mfawwl,
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WEATHER
Fair and Cooler
VOL. LIV No. 26-S ANN ARBOR, MIChIGAN WEDNESDAY, AUG. 9, 1944
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Canadians Strike
Within 110
Mi. of Paris
- - - ---------- - ------- -
Five War
Plants Are
Idle Again
Strikers in Detroit
Ignore WLB Order
By The Associated Press
DETROIT, Aug. 8.-Five General
Motors war plants, active for but a
day after 11'days of strike, remained
idle tonight without assurance of an
early resumption of production de-
spite a new back-to-work order from
the regional War Labor Board.
Dissatisfied with Order r
Dissatisfied with the board order
because it failed to direct the rein-
statement of seven fired employes,
Walter P. Reuther, vice-president of
the UAW-CIO, 7,000 of whose mem-
bers struck again today at plants
of GM's Chevrolet gear and axle
division, appealed tonight to the
national WLB.
In a telegram to William H. Davis,
national WLB chairman, Reuther
urged the board to immediately dir-
ect GM "to comply with a directive
of. the regional WLB and restore
discharged workers to their jobs so
that war production may be re-
sumed . .-"
The appeal was made following a
heated show cause hearing at which
corporation and union accused each
other of bad faith in their attitude
toward the company-union contract
and the board's order which ended
last week's strike. Reuther charged
the regional board with "hedging."
Strike Called 'Crime'
In firing the seven for their "lead-
ership" in the strike, General Mo-
tors said "strikes like this dre indus-
trial crimes" and declared that
"those responsible must be held ac-
countable or our country faces in-
dustrial anarchy."
On .its..,yta the . union ..aecused
General Motors of "using every pre-
text" to undermine the UAW-CIO
at this time "in the hope of destroy-
ing its power in the post-war peri-
od." The fired employes were all
leaders in local 235, UAW-CIO, with
which the Chevrolet employes are
affiliated.
Reuther said the Board's back-to-
work order would be relayed on to
the strikers. Sources close to the
union, however, said there was no
certainty that the membership would
give it immediate adherence.
Plants Produce Parts
The struck plants produce parts
for Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines.
The seven fired employes, among
them President Nestor Dessy of Local
235, were discharged because they
"fermented" the earlier strike, Gen-
eral Motors said. When the seven
came to plant gates yesterday, they
were denied admittance. The second
walkout followed.
Union officials took the position
that last week's Board directive pro-
tected anyone against discharge. The
dispute had its inception in increased
productin rates, and the UAW-
CIO and General Motors disagreed
over whether the increases had been
made in conformity with the con-
tract.
New President
Of Sphinx Is
Hank Mantho
Hank Mantho, '46, Alliance, O.,
was unanimously elected president
of Sphinx at a meeting held Satur-
day in the Michigan Union.
Sphinx is Michigan's junior hon-
orary society for outstanding Wol-
verine men.
Mantho succeeds ex - president
George Kraeger, who is now in mid-
Social committee chairmen Be
Bowman and Dave Loewenberg
request that all ex-Sphinx mem-
bers planning to attend the party
Aug. 19 should notify either chair-
man or any of the present mem-
bers in Sphinx.
shipman training at Notre Dame.
Robert Nussbaumer, secretary -
treasurer of last year, retained his
old position.
Nussbaumer has received letters
in track, baseball and football, while
STRAY BOMBS HIT ALLIED TROOPS:
3,500 Planes Strike Nazi Positions
By The Associated Press
LONDON, Wednesday, Aug. 9-
More than 3,500 planes smashed at
German front positions in strong
support of ground troops driving
toward Paris, but the tremendous
effect of the aerial barrage was mar-
red by a report that some of the
bombs were unloaded on Allied
troops.
Waves of U. S. heavy bombers, in
a violent, heavy smash, tore the Ger-
mans loose from their bristling de-
fenses below Caen, opening the space
for Canadian tanks to lead the drive,
after 1,000 RAF heavies had soft-
ened the same positions 14 hours
before.
Hit Own Troops
The American heavies stabbed
through heavy flak, intense as any
encountered over Europe, some
bombers, including the lead plane
which controlled the bombing of one
formation, dropped their explosives
among Allied troops, causing casual-
ties.
The incident recalled another un-
fortunate occurrence July 25, when
the Americans opened their offensive
in the path of 1,500 American heavy
bombers. Their targets distorted by
rolling smoke and dust clouds, the
bombers dropped five per cent of
their explosives on Allied positions.
