Evening Star Newspaper, February 9, 1942, Page 2

Two Extra Pages In This Edition Late news and sports are covered on Pages 1-X and 2-X of this edition of The Star, supplementing the news of the regular home delivered edition. An Evening Newspaper With the Full Day’s News LOCAL—NATIONAL—FOREIGN Associated Press and () Wirephotos, North American Newspaper Alliance, Chicago Daily News Foreign Service and The Star's Staff Writers, Reporters and Photographers. @ ¢ Foening Star Closing N. Y. Markets—Sales, Page 16. WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION 90th YEAR. No. 35,713. UP) Means Associated Press. WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1942 THREE CENTS. British Battling Japs Man-to-Man As Singapore Invaders Advance; Batavia Is Raided for Fi o Situation ‘Well In Hand,’ Says Gen. Bennett ! By the Associated Press. | The Japanese fought their way into the fortress isle of Singa- pore today on a 10-mile front, threatening to overrun the once- powerful British base, but after several hours of bloody fighting the situation was reported of- ficially to be “well in hand.” That word came from Maj. Gen. Henry Gordon Bennett, commander of the Australian forces, in whose zone in the mangrove swamps and rubber plantations of the northwest- ern shore the invaders first struck. “We have taken our stand on a strong line and are organizing an attack which it is hoped will re- cover as much as possible of the lost terrain,” Gen. Bennett said, thus holding out but slim hope that the Japanese could be readily dislodged. Man-to-Man Struggle. The strong Japanese 1anding had turned Singapore's ordeal of shellfire and bombs in the past week of siege from the opposite shore of Johore Strait into a man-to-man, weapon- to-weapon struggle. The Japanese declared their beach | heads were so well consolidated that | tanks already had been ferried | across to bolster their shock troops. | While this seemed quite possible, | there was no confirmation from Singapore. Likewise unconfirmed was a roundabout report that Japanese parachutists had been dumped be- hind the forward defense positions and already had engaged s British detachment. The parachutist story—via Tokio, Several Jap Batteries Silenced Development of Further Enemy Offensive In Philippines Is Indicated in Communiques By the Associated Press. Gen. Douglas MacArthur reported today his troops on Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines, repulsed new attacks by the Japanese while the Manila Bay fortifications silenced several enemy big-gun siege batteries on the Cavite shore. A War Department communique: said heavy infantry fighting had occurred at several points on the peninsula, with hostile dive bombers active overhead, but all attacks were repulsed by the American-Filipino defenders. In the duel between the Corregi- dor string of fortifications at the entrance to Manila Bay and the hidden Japanese guns which have been bombarding the forts for sev- eral days, the fort's guns scored several direct hits on enemy bat- teries. New Offensive Developing. Yesterday Gen. MacArthur had reported: “Fighting is increasing in intensity on our left.” This and today's communique in- dicated the new Japanese offensive was developing in the Philippines. The enemy land batteries, firing methodically every four minutes, had thrown big shells for the second successive day at the island fortifi- cations which command the harbor’s mouth. Nevertheless, no serious damage to the forts was reported in yesterday’'s War Department communique, which covered de- velopments to early today, Philip- pine time. On the Bataan Peninsula, Gen. MacArthur’'s report yesterday told of Japanese pressure on both the right and left flank of his line, ac companied by 24 hours of heavy aerial bombardment of the Amer- ican-Filipino positions. 1 The Japanese, yesterday's comn- munique disclosed, gained some ground in an infiltration thrust | against Gen. MacArchur's right, which is anchored on Manila Bay. They were thrown back, however, in | a sharp counterattack. | Seek to Soften Up Defenders. | The intensive aerial plastering of the American lines evidently was | part of the softening up to pave | the way for the hoped-for break- through. In their methodical blasting at the harbor forts, the Japanese ap- | parently were relying on concealed | batteries on the southern or Cavite side of the bay. It was believed here that the enemy was using 155- | millimeter guns, which. throw a | shell about 6'; inches in diameter | and weighing more than 100 pounds. | | The bombardment was concen- trated on Corregidor's Fort Mifls and on Forts Hughes and Frank, the smaller fortifications on nearby islands. American Tanks Destroyed !On Bataan, Japs Claim TOKIO (From Japanese Broad- casts), Feb. 9 (#.