1949-01-22 — Page 4

INSTALMENT 18:

EISENHOWER WAS MY BOSS

By Kay Summersby

ACK in Versailles; Novem- Monty said he wanted to "Join the

ber faded into December, team"

You must have the patience of an

and the weeks dragged by angel," I remarked to General Ike. until a Saturday, December 16.

My final diary entry for Saturday mentioned that the

found Army's attack

heavy.

"If I can keep the team together, that anything's worth 11," he replied First soberly

General the the going Coincidentally,

worried over replacements. Most divisions, hard hit by the German counter-attack, were under strength commander right down the from

army group to company

And I added vaguely:

The German has advanced a little.'

General Elsenhower said the ad- vance was in a sector known as the Ardennes,

On Monday, however, it was ap- parent even to me that the Germans counter. had launched a full-scale offensive.

Ike, the one solely responsible for the success or failure of our counter alincic and therefore the only one entitied to the luxury of depression, had to mother his own feelings and Act as the eternal optimist. confident bucker-upper. And carried off the role with aplomb.

Every

level, berged for replacements.

As a drastic step, the Supreme A major, final Commander ordered combout of all rear area commands. Thousands of office personnel, offi- cern and enlisted men alike, wers shaken loose from unimportant jobs. Civilian employment climbed to new traights.

Thorny Phase

THE HONGKONG" TELEGRAPH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, –1949.

of the

KMAN

tram up and down the week without 'ollering for overtime."

Embankment every-

day

Corning

C.V.R. THOMPSON REPORTS THE AMERICAN SCENE

Gang City's New Boys

NEW YORK.

~HICAGO, which would like everyone to beliovo It is no longer the world's most crooked, city, is on the alert today for a possiblė revival of the gang war that chrned it the title.

Survivors of the old-time gangs do not believe in guns these days.

They are making too much money from gambling and semi-legitimate enterprises to risk it all to satisfy a momentary grudge in the accepted gangland manner.

But Chicago has just acquired some "now boys." The end of the postwar shortages of corn and sugar make It simple to distill whisky illegally, and the new racketeers are bootlegging their product across the border into Canada.

The trouble is there is a limited market with a growing number of suppliers. Result the Orst "rubbing out" in gangland style since the Capone gang was broken up.

The victim was Hyman Franks, 61-year-old ex- convict boss of an outfit turning out 1,000 gallons of Illegal whisky - dally.

Police think this killing means the struggle has broken out in the non-respectable underworld for control of what they call the ""alky racket."

ASHION; New York sociálitéž are taking up a new

FAS

dance which experts say will turn out to be the biggest craze since the Lambeth Walk. It's called Mcutschi Puiz Di (rough translation, "Laasic, go wash your face"). It is based on a Swiss folk dance, and ita movements and tempo are reminiscent of the classla minuet.

JOUSING: Tenants of low-rent housing projects in Detrolt have been forbidden television sets. The reason:

They should gave their money to buy their own homes, T IVING: Throughout 1940 pro-

clamations will go out front Washington about 270 special event "wecks." Samples National Save- Your-Vision week. Honey-for-Break- fast weeks, Ale week, and National Sweater week. Possibly the most popular will be the week ending April It'a nume-National Leave- It-Alone week.

SHOW BUSINESS:

There is such

slump on Broadway that only eight shows, one of them

British

("Edward,

Son") my

are

making

good

money...

atill Eight

Jack

Buchanan's

"I'd like to see you drive a

WHAT THE GERMANS ARE THINKING'

Now let's be beastly

the huF the subject hadn't been so grim, It would have been funny. Even so, perfect

got a tremendous kick in accing The same day he received this re- desk-bound officers, who but recenty of their desire to port of the Skorzeny assassins, along talked incess.ally with other heartbreaking news from "get out into the field with troops," the actual front, he prepared an or- now moving heaven and hell to con

work der of the day for every member of vince Topside that their paper the Allied armies. In

the, was essential to the war effort. They Supreme Commander called not only had a field day with charts,

to prove the

ERR MINISTERIALRAT for an ironcind halt to the German and surveys intended attack, he also stressed the offensive, extreme importance of their office....

HERBERT SEIDEL, an all-out offensive to take this op- and, of course, themselves. Most of

senior Ministry of Econo- portunity of destroying the Ger- them got into the field, with troops. A thorny issue in this trying phase the

official in mica

Dusseldorf. mans-whic

enemy was out

erupted when the the Ardemes leaned across his desk and said our split command In

when to me: "You see, you British

of his pillbox and hit, deep fortifica. tions. "Destroy the enemy on the ground, in the air, everywhere," be urged. "Destroy him!"

