4y
12
AL A& AOF
t !J16;wn
rntg
WEATHER
Fair Today with
Continued Coid
. .................... . . .
VOL. LV, No. 44
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, FRIDAY, DEC. 22, 1944
PRICE FIVE CENTS
ZI
DI
Him=
t
11,ULLS
35
ILEb
I
TO
BELGIU
I
I
-*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* *
Soviets Launch PoerfulOffensive On Bud
pest
Nazis'Lines
Shattered
For 40Miles
Reds Attempt to
Strangle Capital
By The Associated Press
LONDON, Dec. 21.-The Germans
announced today that the Red Army,
after nearly two weeks of intense
preparation, had launched a power-
ful offensive along a 40-mile front
southwest of Budapest aimed at
strangling the long-besieged Hun-
garian capital and breaking open the
most direct invasion highway to
Vienna
Soviet shock troops broke through
German lines at several unidentified
points,,Berlin admitted.
Ten Divisions
Marshal Feodor I. Tolbukhin hurl-
ed ten rifle divisions of his Third
Ukraine Army into the attack, moun-
ted between Lake Balaton and the
Danube and immediately threaten -
ing the big junction city of Szekesfe-
hervar, the Berlin radio disclosed. In
this area Tolbukhin's troops are six
or seven miles east and southeast of
Szekesfehervar, and are linked with
elements of Marshal Rodion Y. Mal-
inovsky's Second Ukraine Army,
which two weeks ago smashed across
the Danube just southwest of Buda-
pest's outskirts.
Only a 35-mile are remains to be
closed on the western side of two-
thir encircled Budapest.
Many Bombers
The German high command com-
munique said the resumed offensive
was supported by "many bombers,"
adding that "bitter fighting is in
progress."
The German Army bulletin also
reported that Russian "pressure is
mounting" northwest of Budapest
between the big Manube bend and
the southern frontier of invaded
western Slovakia-another avenue of
invasion toward Vienna, Austrian
capital.
French Present
Peace Program
DeGaulle Says U.S.
Must Take Lead Role
PARIS, Dec. 21-(P-France is de-
termined to help form a world peace
organization in which she expects
the United States to take the leading
role, Gen. Charles DeGaulle told the
consultative assembly today at the
conclusion of a debate on the new,
French-Soviet alliance.
Following a statement from D
Gaulle, chief of the provisional gov-
ernment, on the recent negotiations
leading to the signing of the 20-year
alliance, the assembly approved the
pact which now is ready for ratifica-
tion by the French Cabinet.
"France cannot conceive a victory
without a world security organiza-
tion nor without an alliance with
London," De Gaulle said. "A real
international organization is neces-
sary and in this organization who
could be first in rank if not the Unit-
ed States, whose efforts in the west-
ern theater and in the Pacific are
enormous?" he added.
Ruthven Tells I
Message at
Campus Party
Students Entertain Hill
Auditorium Audience
Guests at the All-Campus Christ-
mas Party held at 8 p. in. yesterday
in Hill Auditorium were greeted by
President Alexander G. Ruthven who
delivered his annual Christmas mes-
sage.
The President addressed his mes-
sage specifically to the students pres-
ent. He urged them to ignore the
teachings of the cynics and the pes-
simists who say that the symbols of
Christmas are but carry over tradi-
tions from our caveman days and are
without real meaning.
"In this time of all times recog-
nition should be given to the signi-
ficance which now attaches to thej
old symbols of the cross, the ever-
green tree, the mistletoe, the holly,
the exchange ofgifts, community
singing and other signs of the
Yule," he said.
President Ruthven added that just
as the cynic is wrong about the mean-
ing of Yuletide symbolism so is he
wrong in declaring that "this war is
an inevitable reaction of our animal
nature" and that "armed agression
and mass murder are unavoidable."
"Peace is the happy natural
state of man"; President Ruthven
said. "War is his corruption, his
disgrace and the tragedy now be-
eing enacted a horrible consequence
of ignoring the commandments of
the Great Teacher who said 'Love
one another as I have Loved you.'''
The Christmas Message was con-
cluded with a demand that students
rededicate their lives "to the end
heralded at the birth of the Prince
of Peace, "Peace on earth, good will
to men."
The Christmas Party, sponsored by
the Union Executive Council, was an
attempt to unite students and facul-
ty members in a fellowship of Christ-
mas spirit.