—A large number of American tanks and supply de- pots on the Bataan peninsula have been destroyed in a mass Japanese raid, the newspaper Nichi Nichi re- ported today. It added that 15 Amer- ican batteries had been silenced. the Oslo radio and Reuters—said also that the Japanese fleet was ready for attack near Singapore “at any moment.” In such a fight Singapore’s mon- ster guns—as heavy as 18 inches— might well get in their first good licks for they were primarily de- signed to cover the sea approaches. Japs Virtually Beleaguered. i Under a hail of British artillery fire which swept the shallow waters of Johore Strait, the Japanese force was virtually beleagured, unable to receive reinforcements at least un- til nightfall. Before dark, the Aus- tralians hoped to cut the invaders to pieces. This initial force gained its foot- hold under cover of a withering artillery and aerial bombardment throughout yesterday and all last night. | A London informant said the Jap- anese invasion was launched across the Strait of Johore with the drive ; pivoting on Berih Inlet at a narrow | stretch of the strait. The tempo increased violently in the night, and ragged rows of Jap- | anese special landing boats began moving across the shell-churned straits in the light of a rising half moon. Plunging into the mangrove gwamps and rubber trees and dart- ing into tiny inlets which penetrate the shore, the Japanese succeeded in making good a foothold protected by machine gun nests hidden in a tangle of logs and brush. Then only British shells plunged into the mud flats and beaches, as bayonet swinging Australians and hardy Indians plunged into the thick of a hand-to-hand fight. Pushed back to this last bit of British soil in Malaya in a two- month war, the defenders were a veritable suicide army, for they had little or no chance of escape 415 Ja;Iniern;s Reach Camp in North Dakota Bs the Associated Press. BISMARCK, N. D, Feb. 9—Four | hundred and fifteen Japanese enemy aliens arrived here today and were whisked out to the Fort Lincoln, internment camp a mile south of the city to join more than 400 German, internees. The special 13-coach train ar- rived from the West Coast at dawn and the unloading of Japanese was not completed until about 9:30. Although officials refused to com- ment, it was understood most, if not all of the internees, came from the California area. This was borne out by the fact that few had even topcoats to wear. Ringed by a cordon of Federal immigration patrolmen armed with sub-machine guns, the Japanese scrambled out of the coaches, 25 at a time, were put in guarded trucks and rushed out to the in- ternment camp. It Robsevelt fo Ufidergo Appendectomy Tomorrow | Lt. Franklin D. Roosevelt, jr., will be operated on for appendicitis to- morrow morning, his mother dis- closed at her press conference today. Mrs. Roosevelt said her son had had several attacks of appendicitis at sea and decided to have the op- eration because there were no doc- tors on destroyers at the present time, although, she added, she un- derstood that the Navy did plan to put doctors on the larger vessels of this type. Mrs. Roosevelt, who plans to be in New York tomorrow and Wednesday to attend a civilian defense regional meeting, will be at Lt. Roosevelt's bedside. VastMine Fields Laid By Germans Seeking To Check Russians Timoshenko’s Forces Push Forward, However, in Donets Basin Drive (Map on Page A-3.) By the Associated Press. MOSCOW, Feb. 9. —Desperately pressed German troops laid vast mine flelds in the Donets Basin today in an attempt to halt the onrushing Soviets, but the forces of Marshal Semeon Timoshenko surged forward over the snow- drifted steppes. One mine field nearly 2 miles long was discovered and Red sapers cut five lanes through it. At another point, the Russians said they ex- tracted 2,600 anti-tank mines buried beneath the snow. Despite these and other obstacles the Russians swept three more Donets villages clear of the Nazis. Eighteeh other populated places were captured on the central front as the Reds pressed toward 8mo- lensk. Heavy artillery wds said to have destroyed 10 German planes on the ground near the front lines. Rear Line Destruction. While front-line news was scarce, dispatches told of rear line destruc- tion by the Red Army from Sevasto- pol to the northwestern sector be- yond Kalinin. Russian scouts slipped through heavy German lines at one point and blew up an anti-tank post kill- ing 10 Germans | In the last four