The New Spirit ON the twenty-fourth all our air. concentrated upon Nazi airfields and grounded a good portion of enemy fightera.

No one thought much about that

night Being Christmas Eve, although

I recalled longingly the

plans of

General Bradley's now harried sides

at

12th

arose

reports,

thu

phosc

H

BERLIN.

A

problem new General Bradley learned he would are so poor."

the First eventually get back only

with would stay

To him it was a blunt state- Army; the Ninth

over Monty. He explained, and ment of fact during a conversa- over, that this had been the plantion on Germany's economie from the beginning. I, personally,

situation. There WAR 20 knew this to be the case, for he had mentioned

2

it upon numerous hostility in his voice, just occasions. Bradley, however, showed tolerant contempt for those

at losing the

muddle-healed

open

resentment

an

and

rather

American Ninth Army to his own simple minded "Englanders." for a huge parly

Army colleague: In fact, he was Group.

right sore. ile also indicated General Ike, apologetic because the unhealthy state of mind among his long-awaited Christmas party was staff, who complained not only at of his losing the Ninth Army but at the impossible, invited some Intimates to dinner.

flood of publicity on Field Marshal I thought him more depressed Montgomery, I found this to be than at any time since I'd met him, true when I made a trip up to 12th He was low, really low,

Army Group. My friends, the aldes, On the following day. however, asked in semi-joking terms "Whose headquarters sensed #new air of side are you on, Monty's or Bradley's confidence which started down at the SIIAEF's or ours?" lowest levels and surged right up to the Supreme Commander's office. The himself agreed, amelally-the Germuns were stopped.

necessary for offensive, General inore headaches.

took up some

to the British!

"That's right, Gisela, don't forget " the mothballs i ?-by CUȚIMINGS.

by SELKIRK PANTON General Robertson's "get-en- 8,000 tons of supplies with-the-job" order to dismantle day, and more." factories that made Hitler's war Such an order, they possible. hoot with disgust, is undemo- cratic.

Dr Hermann Weitz, Finance Minister in the Ruhr, complains bitterly, in a 76-page memo- randum to the British authorl- ties, of "British extravagance in Germany and the high cost of the British occupation."

every

So we have it. We do not count any more. This develop ment has reached a point where even the most pro-German off- eials cannot shut their eyes and ears any longer.

It has caused a cleavage of British opinion among Benfor officers in Germany-between Berlin and the executive staff on the ground up and down the British zone,

*

The Americans Intend to make Germany strong enough-no matter what it costs or what concessions have to be made to hold the Eastern anti-Russian stronghold they rampart of the anti-Communist-and building in the West.

arc

The Germans know all this, and are artfully playing off one ally against another, East against West.

+

AMBITIOUS

}

Nobody wants to keep a peaceful [ Germany from prosperity and well- being. But just as little does any body outside her frontiers want to see Germany put in a position of strength again, where she can give

and go once more goosestepping over

plays, including

production of "Don't Listen, Ladies,"

closed down after a week.

.Even

the perennial "Annio Get Your Gun" announced its last weeks.... Al Jolson has turned down Miami

club night

offers of £12,000 for two weeks.

Warning: It looks as if nothing will dissuade Holly. wood from making a sequel to "Mrs Miniver." It is tentatively entitled

The Miniver Story."

TELLING TALES

of the world we live in...

Eisenhower once mantlers. It was the first and only search station at Eckernforde. American taxpayers are pouring ters which started the top level vent to her old sabre-rattling desired her to earth to investigate reports

the iden

of ou

'CLUMSY'

Ho makes no mention of the hundreds of millions of pounds and dollars the British and

into Germany to keep her alive and build her up again. That is nur duty, thinks Dr Weitz, "ay humanitarian democrats."

"Woo

It was the Berlin headquar

the Germans" policy, Their aim: to make Germany a "Christian democracy."

Europe.

The Nazis used this word for us, the Kaiser used it before them, now I find it back in the British Zone. again

the growing With it goes

of the Germans in arrogance the West.

