attempt by isolationist legionnaires to smother pro-Administration resolutions on the floor of the’ convention. He: said the convention. had. given an enthusiastic response to Navy Secretary ‘Frank Enox’s address Monday.

WHEELER -EGGED “IN BILLINGS, MONT.

- ‘BILLINGS, .Mont., Sept. 17 (U. p. ) —Six eggs were thrown at Senator Burton K. Wheeler (D. Mont.), isolationist’ leader, when he mentioned - the -name of Col. Charles 'A. Lindbergh.in an address here last night under auspices of the America First Committee, ’

speech had been denied the flier; who in a speech at Des Moines last Thursday said the British, the Jews and the Roosevelt ‘Administration were the principal groups trying to lead the United States into war. The Senator was not hit by the

ident Roosevelt of subscribing to

to lead: America into “cruel, bloody, horrible. war.”

“| 'D. of A. to Fete State Councilor

. MRS. LOUISE TEGELER of May- | ‘wood, newly elected State Councilor of the Daughters of America, will be honored ata reception and banquet Satur- __ day night in the Marott Hotel. The affair will { be sponsored. by - Community:

D. of A. Tae State and na tional officers and Indiana: committee women. of the ) =ation as ® well Ty members. of

.are: 'MAYBANK Wine PRIMARY COLUMBIA, 8. C, Sept. 17 (U. victory in South

Senator Wheeler said freedom of,

eggs and continued to accuse Pres-| the techniques of dictators in order|

iA 3-Shonld the United States flag

|4~1Is the United States

(DIRIGIBLE PLANE CARRIERS ERS URGED

Craft Would Be Be Twice the Size ‘of Hindenburg, Rosendahl Says.

EOS. Sept. 17 (U. P.).—The use of bles as airplane carriers ° capable of patroling vast sea areas is advocated by Capt. Charles E, Rosendahl, Navy. expert on lightere than-air ships. Capt. Rosendahl, here to inspect the ‘South Weymouth site for a blimp base, said in an interview that the dirigibles he ‘envisions would: be twice as large as: the ill-fated Hindenburg. They would have a cruising range of 10,000 miles and would be capable of : carrying 12 scouting planes. ; "Completion of the South Wey~ mouth base will permit assignment of six patrol-type blimps armed with machine guns and depth bombs to guard: the approaches of Boston Harbor, Capt. Rosendahl said. The blimps will be used to search out submarines and mines in coastal waters. Seven blimps on hand when the national emergency was declared will be joined soon by the first of 27 new ones for which funds have been approapriated. In all, the Navy has been authorized to build 48.

STEEL TALKS TO BEGIN

NEW YORK, Sept. 17 (U. P.).— Negotiators for the Steel Workers Organizing ‘Committee (C. I. 0.)

‘and nine plants of the Bethleh

om" Steel Co. will begin detailed wage« hour discussions next week, repre sentatives of "both organizationy agreed yesterday.

“TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

lL 1-If two, letters, one by air mail,

‘the: other by special delivery, are ! mailed to San" Francisco from Hew. York, which will be delive

2D the President of the United - States have a special flag? ; be

flown day and night over a State \ capitol? ; flag flown from the flagstaff of the Whi . House when the President away from Washington, D, C.? : Angwers we 1-—The air mail letter. 2-—-Yes. ; 3—No.. 4-0, fe . 2 8 9 - ASK THE TIMES

Inclose a:3-cent: stamp for Te. ply when addressing

Tim 8 Sor ‘Bureau, 1013 13h D. :

Wo ‘medical

0 | Even soe Gan reed