PAGE SPX--SECTION ONE --1 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tt'FISDAY. OCTOBER 1, 1940 PAGE SIX-SECTTO?~ ONI~ - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1949 Japan Joins Up The Axi Nearly neglected for the past year by the spotlight of war, Japan last' month reminded war-torn Europe and Continental-wise U. S. that the Rising Sun had not sunk below the horizon. Taking front and center with a lightning jab at French Indo- China, Nippon's heads late last week again rattled sabers, stated her posi- tion as the newest, most ambitious Nazi jackel. No surprise to the world was the Island Empire's alignment with Eu- rope's bad boys: it had happened, before. Its significance was not so much a statement of policy; it sa- vored more of a thrust at prostrate Britain and as a warning sneer to the U. S. Move Was Foreseen Hints of the impending axis uni- fication began trickling in as early1 as Wednesday. Said one authority: "Attempting an almost unbelievable (stroke of international blackmail, Hitler seems on the verge of success- fully forcing Japan into an unwilling but full-fledged alliance with the Reich." Whether Nippon yielded to black- mail or her territorial desires is pure- ly conjectural. With. the pact signed, however, Japanese spokesmen left little doubt as to future Nipponese attitude in the Pacific. Nor were world capitals long in guessing the significance of the latest totalitarian manifesto. Too cooperative, in totalitarian eyes, were Uncle Sam and John Bull. Adolf has been watching ever-in- creasing arms and supply shipments to the "tight little island." With the arrival last week in England of the first contingent of American de- stroyers, U. S. aid was no longer a mere gesture. Japan, in turn, long accustomed to mere U. S. verbal pro- tests, last week received a harsh re- buff ' in FDR's embargo on metal shipments to overseas powers other than Britain. Isolated U.S. Is Aim Hoped-for result of the Axis stand was the stemming of American pro- British actions. Should the U.S. Navy act to prevent establishment of a new Asiatic order, Rome-Berlin would harass Atlantic areas; if the U.S. joins in the European fracas, Nippon would strike in the Pacific. Contrary to Axis strategy, Wash- ington took an almost indifferent, THE WEEK INT REVIE W Willkie Ends Western Trip WAR is Turns "knew it all the time" attitude. Said Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles:" . . . all American-Japanese problems can still be solved by nego- tiations;" adding that the present turn of Oriental events is counter to "historic interests of the U.S." No retreat before Japan's stand was hinted in Capitol circles. What About Stalin? From Britain came rumors that the Burma Road, vital supply line to China defenders, would be re- opened; that Singapore and other Asiatic British ports would be made available to U.S. fleet units. Probably most worried nation af- ter announcement of the pact was Hitler's (ex?) bedfellow,.Joseph Sta- lin. Though the alliance states that "the political status which exists ... between each of the three contract- ing parties and Soviet Russia" was not affected, the newly-signed pact is too sharply reminiscent of the anti-comintern pact signed by these same three nations: an agreement which was virtually discarded by the Berlin-Moscow agreement of 1939. Even the territorial division, alloting to Russia a defined share, hastilyan- nounced by Axis spokesmen, appears to leave Stalin but an Axis satellite. Figured In War Scenes On Foreign And Local Fronts T C ti:.... .f AMBASSADOR JOSEPH GREW HEDY LaMARR REP. JOHN W. McCORMACK These three were invarious storm-centers last week. Grew, U.S. Ambassador to Tokyo, had delicate U.S.-Tokyo relations, strained by Japanese tie-up with the Axis and move into Indo-China, to hang on to. Actress LaMarr appeared in court hatless and nervous to seek release from Gene Markey, movie producer and Joan Bennett-ex, testified that during their married life only four times did they have "a nice quiet evening at home." Rep. McCormack, elected House majority leader by a Democratic caucus last week, suc- ceeding Sam Rayburn, new Speaker, must lead Administration forces through important legislative cam- paign. Dakar Siege. 0 0 THE CAMPAIGN i Wilikie In Slump? Greatest Franco-British blunder since the fall of Belgium-so have experts judged the recent de Gaulle- led expedition against French colo- nial Dakar, most formidable base in French West Africa and nearest ma- jor 'port to the Western Hemisphere. Early last week, Free French Leader Charles de Gaulle convinced British leaders that France's West African colony was ready to thump its nose at Nazi-dominated Vichy France. With easy capitulation hoped for, Churchill gave de Gaulle a Royal Navy escort for his annexa- tion jaunt. Once in Dakar harbor, de Gaulle boarded a motor launch, hoisted a flag of truce above the ti-color and headed for a French reunion. No brass-band reception awaited the ex- pedition. Insted intense volleys of off-shore firing drove de Gaulle back to the British fold. Soon coast artillery and salvos from L. IMM MICH IGAN- ENSIAN Official Student Year Book Now! $3.50, LIMITED TIME at this Low Price docked warships joined the machine- gun fire, and the battle of Dakar was on. British warships lost little time in returning fire. Wednesday. Brito-Free French forces made six landing attempts, were strongly re- pulsed. Finally, with two defending French submarines, one British cruiser reported sunk, the invasion flotilla abruptly steamed away, end- ing the three-day siege. Real reason for British withdrawal was, however, not laid to pure