Nazi Planes Doomed
Thirteen Fortresses and Liberators
Lectures in
Akiya's Series
Are Postponed
In order to avoid "any disunity .. .
which might affect our war effort,"
Karl Akiya, oriental languages in-
structor, canceled his scheduled lec-
ture last Monday night on the topic
"Pearl Harbor and Relocation.".
Because of this action, the Inter
Racial Association which was spon-
soring the series "The History of
Anti-Japanese Prejudice in This
Country" announced yesterday that
the remaining lectures have been
"postponed indefinitely."
"It is unfortunate that the lectures
had to be cancelled and we hope that
they may be resumed in the future,"
Margaret Stevens, chairman of IRA,
said.
In a statement to The Daily, Mr.
Akiya said, "When the present mis-
understanding is cleared and we can
again meet together to discuss prob-
lems facing Japanese Americans ob-
jectively, I shall be most happy to
participate."
Following is the full text of Prof.
Akiya's statement;
"Because of the furor created by
my last lecture, and because of ad-
vices from my friends, I deemed it
advisable to cancel my lecture sched-
uled for Monday evening. I- have
done this because I do not wish to
create any disunity, racial or other-
wise, which might affect our war ef-
fort here. As far as myself is con-
cerned, I would not have permitted
this situation to interfere with my
right to speak. However, realizing
that this may create other undesir-
able situations, I have decided to
wait for a more opportune time.
"When the present misunder-
standing is cleared and we can again
meet together to discuss problems
facing Japanese-Americans object-
ively, I shall be most happy to parti-
cipate."
were missing from today's attack and
13 of the fighter escort were lost.
Ten of the bombers fell in the Caen
sector, where the bombers hovered
in a sky blackened 10 to 15 minutes
by flak. Four enemy planes were
shot down and one destroyed on the
ground.
Marauders and Havocs of the
ninth air force concentrated on seven
bridges in the Paris-Reims-Amiens
area while late in the afternoon RAF
Halifaxes bombed flying rocket in-
stallations in northern France.
RAF torpedo-carrying Beaufight-
ers attacked a German convoy of 14
Germans Hang
Eight Officers
For Treason
Five Others Will Be
Tried in Nazi Purge
, LONDON, Aug. 8.- P)- Berlin
broadcasts announced that eight ex-
pelled army officers were hanged
today upon conviction of treason in
the Hitler assassination attempt and
that five others remained to be tried.
The official German broadcasts
said those hanged were Field Mar-
shal Erwin Von Witzleben and seven
co-conspirators who confessed to
participating in the bomb plot to
kill Hitler July 20 and surrender
Germany to the Allies.
Deaths Total 16
The executions brought' to 16 the
total of officially announced deaths
in connection with the plot.
Five of the defendants requested
death before firing squads but this
"privilege" was refused, and all were
hanged within two hours after a
red-robed "people's court" convicted
them at conclusion of a two-day trial
that developed a taleof a vast in-
trigue against Hitler stemming from
the dissatisfaction of high officers
with his military procedure.
Berlin's official account of the
hangings named those killed as Von
Witzleben, the chief defendant,
Maj.-Gen. Erich Hoeppner, Maj.-
Gen. Helmut Stieff, Lt.-Gen. Paul
Von Hase, Lt.-Col. Robert Bernar-
dis, Capt. Freidrich Karl Klausing,
Lt. Albrecht Von Hegen and Lt. Peter
Count York Von Wartenburg. All
the property of the executed men
was confiscated by the Reich.
Five Others Listed
ABerlin broadcast by the Trans-
ocean News Agenty said five other
officers cashiered in connection with
the conspiracy would be tried by the
people's court, presumably immedi-
ately. They were listed as Gen. Fell,
giebel (Signals Intelligence), Maj.-
Gen. Von Treschow, Col. Hanson
(General Staff), Maj. Hayessen
(General Staff) and Lt. Count Von
der Schulenberg, a relative of the
former German ambassador to Mos-
cow.
The picture of the conspiracy,as
unfolded in the DNB version of the
testimony, bore fantastic touches in
the best tradition of modern "purge"
trials.
Officers' Plot Shelved
For example, generals and colon-
els of one of the world's most effi-
cient armies were described in testi-
mony as considering solemnly, then
shelving, a plot to kill Hitler with
time-bombs placed in the knapsacks
of < three unsuspecting soldiers-set
to explode while the Fuehrer was
inspecting their new equipment.
ships steaming north off the south-
west coast of Norway and three mer-
chant ships and six escort vessels
were reported damaged. Three of
the RAF planes were lost.
