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IIwl1 In V Ii1O1 lO MI'IIIAl11 IIIV

VOL. LIV, No. 41 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, DEC. 19, 1943

PRICE FIVE CENTS

American

Sixth

Army Seizes

mtingalu


FDR Moves
To Halt Start
Of Rail Strike
Brotherhood Leaders,
Management To Hold
White House Meeting
By HAROLD W. WARD
Associated Press Correspondent
WA INGTON, Dec. 18.-Presi-
dent RIsevelt, seeking to head off a
nationwide railroad strike scheduled
to a~gin December 30, will confer
withleaders of the five operating
brothprhoods and representatives of
maiement at a White House con-
fe ie tomorrow.
hile the unusual Sunday confer-
ene called by the President was 11-
mited on the labor side to the oper-
ating unions whose members have
voted overwhelmingly to strike, it
was watched with interest by the 15
non-operating unions which likewise
are in the middle of a knotty wage
dispute. (The operating employes
run the trains; the non-operating
men are shopmen, clerks, etc.)
The President's action in calling
the conference so promptly after his
return to the White House yesterday
from the Cairo-Teheran talks gave
an indication that he regards the
possibility of a paralyzing transporta-
tion tie-up as of pressing concern.
Besides the -heads of the operating
unions--A.' Whitney of the Rail-
road Trainmen, D.B. Robertson of the
F~remen and Enginemen, Alvanley
(CQ) Johnston of the Locomotive
Engineers, H.F. Fraser of the Rail-
way Conductors and T.C. Cashen of
the Switchmen-Mr. Roosevelt sum-
moned the Carriers' Wage Conference
Committees set up for the three ma-
Jor geographical divisions, east, west
and southeast-
Dr. Emerson
To GWe Second
Health Lecture
Dr. Haven Emerson, Professor
Emeritus of Public Health Practice
at Columbia University, will deliver
the second in a series of dedicatorial
addresses of the School of Public
Health at 4 p.m. tomorrow, its the
auditorium of the school.
Because of the war, the lecture se-
ries are taking the place of a formal
opening of the Public Health build-
ing. Surgeon Gen. Thomas Parran of
the United States Public Health Ser-
vice was the first speaker in the se-
ries.
Born in New York City 69 years
ago, Dr. Enerseon has had a pheno-
minal career in the field of public
health work. He was graduated from
Harvard University in 1896 and re-
ceived his A.M. three years later at
Columbia University.

Betio

Islet, Scene of Heaviest Fighting in Battle for

Tarawa

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This aerial view of Betio Islet, part of the Tarawa atoll which American Marines took from the Jap-
anese, was made after the battle. Pier projecting from the islet was the scene of heaviest fighting.

WAC RECRUIT SHOW':
Col. Hobby To Headline Drive
Jan. 10 in Hill Auditorium


By BETTY ROTH
Co. Oveta Culp Hobby, national
director of. WAC's, will headline the
Michigan Recruiting Show to be pre-
sented on Jan., 10 in Hill Auditorium
together with prominent screen and
radio starts, Henry Barnes, Jr., exe-
cutive officer of the local civilian
WAC recruiting committee, an-
nounced yesterday.
The pressure of an important as-
signment made it impossible for Col.
Hobby to be present on Dec. 29, the
originally scheduled date, and the
program has been postponed to ac-
comodate her and to enable the Army
to make more extensive arrange-
meats for the show, Barnes said.
The later date will make it possible
for the Army to bring, a top army
band, a large contingent of WAC's
from nearby posts, and a display of
mechanized equipment, including the
new bazooka gun, tanks and jeeps.
Maj. Gen. Henry S. Aurand, 6th
service command, Chicago. Col. S.
D. Ringdorf, 1st district, 6th service
command, Detroit; Mrs. James Ken-
nedy, Michigan state director of civ-
ilian WAC recruiting; Col. Hobby and
Mayor Lee Young, Ann Arbor, made'
the decision to change the date lastj
week in conference with Mr. Barnes.
Tom Harmon
Writes .Parents
Of Recovery
In the first letter to his parents
since he was reported missing in ac-
tion October 30 near Kiukiang, Lt.
Tom Harmon said he is recovering in
a base hospital somewhere in China.
"My old pep and zip aren't with me
as yet, but rest will return it in a
hurry," Tom said in the letter writ-
ten December 7, which was received
by his parents yesterday afternoon.
"At present I am at the base hospi-
tal," he wrote. "What they sent me
back here for is beyond me; my burns
are darn near healed so they put me
in for a general checkup."
Harmon, twice-honored All-Ameri-
can grid star at the University, did
not mention any details of the bomb-
ing attack on which he was downed,
or his subsequent rescue by Chinese
guerillas.
Speaking of a letter he recently re-
ceived from Fr. Francis McPhillips of
St. Mary's Chapel, Harmon related,
that Fr. McPhillips had jokingly of-
fered him "my old job of ushering."
"I can't imagine any job I'd rather
have, especially on Christmas Day,
but I'll have to postpone it until next
Christmas. Maybe this mess will be
over by then and we'll be together,"
he wrote.
Partisans Smash
Back Nazi Offensive
LONDON, Dec. 18.-(A)-The Yu-
goslav Partisan Army declared today
that it had smashed back the Sixth
f a rvn r ~sn~ a _ __ _ _ i"O ;