days, Sevastopol artillery and planes have smashed nine Nazi artillery batteries hurling shells into that besieged Crimean naval base. On the southeastern front, the Russians said 20 members of the| first Rumanian division had surren- dered with their junior officers, complaining of treatment from the German command. The Russians (See RUSSIA, Page A-6) U. S. Red Cross Food Sent fo Bengasi Taken by Germans Supplies Undistributed At Time Libyan Port Was Retaken by Nazis By the Associated Press. CAIRO, Feb. 9. —Foodstuffs sent to Bengasi by the American Red Cross to relieve the civilian pop- ulation of that Libyan port, fell into the hands of the German Army when Bengasi was recap- tured by Field Marshal Rommel’s forces last month. ‘The food, including 100 drums of dried milk and flour, had been turned over to the British admin- istration for occupied territories a week before the Germans reached | Bengasi, and the greater part of it had not been distributed when ad- { ministration officials left the city as the Germans approached. Another Red Cross food shipment | was turned back at Tobruk in view of the German advance. American Red Cross officlals had found great distress among Bengasi's 50,000 na- tives. ‘The biggest problem of the Amer- ican Red Cross in the Mediterranean inren now is getting food and cloth- (See FOOD, Page A-6.) 1100-Billion Debt Limit ‘To Be Proposed by George Administration leaders in Congress plan to propose soon that the na- | tional debt limit be raised from the | $65,000,000.000 fixed last year to | $100,000,000,000. | Chairman George of the Senate | Finance Committee indicated yester- day they had thought of asking first an increase to $85,000,000,000, but finally decided most members would “want to do it all at one jump.” The debt stood at $60,193,958,101 as this week began. President | Roosevelt's $59,027,892,300 war bud- | get for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is calculated to push it to $110,- 421,000,000 Summary of Foreign. New Red offensive reported laui:ched in Donets Basin. Page A-1 Chinese aiding Singapore defense get baptism of fire. Page A-3 Gen. Todt, famed Nazi engineer, is killed in air accident Page A-3 Riotous factions in Tangier kept throttled. Page A-4 Pacific War Council to sit in Lon- don, Curtin says. National. U. 8. Red Cross food sent to Bengasi taken by Germans. Page A-1 $1,000,000 fire ravages block in Phil. delphia. Dies to demand that West Coast Japs be moved inland. Page A-5 Four defendants plead innocent to alien agent charge. Page A-© Defeat of Germany in year is r< sible, Cripps says. Page -~ Nurse held in baby's d-:th; crying upset her. Fage A-12 » Page A-2) Today's Star Chicago detective slays gunman | raiding police station. Page B-8 Washington and Vicinity. | Plan parking lot on Mall from Third i to Fourteenth street. Page A-1 | Jury being chosen for Laura Ingalls’ trial. Page A-1 | Senators map fight on farm price | eurbs. Page A-2 Page A-6| Boy Scout Week Sunday is observed; Page A-5 in churches here. Gen. MacArthur gets tax refund of $629.66. Page A-5 | Hershey rules movie industry is es- | sential to defense. Page A-5 | Bullets cripple plane near defense plant in Ilinois, Page A-6 | Army sergeant killed, two badly hurt | in week-end traffic. Page B-1 Demolition squads formed by D. C. civilian defense. Page B-1 7,000 fire damages new Statler “stel building. Page B-1 tine observation plane crashes; 2 occupants uninjured. Page B-1 4 rst MacArthur Halts New Attacks; Time Intensified Raids Believed Prelude To Java Assault | By the Associated Press. | . BATAVIA, Netherlands Indies, | Feb. 9.— Japanese planes made | their first raid of the Pacific war on Batavia, capital of the Neth- erlands Indies, today in an in- tensifying series of air attacks | believed here to be a prelude to ¥n attempt to invade Java, cen- ter of the Unpited Nations’ re- sistance to the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific. The raid, carried out by six to eight Japanese fighters, was di- rected mainly at Kemajoran and Tijililitan airdromes near Batavia, Aneta News Agency said. The at- tacks were limited to machine-gun- ning and no bombs were dropped. Streets in the capital and its su- burbs also were strafed. “Some damage” was done to army planes at Kemajoran and two pas- senger planes were damaged. A spe- cial communique said two civilians were serjously wounded and nine slightly hurt. At least one and pos- sibly two of the raiders were shot down. Meet Heavy Fire. Japanese efforts to attack the har- bor were turned back by heavy anti- aircraft fire. Enemy activity also’ was reported over other parts