The Women's Glee Club, directed
by Miss Margurite Hood, .of the
School of Music and featuring Mar-
ilyn Watt, Ruth MacNeal, Jean Gil-
man and Arlene Peugot as soloists,
sang "Glory to God In the Highest"
and "White Christmas." Beverly
Sowle was the accompanist.
The Navy Choir with Sam Cars-
well, A-S USNR, Eugene Malitz, A-S
USNR, and Al Henness, A-S USNR
as a special trio, sang the first two
verses "Silent Night" and were then
joined by the Glee Club and the
audience on a repetition of the first
verse. The Choir also sang "Joy To
the World". Prof. Leonard Meretta,
of the School of Music, is the director
of the Choir.
Five Navy V-12 men known as
"Foo Foo Fenner's Five" entertained
party guests with a rendition of
"Jingle Bells". Other selections of
the band were "White Christmas,"
"Honeysuckle Rose" and "Blue
Heaven." Members of the band in-
clude leader Joe Fenner, A-S USNR,
Don Rambacher, A-S USNR, Skip
Skillman, A-S USNR, Hal Jackson,
A-S USNR and J. McKelvy, A-S
USNR.
Ka
Germans Smash
'VtalAlliedRoads
American, British Troops Involved
In Greatest Battle of Present Crisis
By The Associated Press
PARIS, Dec. 21-The unchecked German winter offensive rolled 32
miles through Belgium and slashed a vital Allied highway 18 miles south
of the Belgian fortress of Liege in what was described today as the greatest
battle involving German or British troops in this war.
A second and equally menacing drive swung southwestward and
rumbled three-fourths of the way across the tiny duchy of Luxemnbourg to
a point 48 miles from Sedan at the French frontier. Vanguards were 10
miles from the Belgian road center of Bastogne,
Only on the flanks in Luxembourg * * *
NEW STATE DEPARTMENT AIDES TAKE OATH S--Associate Justice Stanley Reed of the U. S.
Supreme Court (left) administers the oath of office to Undersecretary of State Joseph C. Grew (hand
upraised) in ceremony at State Department, Washington, as Assistant Secretaries look on. They are
(left to right) William L. Clayton, Archibald MacLeish, Nelson Rockefeller, and James C. Dunn. Brig.
Gen. Julius C. Holmes, another Assistant Secretary, was not present.
Womien's War Council Will
Hold New Year's Eve Party
Members of the Women's War
Councilhave invited all students to
attend the New Year's Eve celebra-
tion to be held Dec. 31-Jan. 1 in the
League.
Music, movies, games, a floor show
and food will be included in the
varied bill of entertainment offered
by the War Council assisted by the
Union Executive Council.
"The Scarlet Pimpernel" starring
Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon will
be shown at 8:30 p.m. and at 11:15
p.m. in the Lydia Mendelssohn Thea-
tre. Mortar Board, senior women's
honor society, will be in charge of the
theatre. Bette Willemin, Harriet
Fishel and Natalie Mattern will sup-
ervise the project.
Juke Box
The Ballroom will be furnished
with a juke box and a coke bar by
Assembly and Panhellenic, headed by
'Col kWeather
May End Soon
By The Associated Press
Early respite from the season's
coldest weather was predicted last
night by the Weather Bureau as a
large part of the nation shivered in a
frigid blast accompanying the begin-1
ning of winter's solstice at 7:15 p. m.
Revising earlier temperature fore-
casts, the bureau said midwest ther-
mometers would record top read-
ings of about 20 degrees above zero
today and that tonight's lows in the
midwest would be around 12 de-
grees above. These figures were from
5 to 10 degrees warmer than pre-
viously indicated.
Florine Wilkins and Margaret Lau-
bengayer. For those who prefer other
forms of entertainment there will
be fortune tellers Bethine Clark and
Peggy Goodin and games set up byj
the Union and Junior Girls Project.
A student-talent floor show will be
presented at 11:15 p.m. in the Ball-
room. Eleanor Mellert, Lady Magi-
cian, will display some of her most
complicated sleight-of-hand acts.
Beverly Wittan and Dorothy Murzek
will do a specialty dance act and
coeds from Alpha Chi Omega will do
their skit, "I Walked Home from the
Buggy Ride." Members of the Wo-
men's Glee Club will sing a few selec-
tions. Pat Coulter, Shelby Dietrich,
Jean Gilman and Ruth Edberg have
arranged for the entertainment.