Gov. Harry Kelly and Senator
Homer Ferguson will speak, as orig-
inally announced, and the dinner in
honor of the governor will be given at
this later date. Invitations to some
60 local, state and national guests
are being sent out this week.
Maj. Gen. Aurand has appointed
Maj. Wayne King, of the Public Re-
lations office in the 6th service com-
mand, Chicago, to direct the show.
He will arrive in Ann Arbor on Jan-
uary 2 to begin work on the produc-
tion.
See WACs, p. 5
National
News Briefs .. .
By The Associated Press
Life of CCC Extended .. .
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18. - Stop-
gap legislation was sent to the White
House today extending the life of the
Commodity Credit Corporation until
February 17, thereby postponing a
Congressional decision on continuing
food subsidies.
The Senate voted unanimously for
the legislation. The House agreed
today to a compromise extending.
the life of the Commodity Credit
Corporation to February 17, thus
postponing until that date a show-
down on the question of outlawing
food subsidies.
F.D.R. Plugs Leaks ...
WASHINGTON, - Dec. 18.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt, taking stern meas-
ures' to prevent leaks of important
war information, today directed the
War and Navy Secretaries and the
Director of the office of War Inform-
ation to refuse to issue in advance,
for release to the public at a future
hour, any news having a security val-
ue.
"The American people," he said in
a memorandum, "want promptly all
the news which can be told safely,
and they are entitled to have it with-
out the interposition of artificial
barriers."
Congress To Adjourn ...
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18. - House
concurrence in a resolution already
approved by the Senate assured to-
day the final adjournment of the
first session of the 78th Congress at
the end of business next Tuesday.
. :
Soldier Vote Denounced
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18.-A band
of 25 House lawmakers today de-
nounced a Senate-passed bill, giving
the states-rather than the federal
government-supervision over soldier
voting next November, as a "substi-
tute for democracy" and a "slap in
the face "for those in the armed
forces.
Marshall To Stay at Post

Yanks Close
Pincers on
Road to Rome
Hand-to-Hand Fighting
Continues in Struggle
For Italian Village
By WES GALLAGHER
Associated Press Correspondent
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, AL-
GIERS, Dec. 18.-American infantry,
the jaws of a Fifth Army pincers
movement, closed in tonight on a seg-
ment of the Cassino-Rome road in
the area of the bitterly-contested vil-
lage of San Pietro, seven miles south-r
east of Cassino, which is virtually
surrounded.
On the inland side of the Cassino-
Rome road the battle for San Pietro
roared through its second day of
hand-to-hand conflict.
On the south side of the road, Am-
erican doughboys composing the one
jaw of the pincers ripped and tore at
the Nazi defense bastions on 1,000-
foot Mount Lungo.
So determined were the Germans
to hold this important gateway to the
Cassino plain that they threw their
Fifth Mountain Division into the
struggle for the hill positions. An Al-
lied military commentator said this
division had come from Russia re-
cently.
Farther inland from the San Pie-
tro battle area other Fifth Army units
were disclosed to have taken Lagone,
a 2,000-foot mountain village west of
Filignano, after hard street fighting.
The British Eighth Army on the
See ITALY, p. 3
Jap Offensive
In China Rice
Bowl Defeated
U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE HEAD-
QUARTERS IN CHINA, Dec. 17.-(P)
-The Japanese campaign to capture
the "rice bowl" in Central China
has cost them a "decisive defeat" to-
ward which the American and Chin-I
ese Air Forces contributed material-
ly, Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chennault,
Commander of the U.S. 14th Air
Force, said today.
"I believe our planes inflicted con-
siderable casualties on the enemy in
addition to holding up the withdraw-
al of the invaders by bombing the
towns through which they passed,"
he said.
The Japanese now are trying to ex-
tricate some 10,000 troops from the
Tungting battle area, he continued.
Chennault disclosed that the Am-
erican fliers in vigorously supporting
the Chinese ground forces had des-
troyed 31 Japanese planes, 25 of them
on the ground, during the week end-
ing yesterday. He listed also 14 prob-
ably destroyed and 28 damaged. The
14th Air Force lost four fighters in
the air, one on the ground and two
medium bombers were damaged. Only
one American airman was lost.
Public Invited