of Java, Sumatra ! and Borneo. The Indies high command said | Japanese patrols were pushing south from the charred oil port of | Balikpapan on the east Bomeoj coast “apparently planning to reach Bandjermassin,” important trade! center on the south shore of Borneo facing Java. Palembang Bombed Again. The port was said to be a prime Japanese objective as the men of Nippon attempted to forge an arc { around the vital citadel of Java in preparation for invasion. Palembang, oil center in south- east Sumatra, was bombed again, but the communique said there were no Allied losses. At least two and probably three enemy planes were shot down over the great naval base of Soerabaja Saturday. ‘The attack on Batavia began dur- ing lunch time after two days of Japanese reconnaissance flights and a long series of alarms during pre- vious days. The all-clear sounded an hour and a half later. Remarkable Calmness. J. P. Bouwer, Aneta staff corre- spondent, said he saw two columns of black smoke in the sky near the | center of the city. “The great calmness prevailing | everywhere was remarkable,” he | said, “and to a large extent it was undoubtedly due to the fact that the raid had been expected for so long that when it finally came it caused almost a feeling of relief.” (Anti-aircraft batteries went into action immediately after Japanese planes were sighted and later Dutch fighters took to the air and engaged the attackers in dogfights. Aneta said 51 persons were re- ported killed and 54 injured in yes- terday’s raid on Soerabaja, chief naval base of the Indies. The larg- est number of casualties occurred when a direct hit was scored on a street car under which a large num- ber of natives had taken shelter. The raid was directed mainly against the dockyards, but reports said the damage was negligible, Curb on Clothing Fi‘nns To Bar Hoarding Planned By the Associated Press. The War Production Board told | the clothing industry yesterday it was prepared to allocate supplies if necessary to prevent speculative hoarding of stocks by wholesalers, jobbers or retailers in the men's, women's and children's apparel trades. R. R. Guthrie, W. P. B. textiles chief, said that while sales at retail and wholesale levels were sh 4 marked increases inventories in e instances were growing even more rapidly. “We fear that small retailers and small manufacturers may be at a competitive disadvantage in the fall selling season because of their rela- tive inability to finance pre-season purchases,” Mr. Guthrie explained. “The War Production Board is prepared to scrutinize and investi- gate cases in which the increase of istocks and commitments is out of | proportion to the increase of sales. | It is also prepared to take such administrative action as may be necessary to allocate the supply of any item.” | | McNutt Speaker ! | In Radio Forum Paul V. McNutt, adminis- trator of the Federal Se- curity Agency, will speak on “Men and Victory” in the National Radio Forum at 9 o’clock tonight. Arranged by The Star and broadcast over the Blue Network, the forum program will be heard lo- cally over Station WMAL. President Creates New Shipping Board, Signs Big Navy Bill Powerful Commission To Control All U.S. [ Ocean Cargo Vessels | By BLAIR BOLLES. President Rooseveir today struck a double blow for United | Nations mastery of the seas— signing the $26,495.265474 Navy bill and establishing a War Shipping Administration that | will “control the operation, pur- | chase, charter or requisition” of | all American ocean-crossing car- | go vessels for the war’s duration. | Rear Admiral Emory S. Land, | chiet of the Maritime Commis- sion, was chosen by the President | to head the W.S. A. | -The object of the executive order setting up the shipping administra- tion is to provide the most efficient | possible use of cargo ships in con- ducting the war. | From now on, all the ships avail- | able to the United Nations will be | operated from a joint pool and ac- cording to decisions reached e the Joint Military Strategy Board and allied supply chiefs. Agreement With Britain. ‘The agency was established in line | with a recently announced agree-| ment by the United States and | Britain to create a Joint Shipping Board. The British will direct op- erations of vessels under their con- trol and the United States will man- age shipping under the American flag or under American domination. | The Navy ‘appropriation, provid- ing both cash and contract authori- zations, contemplates adding ap- proximately 25,000 airplanes to the Navy's force and enlarging the fleet | for waging war In two oceans at | once. The legislation also makes avail- able $8,000,000,000 for the construc- tion of war vessels ranging from battleships to torpedo boats and allocates another $5,000,000,000 for naval guns and ammunition. 