Grill Room Open
The League grill room will be open
during the entire evening under the
supervision of Dean of Women Alice
Lloyd, her assistant Mrs. Mary C.
Bromage and Miss Ethel MacCor-
mick, director of coed undergraduate
activities. House directors from coed
dormitories will act as waitresses.
The grill room will be appropriately
decorated for New Year's. Mary
Anne Jones assisted by Joan Pullam,
Miss Wilkins and Miss Laubengayer
will be in charge of decorations.
Students Favor
Conlinuation of
Present FEPC
Results of the drive conducted
Wednesday by the Inter-Racial Asso-
ciation in favor of the establishment
of a permanent Fair Employment
Practices Committee indicate that
students favor the FEPC by a ratio
of two to one.
Four hundred students signed the
petitions, which were distributed by
IRA and Michigan Youth for Demo-
cratic Action. Petitions will be sent
to the Senate urging the establish-
ment of a permanent governmntal
committee to do away with racial
and religious discrimination in indu-
stry.
When asked "Are you in favor of
the establishment of a permanent or-
ganization to do away with racial
discrimination in industry," 286 stu-
dents voted "Yes," while 61 voted
"No."
163 "Yes" votes and 177 "No" votes
were tabulated in the second ques-
tion: "Do you favor coercive meas-
Students Leave
For Christmas
Vacation Today
With pre-war 20-day Christmas
vacations and New Year's Day at
home only a memory, Michigan stu-
dents will leave campus today at the
end of their last class for an abbre-
viated five-day recess.
The third war-time University
holiday will see the students back
in Ann Arbor for their first class
Thursday morning. Michigan stu-
dents will attend classes New Year's
Day for the third straight year.
New School Year
The shortened vacation, adopted
in line with the academic accelera-
tion program of the three-term year,
utilizes all the time available under
the new school year," a University
spokesman said.
Earlier campus rumors suggested
that the vacation might be extended
but the University spiked student
hopes for a protracted recess when
it was revealed that it would be "ut-
terly impossible to find more time in
the year."
Special Sections
Special sections of east and west
bound trains will be run today to
help "haul the holiday traffic," lo-
cal Michigan Central Railroad offi-
cials said yesterday.
Additional sections include two
sections (instead of one) of the 1:31
p. in. Mercury to Chicago and two
sections each of the 3:36 p. m. and
the 6:11 p. m. eastbound trains to
New York. Additional sections of
the eastbound will run as far as
Buffalo.
Scotching widespread rumors,
MCR agents said that the ticket
sale is being continued and will
probably be "heaviest just before
train time."
MORE ARITHMETIC:
on the south and in the Malmedy-
Stavelot sector on the north had the
German advance been halted. One
enemy armored spearhead, the bulk
of a Panzer division, was being
ground to bits in a trap of steel near
Stavelot.
Initiative Is Enemy's
The initiative remained definitely
in the hands of the enemy. Supreme
Headquarters, reporting German ad-
vanced positions as of noon Tuesday,
gave no hint that the drives had
spent their momentum.
Many American formations have
been badly mauled, supplies have
been consumed and lost, and the
doughboys in the trenches see in the
German drive a reverse which may
prolong the war many months.
Allied Counterblow
One American counterblow on the
north narrowed by nine miles the
55-mile wide neck of the German
bulge into Belgium and Luxembourg.
The valiant fight of the doughboys,
a U. S. First Army staff officer de-
clared, had bought time in which
countermeasures to check the Ger-
man rush could be prepared.
(A German broadcast, declaring
five Allied divisions had been com=-
pletely smashed and that seven oth-
ers were in retreat, asserted the
"steamroller offensive" was driving
toward the Meuse Valley, which is
some 35 miles west of advanced en-
emy positions reported today.
(One Berlin military commentator
said the Third Army had rushed up
into southern Luxembourg.)
Workers Fined
For Striking
DETROIT, Dec. 21-(P)-Nearly
500 members of the United Rubber
Workers of America (CIO), each fin-
ed $12.50 for violating the union's
stringent no-strike pledge by parti-
cipating in' a three-day strike last
October, awaited tonight for a dis-
missal threat to be carried out.
The workers, among an original
1,000 penalized for ignoring a union
back-to-work order in a walkout at
the U. S. Rubber Company, failed
to pay the fine at the deadline at
midnight Wednesday.