Russians Make
Gains Around
Kirovograd
1,400 Nazis Killed
As Red Troops Near
Latvian Borderline
i -.
By JAMES M. LONG
Associated Press Correspondent
LONDON, Sunday, Dec. 19.-Rus-
sian forces in the southern Ukraine
have captured several enemy strong-
points, killed 1,400 Nazis and wrecked
28 enemy tanks in the Kirovograd
area, Moscow announced today, while
Berlin admitted a breakthrough by
250,000 Russian troops storming
westward in the Nevel area 70 miles
from the Latvian border.
The Russians, mentioning only the
Kirovograd front in their midnight
communique broadcast from Moscow
and recorded here by the Soviet Mon-
itor, said German counter-attacks in
this area failed. The Germans re-
treated in some areas abandoning
large quantities of equipment and
stores, it added.
ButdCol. Ernst Von Hammer, Ber-
lin radio commentator, said the Rus-
sians broke through the German lines
in the Nevel area in a drive from two
directions by, 17 infantry, cavalry and
artillery divisions and two tank corps.
He admitted the Germans had
"shortened their front after grim bat-
tles lasting several hours."
The Russians have never acknow-
ledged attacking in this area despite
German claims since last Monday
that 60,000 Russians plus three talk
brigades had plunged out in an of-
fensive which began south of Nevel
and spread to the west and north-
west.
Special 't rain
To Run East.
For Students,
In an attempt to alleviate the last
minute student rush for trains Tues-
day. afternoon, the New York Central
railroad is planning to run a second
section of the 3:36 train going east,
it was learned yesterday.
It is expected that the bulk of the
University's 6,000 civilian students
will be leaving Ann Arbor Tuesday,
and the railroad is asking every co-
operation to avoid last year's "melee"
at the station.
These specific suggestions were
made:
1. If possible, take trains early in
the day.
2. Check baggage through at
least a day ahead of time.

Aware Raid Leader

Capt. Edward Wright, Jr.,
(above), of Dallas, Tex., led the
bold commando raid on Arawe Pen-
insula, New Britain.
Father Draft'
To Be Extended
Greatly by July
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18. -(P)-
Selective Service disclosed tonight
that 50,565 fathers had been drafted
during October and November and
estimated 20 times that number must
be inducted by July 1 to meet the
needs of the armed forces.
About 2,000,000 men will be called
up by July 1 and 1,000,000 of them
will be taken from the fewer than
5,000,000 draft-eligible father still
with their families on Dec. 1.
Making public the father draft fig-
ures for the first time, the agency
disclosed that1,418,333tpre-Pearl
Harbor fathers were classified 1-A in
October and November, but about
1,000,000 of these had obtained occu-
pational deferments.
The fathers to be called are to
come from 427,088 presently re-
classified to 1-A but not yet called
and 4,483,604 still in class 3-A. but
subect to reclassification.
Coal Produc ers,
Sign Contract
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18. -(I)-
United Mine Workers of America
headquarters asserted today that a
number of companies affiliated with
the Southern Coal Producers Associ-
ation had signed, or signified inten-
tion to sign, the new wage contract
accepted yesterday by John L. Lewis
and more than two-thirds of the soft
coal industry.
The southern association, headed
by Edward R. Burke, and represent-
ing about 165,000,000 tons annual
production, was the most important
group declining to go along with the
proposed agreement when northern,
western and Alabama operators ac-
[cepted the terms.

3. Purchase tickets ahead of tra
time.
4. Use the special section if p:
sible.
According to ODT regulat
there will be no other special sect
running either east or west andz
road officials have asked that
dents travel light and cooperat
every instance."
ILLNESS SUBSIDES:
I ,1