American Mustangs escorted the
Beaufighters and shot up Norwegian
airdromes.
Joigny Bridge Destroyed
The five-span Joigny Bridge over
the Yonne River, 70 miles southeast
of Paris, was destroyed by the Ma-
rauders. Other bridges also were hit
by the ninth air force in a move to
hinder enemy transport.
More than 600 American heavy
bombers blasted German anti-tank
defenses below Caen today in close-
up support of the Canadian first
army's drive against the northern
anchor of the enemy's line in Nor-
mandy.
It was estimated that 8,500 tons
of explosives cascaded in the two
concentrated attacks on strong points
that had barred an Allied advance
below Caen. The Foreresses and
Liberators dropped about 1,800 tons.
The heavy bombers in each in-
stance were covered by up to 750
Lightnings which shot up targets.
O1l Policy Is
Approved by
U.S., Britain
WASHINGTON, Aug. 8-G'P)-The
United States and Great Britain to-
day signed an agreement on world
oil policy looking toward a settle-
ment of competitive problems, as a
contribution toward post war inter-
national security.
The agreement was signed by act-
ing Secretary of State Stettinius for
the United States- andLord Beaver-
brook for the United ,Kingdom.
It sets up an international petro-
leum commission charged with esti-
mating world demand for petroleum
and recommending how British and
American companies can carry out
their production with the view to
orderly development of world re-
sources.
Main points in the agreement are:
1. Assurance of adequate petro-
leum supplies to "all peaceable coun-
tries at fair prices and on a non-dis-
criminatory basis subject to such col-
lective security arrangements as may
at any time be in force."
2. "Development of petroleum re-
sources with a view to the sound
economic advancement of producing
countries."
3. "Recognition of the principle
of equal opportunity in the acquisi-
tion of concessions."
4. "Respect for valid concession
contracts."
5. "Freeing the production and
distribution of petroleum from un-
necessary restrictions."
Riots Reported
In Montreal
Provincial Legislative
Election Hot Contest
MONTREAL, QUE., Aug. 8-')-
Rioting broke out in Montreal today
as the predominantly French pro-
vince of Quebec, comprising almost
one third of Canada's population,
turned out in record numbers to vote
in a hotly-contested provincial legis-
lative election in which Canada's war
effort was a basic but underlying is-
sue.
Scores were injured, including five
persons taken to hospitals, when ri-
val political gangs numbering hund-
reds clashed in a French section of
Montreal, fired shots, flashed knives,
overturned automobiles anddwrecked
buildings in rioting described by po-
lice as the city's worst in 25 years.
The shooting began when a mob
tried to storm a local headquarters
of the liberal party of provincial Pre-
mier Adelard Godbout, whose gov-
ernment was struggling to remain in
power in a three-way campaign
against the Union National of for-
mer Premier Maurice Duplessis and
the Nationalist Bloc Populaire.
Sale of English Papers
Nazis Launch'
'Counter-blows
Against Reds
Draw Heavily On
Dwindlinp Reserve
By The Associated Press
LONDON, Wednesday, Aug. 9-The
Germans are launching desperate
counterattacks along virtually all of
the 1,000-mile eastern front but are
being "bled white," Moscow reported
today as it appeared that the Nazis
had managed to stem the Red army
advance by drawing heavily on their
dwindling central reserves.
An early-morning supplement to
the Soviet war bulletin underscored
the German counter-blows in nearly
every sector but asserted flatly that
all were repulsed and added, "our
troops are stubbornly advancing."
Riga Push Resumed
One such Nazi counterattack has
been smashed after several days of
bitter fighting on the Latvian-Lithu-
anian border and the Russians have
resumed their push toward Riga, the
regular Soviet midnight communi-
que said.
All the while the Russians contin-
ued to mass men and material for a
new steamroller eastern front drive
that may carry all the wayto Berlin.
Both Soviet and German communi-
ques confirmed essentially that the
great Russian summer offensive, now
in its 48th day, had lost the sweep-
ing mobility that marked its pro-
gress during the first 40 days, but
the German lines were strained and
creaking, and failure at any point
might 'spell disaster for the Reich.
Everything Thrown In
To bolster the lines and implement
the desperation-born counterattacks,
the Germans are throwing into bat-
tle everything they have, "even road-
building,airdrome and other rear
detachments," Moscow said.