Robert H. Hill, union international
representative, said the matter now
rests solely in the hands of Sherman
H. Dalrymple, of Akron, O., union
president.
WAR A7TA GLANCE
By The Assoiated Press.
WESTERN FRONT-Uncheck-
ed German offensive rolls 32 miles
through Belgium. Fog shrouds
front, V-2 bombs continue to rain
down.
RUSSIAN FRONT - Germans
announce Reds launching new
drive along 40-mile front south-
west of Budapest.
PACIFIC FRONT - American
warplanes have another air base
from which to hit Jap shipping in
Philippines.
German Drive
Leads to New
U.S. War Plans
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.- Ger-
many's powerful counter-offensive
led government officials tonight to
resurvey arms production plans on
the basis that heavy fighting may
continue in Europe for a year or
longer.
Against this dark possibility, how-
ever, Secretary of War Stimson set
another-the possibility that the war
may be "definitely shortened" if the
Nazi effort can be crushed.
But even if the Stimson-foreseen
possibility should prove true, it ap-
peared certain that the present
rate of arms production mi t be
stepped up because of the enor-
mous losses of materiel in the cur-
rent heavy fighting. This would
mean further delay in increasing
production of civilian good's.
WPB Chairman J. A. Krug told a
news conference that "greatly in-
creased demands on production"
would result from the Nazi counter-
thrust.
"If General Eisenhower had been
able to break through the west-
wall promptly, the equipment we
had under procurement would
have been sufficient," he said.
Yanks Occupy
Midoro Base
Battle of Leyte Almost
Over, Says MacArthur
PHILIPPINES, Dec. 22, Friday-
(P)-American warplanes are now
using the Mindoro Island airdrome,
giving them another base from which
to harass Japanese shipping and
supply lines in the battle for libera-
tion of the Philippines.
The 10th and 24th American Army
corps have formed a junction in the
Ormoc corrdor of Leyte Island, a
headquarters communique said to-
day.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur reported
Wednesday that the battle for Leyte
was almost at an end.
Japanese planes continued their
harassment of the Americans on
Mindoro Island, and the Yanks shot
down 11 of 29 enemy raiders Wed-
nesday.
Remnants of the shattered enemy
forces on Leyte were attempting
futilely to flee across the Ormo
highway to the island's west coast,
where lies Palompon, their last port
OFFICIALS MEET:
Improved Voting Techniques
CAMPUS EVENTS
Today Christmas vacation starts
at 5 p. m.
Today Michigan Technic goes on
sale.
Dec. 23 Wolverine cagers take on
Wyoming in the seventh
game of the current seas-
on at 7:30 p. m. at Yost
Field House.
Dec. 28 Classes resume at 8 a. m.
Dec. 29 Prof. Mentor Williams
will speak on "What the
Big Three Conference
'MR r"A tf 'Rn n m_ at
New Modes of Math Instruction
Studied by Policy Commission
Seven recommendations, designed
to improve the state's voting mech-
anism, will be submitted tothe 1945
Michigan legislature, Mrs. Luella M.
Smith, Washtenaw County Clerk said
yesterday.
The recommendations are the re-
sult of a recent meeting of the Mi-
chigan Association of County Clerks'
Election Study Committee.
Solves Election Problems
Mrs. Smith, a member of the new-
ly-formed Study Committee, termed
the creation of a state election com-
sation with the full-time director re-
ceiving a salary. Michigan's secre-
tary of state would act as chair-
man of the group.
Proposals Include
In addition to the first recom-
mendation, Study Committee propos-
als include:
1. Enactment of legislation to
conduct elections at a uniform time
throughout the state.
2. Elimination of voter registra-
tionn el etion dav
In a recent conference of the Post-
War Policy Commission attended by
Dr. Raleigh Shorling, head of the
Department of Mathematics in the
University High School, plans were
made for the publication of the sec-
ond report of the group to be issued
in May in the "Mathematics Teach-
er."
The second report of the group will
concern improved teaching of arith-
metic: functional competency in
The main purposes of the Com-
mission which was formed by the
Board of Directors of the National
Council of Teachers is to suggest and
study various phases of mathematics
which have developed through tests
offered by the Army and Navy and
to further the study of mathematics
throughout schools.
This program plans to utilize the
experience derived from the mathe-
matic training programs of the