in
s-
ions,
tions
rail-
'stu-
e at

Allies Take $
Settlement
Gun Positions
Possible Enemy Retrea
Line Cut; U.S. Soldiers
Suffer Heavy Losses
ADVANCE ALLIED HEADQUAR4b
TERS IN NEW GUINEA, SundaW.
Dec. 19.--IP)-U.S. Sixth Army 1.
vaders of New Britain have captured
Umtingalu settlement and its gun p
sitions which had prevented the only
American unit from obtaining its ob-
jective during Wednesday's landings
near Arawe, General MacArthur an..
nounced today.
It was on a reef off Umtingalu,
whose fall represents an invasion gal4
of around three miles, that a group
of soldiers, many of them Texans,
suffered heavy losses Wednesday
while trying to land there and cut
the possible line of enemy retreat.
Thunderbolts Outnumbered
The American ground troops fan-
ned out east and northeast of their
original beachhead against slight and
ineffective opposition by snipers while
Thunderbolt patrols beat off a force
of 25 divebombers and 15 Zeros Fri
day. The outnumbered Thunderbolts
downed seven divebombers and two
Zeros. Another enemy plane was
downed at nearby gape Gloucester oz
the island's western tip.
These 10 losses were added to i
others inflicted on enemy raiders the
day after landing. So effectively have
Allied fighter patrols covered the 4*-
awe beachhead during daylight t&ib
the Japanese early Friday resortedto
raids before dawn, making 12 1gt
unsuccessful bombing and stra -
attacks.
Few Japanese Found
The Americans found few Japanee
alive or dead around Arawe but cap-
tured three 75 mm. guns, rations, gun
racks and ammunition dumps. a-
we, 260. miles southwest of New Bi-
tain't richest prize, the fortress .f
Rabaul, is an important point oct
enemy's barge supply-rottte aI l
southern coast. -
Iii ther Northern Solonpnst United
States troops which have held a.
See UMTINGALU, p.3
Choral Union
Will Present a
'Messiah' Today
The "Messiah," Handel's wel-
known religious oratorio, written In
the latter part of the composer's life,
will be presented by 310 Choral Union
members, four eminent New York a(d
Chicago artists, a special orchestra
of 50 pieces, Palmer Christian at t$ie
organ, under the direction of Hardin
Van Deursen, at 3 p.m. today in Hill
Auditorium.
Handel composed this great Work
for a special Dublin performance,
taking the text from the.Bible. He
completed the oratorio in September,
1741, at the time he was becoming
blind and paralyzed. The latter years
of his life were devoted entirely to
the composition of an uninterruptl'
series of oratorios which poured out
the fullness of his genius in complete
expression.
He gave a new, independent cha-
acter to the oratorio form by adapt-
ing it to English words. After the
first performance of the "Messiah,"
his authority was uncontested. An
annual presentation of the "Messlal"
was held for the benefit of a found.
ling's home.

A few tickets for the performance
this afternoon will be on sale at 2 p.m.
in the box office of Hill Auditorium.
tud entsTo.,Fill
.0lood'Quota,.
"The Washtenaw County Blood
Bank quota for the month of January
of 550 people will be met entirely by
University students," Roy Boucher,
co-chairman of the Union War Acti-
vities Committee announced yester-
day.
"Of the 550 students, 300 will be
men and 200 of these are expected to
come from the V-1 2 unit nn onamnm"

During the next 18 years he was a
demonstrator of physiology at Col-
umbia, a regular physician at State
Hospital, N.Y., and a deputy commis-
sioner of the Department of Health in
New York City.
In 1914, he was appointed commis-
sioner of health and president of the
Board of Health of the state. Five
years later, he was made medical ad-
visor and director of the Bureau of
War Risk Insurance of the U.S. De-
partment of the Treasury.
During World War I he served as
colonel in the Medical Corps of the
Army. He was expert statistician for
the League of Nations in 1927.
Dr. Emerson is a Chevalier of the
Legion d'honneur, and a recipient of
the Silver Medal of France for his
work in epidemiology.
Bob Westfall
Gets Discharge
. Bob Westfall, star fullback from
1939 to 1941 and captain of his team
his last year here, received an hon-
orable discharge for physical reasons
from the Army Air Forces, it was
learned yesterday.
Westfall was studying radio com-
munications at Scott Field, Ill. His
dischargesrbnaeifies that he is suffer-

A~1 * 0 (.'~ 40

Churchill Passes Crisis aaety;
Believed on Way to Recovery

LONDON, Dec. 18.--(P)-Prime
Minister Churchill was believed safe-l
ly past the crisis of his illness tonight
as a bulletin issued from 10 Downing'
Street announced the British states-+
man's "temperature -is subsiding and
the pneumonia is resolving."

Winston Churchill

There was still some uneasiness
here over the fact that the bulletin
cited "some irregularity of pulse,"
This was because it has been noted
Churchill is being attended by a
heart specialist in his present illness,
although he required only his regular
physicians during his previous attack
of pneumonia in London last Feb-
ruary.
However, it was not hoped that,
barring a relapse, he would be con-
valescent by Christmas and able to
return from the Middle East within
a few weeks, contrary,to earlier re-
ports which indicated the Prime Mn-
ister might be forced to remain away
several months.
With Mrs. Churchill at his bedside
at a secret location somewhere in the
Middle East, it was said he insisted
on keeping in touch with the latest
developments on the Russian, Italian
and far Pacific battlefronts and had
given a strict order that his illness
should not interfere with or delay
-- - - -oocrnr -i rn ,f.a m a r-. n