mili- tary defeat. England was playing with dynamite. By openly attacking her former ally, she stood in grave danger of losing what few Free Frenchmen she had been able to wrest from Vichy. Frenchmen were already rumbling, and Vichy was hurling heavy reprisal aerial attacks, at Gibraltar at ten-minute intervals, stopping only when the flotilla steamed out of Dakar. Churchill faced a momentary cri- sis in the angry House, but by week's end appeared to be weathering safe- ly. De Gaulle, however, faced the ire of world Frenchmen, and Petain cre- ated a court of Summary Jurisdic- tion to try de Gaulle's partisans; a court strangely reminiscent of the "Cour Martiale" of the French Rev- olution. Overture?. .. Since the outbreak of war, France has been an unwilling partner to the rape of Europe, not so much for con- science's sake as out of consideration for the severely-bled Iberian war theatre. Last week, however, Axis thumb-screws turned tighter, and armor-trained diplomats scurried about. By week's end, first results of Italian-German-Spanish conferences were leaking out. Germany's Ribbentrop last week conferred with Spanish Minister of Interior Ramon Serrano Suner, hopped to Rome to consult Il Duce and Ciano, returned to nervous, im- patient Don Ramon. War-weather forecasters unanimously agreed that Spanish entry on the Italo-German side was imminent. Reliable sources report that Franco, promised Gib- raltar, is ready to assist in a com- bined fascist blast at the British rock. Channel Fight The RAF and Hitler's Luftwaffe continued to spar with each other across the now storm-tossed Chan- nel waters in a week which saw an- other major refugee transport sink- ink in the Atlantic. London momentarily forgot her own bomb-filled troubles early last week to express horror over the death of 83 out of 90 children, 215 of 316 adults on the torpedoes "City of Be- nares," refugee-bound for Canada. As the week rolled on. London de- fenders, haggard from hours and days and weeks of incessant bom- bardment, appeared to be strength- ening. Fewer raiders reached th city and industrial plants, protectec by roof-top spotters, continued t work in spite of air-raid warnings In retaliation, RAF bombers contin- ued to hammer at Berlin, gave cross- Channel ports little rest. 16,500,000 men between the ages of 21 and 36 will register at one of 6,500r local draft boards under the firstj peacetime Conscription Act in U.S. I history. In mid-November the firstc increment of trainees will be called up, but if stepped-up peacetime en-l listment increases, many states, byt filling their quota, may escape the first draft. Recruiting stations throughout the country have been{ doing business to long lines, neces- sitating the presence of extra mili-t tary police to keep order, and indi- cating that the Army's authorizedt 375,000 figure will be reached in De-1 cember. Prospects were that Sep-} tember enlistments would set a high monthly mark of 40,000, boosting peacetime strength to more thanr 324,000. Tennessee officials boasted that their state would fill its quota from volunteer ranks. For residents of other states, there was the reassurance that conscrip- tion activity will go ahead asI planned. President Roosevelt last week asked the governors of 48 states to aid in the draft set-up, sent them a 61-page, two-volume book of rules. He also advised over-zealous young people, in a letter to the education division of the FSA, that "it is their patriotic duty to continue the normal course of their education unless and until they are called." President Robert M. Hutchins of the Univer- sity of Chicago went on record for the same stand, but emphasized that "nothing could be worse for higher education in this country than to have it thought that enrollment in a college or university is a method of avoiding conscription."r Other developments on the nation- al defense scene: 60,500 guardsmen, first group of those summoned two weeks ago, began settling in camps throughout the country, while a Presidential order called 35,700 more, including forces in Hawaii and Puer- to Rico, to a year's training begin- ning Oct. 15. In November another 37,000 will report;. remaining units will be inducted into the Regular Army. 4,000 Red Cross nurses will be called to active duty before July, 1 to supplement the 17,000 first re- serve of Red Cross nurses. The organization of materials and workers kept steady pace with the military. The RFC revealed that it has put up almost 600 million dol- materials, provide for airplane plant expansion. The Army and Navy let millions of dollars in contracts for purchase of "necessary" goods. Pro- duction was stepped up in shipyard, arsenal, plane factory. New Volunteering Record Seen As Nation Prepares In exactly 15 days approximately ?lars to build up reserves of strategic _ _ _ ___ ., i nfainiai, prv* iuir ~a nirravIo e u.u Upon NDAC urging, the Justice Department promised to defer for a time its civil anti-trust action against major oil companies "because of the apparent unavailability of indepen- dent capital which would be willing to take over and operate the oil transportation facilities." The National Defense Advisory Committee approved a plan offered by Sidney Hillman, chief of the La- bor Division, designed to enable every employe to make the "fullest use of his highest skill." Even the post- office offered its bit: a one, two and three-cent National Defense stamp issue bearing pictures of the Statue of Liberty, an anti-aircraft gun, and a flaming torch respectively. Amer- ica's answer to the Axis' powers was being formulated on every national front. Conference Group Ready To Report Out