100,000 Planes Envisioned. ‘The additional aircraft provided in the bill raises to a total of 100,000 the number of Army and Navy planes for which Congress has ap- propriated funds in the last 19 months. The measure also authorizes the President to lend or lease any of 1799 small vessels, for which ap- proximately $3,900,000,000 was ap- propriated, as well as any other naval equipment up to a total of The bill received final congres- sional approval Thursday. Admiral Land will be principally responsible to Donald Nelson, War Production Board chairman. The ex- ecutive order says: “With respect to the overseas transportation of cargoes essential to the war production effort and the civilian economy, the administra- Mrs. Roosevelt Wants to Meet 'Capitol Critics Face to Face Says She Would Like to ‘Tell Them the Truth Of Things They Are Mrs. Roosevelt wants to meet, | face to face, the members of| Congress who have been criticiz- | ing her, so as to “tell them the truth about some of the things they are talking about.” Refusing at a press conference to make any defense against criticism that has been aired on the House floor in the past few days, Mrs. Roosevelt said: “T have been waiting to hear from those gentlemen because I assume they will give me the courtesy of meeting with them and telling them the truth about some of the things they are talking about. They have offices and I have feet.” She said she did not want to ap- pear before a congressional commit- tee, but before the individual Rep- resentatives whose names, she said, could be found in the newspapers. For the first time, Mrs. Roosevelt actually refused to answer particu- lar questions instead of evading them Talking About’ with a smile as she has done in the past, Says Opinion Veers, When it was suggested that civil- ian morale might be affected by the | storm on Capitol Hill in connection with Office of Civilian Defense ac- tivities, she said public opinion veered one way and another, and that it was necessary for the pub- lic to wait until it had the whole picture. Asked about the appointment of Mayris Chaney, night club enter- tainer now occupying a $4,600-a- year job in the O. C. D. physical fit- ness division, Mrs. Roosevelt said Miss Chaney was not directly her appointee. She said she had sug- gested Miss Chaney’'s name, but that she had neither the power to hire and fire, nor does she recommend any official taking an employe against his will, Miss Chaney, she said, was em- ployed because she brought a plan for the type of thing she is now (See MRS. ROOSEVELT, Page A-2) Dirksen Urges Mall Be Made Vast Parking Lot for 25,000 Cars Suggests Conversion Of Area From Third To Fourteenth Streets Conversion of the central area of the Mall from 3d to 14th| streets into a vast public auto- mobile parking lot during thej war was urged today by Repre- sentative Dirksen, Republican, of | Illinois. He made the suggestion at a| meeting of the House District Com- mittee during consideration of a bill he is sponsoring to give the Public Utilities Commission control of fees charged on parking lots and in commercial garages. Representative Dirksen estimated that parking space could be pro- vided in the Mall area for 25000 vehicles. Esthetes May Shrink. The Mall area, Mr. Dirksen said, should be converted into parking space bounded by Fourteenth street on the west, Third street on the east, Jeflerson drive on the north and Madison drive on the south. “Those with an esthetic sense may shrink from such a step,” he de- clared. “I am as concerned as any one with the beauty of the city, but we are in a war and must make sacrifices. The tract could be re- zoned afterwards, but duting the| emergency it should be used. Em- (See SHIPPING, Page A-5.) “(See PARKING LOT, Page A-5) Court Upholds Woman's Right To Change Mind While on Jury The United States Court of Ap- peals today upheld the eternal right of a woman to change her mind. ‘The decision was handed down in the case of Preston Bruce vs. the Chestnut Farms-Chevy Chase Dairy. Mr. Bruce had brought suit in Mu- nicipal Court for $1,000 for injuries allegedly received in drinking milk. When the Municipal Court jury came in the clerk of the court asked if they had agreed upon a verdict. The jury responded “Yes.” Upon being asked what the verdict was, the jury foreman responded, “For the defendant (the dairy)”. The clerk then asked “Is this your verdict, members of the jury, so say you each and all?” They all nodded