In the past three wees, Soviet re-
ports stated, the Germans have sent
16 new divisions to the Eastern front,
some from the vital reserves of cen-
tral Germany, others from Western
Poland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Hungary
and Norway.
The Germans themselves announc-
ed that many new officers "have tak-
en over on the eastern front at this
critical juncture of the war." These
apparently were from Heinrich Him-
mler's fanatical Nazi ss. elite guard.
It was evident that the Germans
were preparing as best they could to
make a stand all along the present
battlefront.
Finns Form~~
New Cabinet
STOCKHOLM, Aug. 8-(P)-A new
Finnish cabinet, obviously picked to
clear the way for peace feelers to
Russia, was announced in Helsinki
tonight.
Thenew president, Marshal Carl
Gustav Mannerheim, picked as his
Premier Hantti Hackzell, former
minister to Russia and twice foreign
minister in the 1930's.
The cabinet was made up of men
regarded as experts on Russia and
excluded such anti-Russian figures as
outgoing Premier Edwin Linkomies
and finance minister Vaino Tanner.
Carl J. A. Enckell became
foreign minister, a post he held
in 1918-19 and 1922-24. Enckell's
connections with Russia date back
to 1917, when he was Finnish secre-
tary of state in Russia, signed the
Finnish independence agreement
with Nikolai Lenin, and subsequent-
ly was diplomatic representative to
Russia from the new Finnish re-
public. He was in Moscow last March
in connection with the futile armis-
tice mission. As foreign minister he
replaces Sir Henrik Ramsay.
Smash Five Miles
Into Enemy Lines
Yanks Pound at Gateway of LeMans;
Planes Shatter Strong lolds Near Caen
By The Associated Press
SHAEF, Wednesday, Aug. 9-The Canadians in their first great offen-
sive in France smashed five miles yesterday into some of the strongest
enemy lines before Paris, whose defenses 110 miles to the southwest were
imperiled by onrushing Americans pounding at the gateway of Le Mans.
More than 1,000 U. S. heavy bombers-defying flak as intense as any
met over europe-shattered bristling strong points below Caen on the
shortest route to Paris. Canadian tanks and infantry poured through
the breaches and fought down they-
road to about 110 miles from the
capital.
Enemy Strongholds Go
One by one enemy strongholds
which had blocked the Paris high-
way since D-Day were rolled up,
and last night the Canadians were
reported engaging the enemy at Cin-
theaux, 8%g miles south of Caen.
The advance was not without its
cost, for flak shot down one of the
lead bombers, and its formation loos-
ed some of its cargo on Allied posi-
tions, causing casualties reminiscent
of those on the American front in the
breakout bombing west of St. Lo.
Gaumesnil Seized
Canadian tanks and infantry rac-
ed through the dust pall across the
rolling wheatlands and pastures,
seized the hamlet of Gaumesnil, and
faced east to engage 20 Tiger tanks
forming for a counterthrust.
Ten miles beyond the point of
Yanks Surge
Six Miles Up
Guam's Coast
USFPH, PEARL HARBOR, Aug. 8
-(M)-Fast-driving American forces
cleaning up the Guam campaign have
surged north the last six and one-
half miles up Guam's west coast,
captured 870-foot Mt. Santa Rosa
dominating the northeast shore and
have pushed a center wedge threat-
ening to cut the last, doomed Japa-
nese in two.
Nimitz Announces Success
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz announc-
ed the successes today in a communi-
que which listed the counted enemy
dead since the invasion opened July
20 at more than 10,000-not taking
into account the Japanese buried en
masse in a cemetery since overrun
by the west coast advance carried the
Marines and soldiers to Pt. Ritidian.
The east coast force pushed ahead
more than three miles close to Anao
Point, an equal distance from the
northeast tip.
The central wedge is within less
than a mile of the north end of the
island, making the line resemble the
letter W.
Japanese pinched into the north-
east corner of Guam are in an area
of littlemore than 15 square miles.
Attacks Sustained
Nimitz announced three straight
days of aerial attacks, Aug. 5, 6 and
7 on Nauru, southwest of the Mar-
shalls, with Japan's phosphate in-
dustry and airfields the targets. Aug.
5, the former U. S. Base of Wake
Island also was raided.
Myda Will Hold
Meeting Tomorrow
Michigan Youth for Democratic
Action, a campus youth organization,
will hold its first meeting of the sum-
mer term at 8 p. m. tomorrow in the
League.