Tax Proposal Congress last week was standing by while sentiment was being built up against adjournment. At week's end a conference committee was about ready to report out a combined Sen ate-House version of the controver- sial Excess Profits Tax and Amortiz- ation Bill. After weeks of politica wrangling and buck-passing, the ver sion agreed upon leaned toward the more liberal provisions of the Senate away from the Treasury-backed orig inal House proposal. Most Washing ton observers held that, whatever th final version, it would have to b scrapped, drawn anew next session. Remaining still on the Congress ional slate were the last deficienc appropriation bill, approved by th House, carrying funds of almost $1, 500,000 for trainees' pay; politically dangerous Walter-Logan Bill intro duced 18 months ago in an attemp to force court review of quasi-ju dicial government agencies, i.e. Na tional Labor Relations Board. r L t ,l 1 e e y e r- - A I- t- I Biggest cause of dismay for GOP followers who look upon Wendell3 Willkie as their political Messiaht has been the inability of his "speech- a-minute" campaign to catch on., Reports of lukewarm public recep- tion have either been denied or ex-1 plained away. Last week Josph W.: Martin, Republican National Chair-l man, predicting an upswing declaredr that the Republicans had been hold- ing back purposely before the plunge into the industrial East. Editorial observers wrote that the Republican nominee was learning fast, and Mr. Willkie himself, from the rear of his" Yonkers-bound train, shouted: "I'm more than satisfied." But key to the situation for most was obtained in a page-long adver- tisement printed in influential news- papers by "We The People", Will- kie - for - President club. Entitled 'What has Happened to the Miracle of Philadelphia?", it took the elec- torate to task in no uncertain terms. It held in large caps: "Willkie is doing his job and doing it well. He's not bogging down. But we are!- We, the People! We're the ones who are bogging down" " Crowds Greet Willkie We, the people did the best they could last week: they turned out to greet Mr. Willkie. Throughout his 6,000-mile swing into the West they followed him into baseball parks, race-tracks, railroad depots, auditor- iums. From 3,000 to 70,000 strong They heard him castigate the New to take U.S. Business out of the "dog house" the New Deal had construct- ed; in Omaha, to call a White House economic parley of farmer, factory- manager, laborer and consumer in an attempt to end economic stagnation, and "prevent a common disaster." they heard him castigate the New Deal for spendthriftiness, inability to solve unemployment, "elaborate economic theories"; quote great Dem- ocratic leaders from Jefferson on to attract "real" Democrats from the Roosevelt sphere. They listened while he pledged "new leadership" in place of New Deal totalitarianism. And they nursed him with applause through a trying spell of hoarseness. Whether or not the people have contemplated more than mere hand- clapping for the Republican nominee is still a matter of Gallup polls. On Sept. 20 the poll's findings gave Roosevelt the lead for the first time: only a 10 per cent margin in the popular vote. but a staggering total of 453 electoral votes to 78. Just 26 days before the electoral margin had been in Willkie's favor: 284 to 247. Further polls have reported that Will- kie is at least 25 per cent stronger than Landon among "independent" voters (estimated one out of every five) : that Roosevelt still holds the farm vote and large cities (over 500,- 000) although in these cities the President's strength is substantially below his vote on election day four years ago: that Willkie is stronger than Landon in every income level, but his gains have been proportion- ately greatest in the upper income groups, smallest in the lowest income groups; that 68 per cent of the elec- torate thinks that Roosevelt will win. Dr. Gallup's advice to Mr. Willkie: Increase strength in the large cities and among voters earning $20 to $50 a week. Independents Form FDR Group Meanwhile in the other corner, "the Champ" did no stumping that could be called such. Outside of plac- ing his prediction on the election in a sealed envelope in his desk, and participating in ground-breaking and cornerstone-laying ceremonies, the President turned over his campaign- ing to Vice-Presidential nominee Wallace and lesser (politically) sup- porters. In Washington an "indepen- dent" movement for Roosevelt got under way, initiated by Thomas (the Cork) Corcoran, White House inti- mate, former special counsel to RFC and other subsidiary government as- signments who resigned to lead the organization. Quick to join up against the man whom Sen. Norris called "the prayer of the utilities monopoly" were big-names from 22 states: Mayor La Guardia of New York; Dr. Franke Graham, president of North Carolina University; James M. Lan- dis, dean of Harvard's Law School; Chase S. Osborn, former Governor of Michigan and University Regent; Freda Kirchwey, editor of "The Na- tion"; Max Lerner, professor of Po- litical Science at Williams Univer- sity; Walter Wanger and Melvin Douglas of Hollywood, etc. Mayor La Guardia will be "national working chairman" of the group, _s I -E 1, WELCOME CLRSS o/1944, . . I If life for you has always been something of a bore, Things from this day on will be brighter, '44. Milk has been the staff of life from way back to this day, So drink up, future grads, and take the only happy way. I 1940 Census Figure Placed At 131,409,881_ The work of 108,700 enumerators came near enough to completion last week to allow Census Bureau II I iii I