their heads. The plaintiff’s attorney asked for a poll of the jury, and when the presiding judge began taking it he started out with one of the two women jurogs. “What is your verdict?” the judge asked. “For the plaintiff (Mr. Bruce).” The judgé made certain that she was not corifused as to which was the plaintiff and which was the de- fendant. The juror, identified by the Court of Appeals only as Mrs. Sinrod, said that she had been for listening to the arguments of the other jurors, agreed to the verdict for the defendant in order not to tie up the jury. The plaintiff's attorney moved for a mistrial, but the court refused and continued with the poll. ‘The next three jurors each said they found for the defendant. Then the judge came to the second woman on the panel. “What is your verdict?” “For the plaintiff.” The judge asked her if she did not mean the defendant. “ “No, for the plaintiff, and I would like to say something to the court.” “This is not the time for that,” answered the judge. The rest of the male jurors said they were for the defendant. The court still refused to grant the motion of the plaintiff's attorney for a mistrial. The plaintiff appealed to the higher court, which today reversed the lower comt’s decision with this comment : then | “There can be no question of the right of a juror, when polled, to dissent from a verdict to which he has agreed in the jury room, and when this happens the jury should either be discharged or returned to the plaintiff all along but, after A their room for further deliberation.” 1 Laura Ingalls Sought To Pave Hitler's Way InU.S., Jury Told Flyer’s Trial Is Begun On Charge of Acting As Nazi Agent Laura Ingalls, woman flyer, was in the pay of Germany and her mission was to prepare this coun- try for Hitler's “new order,” Spe- cial Assistant to the Attorney General M. Neil Andrews told a District Court jury here today. The jury of 10 men and 2 women was sworn in shortly after noon to try Miss Ingalls on charges of fail- ing to register with the State De- partment as an agent of the Reich. Some difficulty was experienced in finding jurors who did not admit prejudice or other disqualifying fac- tors. Mr. Andrews, in his opening state- | ment to the jury, charged that Miss Ingalls “was an intense German sympathizer,” and constituted her- self “a missionary for the Naz cause.” Says She Got Nazi Funds. “Not only was she an agent in that sense, but she was constantly in touch with the German Embassy here and with German consulates elsewhere,” Mr. Andrews said. “She received money directly and indi- rectly from Baron Ulrich von Gie- nanth, second secretary of the Ger- man Embassy.” Clandestine Contacts Charged. The grand jury charged in an indictment that Miss Ingalls egreed to act “as a public relations coun- sel, publicity agent, agent and rep- resentative for” the German gov- ernment. Baron Ulrich von Gienanth, sec- ond secretary of the German Em- bassy, worked with her, the indict- ment said, adding that Miss Ingalls received “compensation from and was under the direction of the government of the German Reich.” The indictment went on to say i that contact between the flyer and the embassy was maintained “clan- destinely, by means of intermedia- ries and otherwise, and in a manner designed to conceal the true nature of her activities.” She was arrested December 17. Was Anti-Interventionist. Miss Ingalls, who is 38, was a prominent anti-interventionist lead- er before the war. In 1939 she flew over Washington dropping peace pamphiets addressed to Congress, declaring thet “American women do not intend to have their men again sent to die on foreign soil.” In the last year she had given some speeches under the auspices of the America First Committee. A vaudeville dancer before enter- ing aviation in the late 1920s, Miss Ingalls once held the worhen's trans- continentel speed record and was the first aviatrix fo fly non-stop from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Mr. Andrews said Miss Ingalls was “making speeches from one end of this country to another” and charged that “her whole effort was to pre- Blocked Chaney New York Job, 'La Guardia Says Move to Strip O. C. D. Of Morale Work Grows in Congress While a move to strip the Office of Civilian Defense of authority to direct morale-building activi- ties developed in Congress, May- or La Guardia revealed in New York today that he had blocked the assignment of Mayris Cha- ney, Philadelphia dancer and friend of Mrs. Franklin D. Roose- velt, to the O. C. D. Morale Divi- sion in New York City last De- cember. The Mayor, who also is O. C. D. director, told newspapermen it