This meeting, according to Mort
Rosenthal, president, is being called
to organize the group for a varied
summer program, centered about the
idea of home front activities to back
the men on the frontlines.
farthest advance deported yesterday,
Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley's dough-
boys were closing in on Le Mans-
by German accounts in force-and
LONDON, Aug. 8-(P)-DNB, a
German news agency broadcast from
Berlin tonight said Allied glider
troops were landing in the Loire
River estuary near St. Nazaire in
support of Lt. Gen. Omar Bradley's
American forces moving south along
the base of the Brittany peninsula.
There was no Allied confirmation of
the report.
one dispatch said Vanguards had
reached the big railroad and high-
way center.
These developments fell on the
26th anniversary of Germany's
blackest hour in the first world war,
when the Kaiser's high command de-
cided the war was lost.
Germans Stunned
The Germans were stunned by
night and day bombardment from
2,000 heavy Allied bombers, and
Canadian tanks and infantry thrust
through St. Aaignan De Cramesnil,
seven miles south ofnCaen and south-
west of the Vimont road block of
anti-tank artillery.
Ten miles beyond the point of far-
thest advance reported yesterday, Lt.
Gen. Omar N. Bradley's doughboys
were closing in on Le Mans and one
dispatch said they had reached the
big railroad and highway center.
The Germans admitted the Amer-
icans were in the Department of Sar-
the, of which Le Mans is the capi-
tal, at two places-showing the main
forces had covered at least half the
distance from the Mayenne River to
the city.
Employment in
Plants Drops
16 Per Cent
DETROIT, Aug. 8-(')-A survey
just completed by the United Auto-
mobile Workers (CIO) shows a 16
per cent decline in war plant em-
ployment, R. J. Thomas, UAW-CIO
president stated today.
Thomas said that the survey, which
covered 447 basic war plants em-
ploying approximately 1,000,000
workers at the peak of war produc-
tion, indicate dthat total employment
for those plants for July 1944 had
declined by 160,000. A total of 197
of those 447 plants had suffered cut-
backs causing reductions in employ-
ment by July, 1944.
Thomas asserted that none of the
cutbacks have been carried through
with "any effecting planning for the
transfer of laid-off workers to other
war plants suffering labor short-
ages."
According to the survey, the heav-
iest lay-offs took place in plants pro-
ducing shells and other ordinance
items. In these plants employment
is now 28.2 per cent below top war-
time levels, Thomas said. The report
reported shortages of labor among
foundries and forges, although cut-
backs in production and employment
were reported from 24 per cent of
the foundries and forces.
Thomas advocated enactment of
the Murray-Kilgore bill which "will
make possible the full planning of
civilian and military production and
allow for the balancing of labor
shortages against surpluses."
Conspiracy Hinted
In Philly's Strike
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 8--MP)-The
Federal grand jury's investigation of
Philadelnhia's hrokn trannntann,
WAGNER VS. GOP:
Senate Splits on Proposal for
Unemployment Compensation
WASHINGTON, Aug. 8-(P)-A
sharp conflict over post-war unem-
ployment compensation payments to
discharged war workers broke out
on the floor today immediately after
the Senatf; got down to work on over-
all legislation to cushion the econ-
omic impact of any sudden German
collapse.
Wagner Counters
Republican arguments that the
Murray-Kilgore bill to set up a super
reconversion agency with authority
to require payments up to $35 a week
would shackle labor under govern-
of state unemployment funds, took a
shot at the rival bill by declaring "it
would be most unwise to approve any
system which would induce idleness."
Kilgore Argues
But Senator Kilgore (D-W. Va.),
arguing that "economic chaos is infi-
nitely more costly than measures to
prevent it," sai daverage jobless pay-
ments of $1,250 a year under his bill
would not exceed $7,800,000,000 over
a period of two and a half years.
Over the same period he figured
the combined cost of unemployment
compensation under present state
procedure. and relief, at $18.000.000.-
Hengyang's Fall Is Now Certain
CHUNGKING, Wednesday, Aug. 9
-(M)-A grim, dramatic message3
from within walled Hengyang left
little doubt today that the city after,
a heroic stand of more than six;
weeks, was completely in the hands
of Japanese forces and the way open
for the Japanese to drive down the
nese had broken into the city and
grom street fighting ensued.
Although the length of the siege
has reduced somewhat the present
strategic value of Hengyang, the loss
still is regarded as the most serious
blow to the Chinese since the capture
of Hankow and Canton in 1938, as
scarcely any barrier remains between