mfawwl, i4 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