was “substantially correct” that he had failed to approve the assignment of Miss Chaney at a salary of $12.70 a day. He gave no reason. Mr. La Guardia also revealed to- day that he will relinquish his post as national director of civilian de- fense some time this week. The New York Mayor's statement came as the House resumed debate on a $100,000,000 O. C. D. appropria- tion fund, which has aroused a storm of controversy over the posts given Miss Chaney and Melvyn Douglas. Round Up Democrats. Administration leaders, apparently fearful of the potentialities of the opposition to O. C. D. “frills,” worked overtime last night to round up all missing Democrats to combat the move to take morale-building from the organization. Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio, | said there seemed little doubt that if the House failed to circum- scribe the O. C. D. powers a strong | effort would be made in the Senate | to do so. “I think the O. C. D. ought {to be limited in its activities to the promotion of purely defense preparations,” Senator Taft told reporters. “I don't believe there is any crying need to build up the morale of the American people, but if there is, it ought to be handled by some other agency that doesn't have such a big primary job to do.” | He suggested the Office of Facts and Figures, headed by Archibald MacLeish. Mail Floods Congress. Representative Faddis, Democrat, of Pennsylvania, said the Douglas- Chaney controversy inspired an un- | usual flood of mail to members of Congress over the week end. He predicted the opinions expressed might influence greatly the vote on a motion by Representative Taber, Republican, of New York, to send the bill back to the Appropriations Committee for revision. Represen- tative Faddis favors the motion. Mr. Douglas was both criticized and defended in the House just before it took up the O. C. D. ap- propriation. It was a case of Ford versus Ford. Representative Leland Ford, Re- publican, of California, criticized Mr. Douglas. Representative Thomas F. Ford, Democrat, of California, de- fended him. “Melvyn Douglas, commenting on | my attack on him,” declared Mr. | Leland Ford, said that I don't know | my district, and the people in it, | and that it was a dangerous thing for a member of Congress to do. Says Douglas Opposed Him. Mr. Leland Ford said that Mr, Douglas’ name originally was Hes- i selberg. “I know my district well enough to know who the subversive inter- ests in it are. I know it well enough not to tie up with them, eiter as a supporter, directly or indirectly, or as a fellow traveler. I know Douglas’ record. “My cempaign was predicated on a fight against the subversive in- terests. Mr. Douglas and his group opposed me. The result was, I re- ceived 192,000 votes out of 199,000, beating my opponent by 185,000, which gave me the largest majority of any man in Congress. Does Mr. Douglas charge these 192,000 people with not krnowing what was going on in that district? Talks of Guard Apponitment. “These are not only my own criti- cisms, but they come from the whole State of California. Evidence: “In May, 1940, when his appoint- ment as lieutenant colonel in the California National Guard was up, the Assembly of our State Legisla- ture, in their closing resolution, de- plored and protested the commis- sioning of Douglas, as did an Army intelligence officer at the Presidio in San Francisco. Assemblyman Gannon said, ‘Douglas for years has been associated with radicals.’ “The chairman of the Americani- zation Committee of the American Legion states that Douglas refused to read the Declaration of Inde- pendence in a radio program, ‘America Marches On,’ because the Communist party was charged with being un-American and dangerous. They refused to change the pro- gram and an attache of the studio read the Declaration of Independ- ence. The American Legion re- fused to make any compromise and refused to cease to expose the Com- munist party. “Draw your own conclusions about Douglas.” Representative Thomas F. Ford said: “The attacks on Melvyn Douglas have shocked members of this House who know him to be a liberal and enlightened man, who is giving freely of his time and in- terest to the underprivileged.” Was Congressional Target. In the meanwhile Mr. Douglas, who has been one of the main tar- gets of congressional objections to O. C. D. personnel selections, as- serted that he had been appointed to head the Arts Section on a “with- out-compensation” basis. When his appointment was made public last week an O. C. D. official said Mr, (See INGALLS, Page A-6) 4 | Douglas would receive pay at the l (See O. C. D., Page A-2) 2