Signs of it crop up every day. The Germans issued an Worst Part Over *ENERAL Ike was most hurt at oficial "Boycott the British

this new development, for Brad-order because the brutal Royal While field commanders turned to ley was one of his closest fries and Navy is determined to demolish regrouping and planning problems had been, since the beginning, the their innocent little torpedo re-

return to the most co-operative of all flek com-

case was that it might of his ofer time he displayed real anger and Their

disagreement. Ike's personal wound come in useful again one day, The General had to resume his was proportionate. arguments against

But with their friendship, mutual

The German to them is no. -averall ground commander. an idea... respect,. and natural forgiveness,

longer an enemy, scarcely an which seemed to stem almost ex- hol soon returned to their normal-

Herr Burkert. German judge Even in Berlin, where the ex-enemy, but a good, robust clusively from the British and hint relationship.

the Western anti-Communiat. broadly at the

By appointment of une

January 17. things hadat Bielefeld, ordered a senior Germans love man, Fizid Marshal Montgomery. simmered down so much that even British official to atop taking Allies-so long as we are madly which, to

To them, constantly Monty and Patton were back into Didn't Say Much

notes in his court. The official, anti-Communist, routine, The Field Marshal sent a

old them, means anti-Russian-the Russian pressure in Berlin, the officials are disturbed by their own QEVERAL days later the Field Mar- message praising the First and Ninth Mr R. J. White

shai sent a long message saying U. S.

danger lies exclusively in the Armies. General Palton fashioned enough to resent this Germans are getting uppish. General Eisenhower's proposed felguhioned,

ed, worried about nothing German arrogance and to re-

Herr Reuter, newly elected East. Their British critics in the 10 more than promotions. operational directive was bound

Anti-Communist Lord Mayor, zone, who work more closely fall, in his personal -opinion, Fur- The asked General Spaatz and port the judge. thermore, he si beleved there reveral of us over to his house that

home movie,

But a British court of Inquiry, dismisses with a wave of the with the Germans, accuse the of Insisting should be one permanent comman night for a

The under Chief Judge Major-Gen. hand the Allied air-lift achieve- Berlin headquarters staff ter for all ground forces.

that Toocy bring his guitar. Monty

Herr menta (more than 30 million left no doubt as to who should be two of them le! off the past month's cral Inglis, acquitted that commander, as far as I could accumulated steam by booming out a Burkert of any "hostility to the miles have so far been flown to "living in the clouds."

slightly medley of

British, after he had explained bring the people of Berlin sup- a little plies). that he was "perhaps clumsy in court, no?"

He demands in a public speech The German trades unions in that the Allies must double the Ruhr indignantly reject their air-lift. "We must have

дос

aff-key, but The General didn't say much boisterous West Point songs. about this situation. But he and The worst part of the war seemed Beelle agreed in a regular morning over. conference that Montgomery had changed considerably since the day.

in Bari, just one year before, when

(COPYRIGHT. TO BE CONTINUED ON MONDAY)

I've made an article out of a molehill!

Q

it won't work.

WAR

BERNARD

WICK STEED

one end of a

Took No Notice

ARROGANT

under

Germans who see these little British officials' orders counter-

manded from Berlin are not un- aware of this schism.

They get their quiet enjoy- mont from it. But this is not the main reason for their gen- eral uppishness and return to their arrogance. For this there are two major reasons:-

The French, perhaps too apt to shriek wolf at the sight of a German police dog, are already yelping with dismay at developments in Western mantling, the handing over of the Germany-the-stoppage of the dis- Rubr industrles to the Germans.

But this time even stolld British

OT THERESA is the patron saint of the theatre. St Peter sent

of the misbehaviour of the Holly- wood colony.

Her Arst report: "I went back- and it was terrible,

Tho stage, way these people talk. Horrible."

Her second report: "It is far, far

"fer"third"report?" "Hello" "Peter darling, this is Terry. I'm in Holly- worse than I thought."

wood."

·

was "Could

A woman heard that The Head of the Government had been setting directives.

burcaus-and up too many That threat is real. Industiral trying to get rid of a few. production has already reached 73 take some of your hands?” shơ percent. of 1930, the boom year when wrote. "I'm setting up a new house, Goering started his "Guna instead of you see." butler" ery, and is still going up.

The Hend of the Government Rising steel production has reached replied by wire: SORRY RETAIN- 7.3 million tons a year, and luns out- ING BUREAU BUT CAN SUPPLY stripped the French output. The SECOND HAND WORN - OUT permitted German output is 10.7 CABINET. million tons.

Police arrived at the car park and the Americans want began to check if any tanks carried

red petrol.

But already this security celling lifted.

German exports are expanding, and the people have new heart. Their money, since the currency re- form, means something.

A walter in a German restaurant. in Dusseldorf talked to me about the better times, and said: "Jo, herr, we Germans are on our way back." But back where?

*

As they approached his car, one man said: "Omcer, you needn't trouble hero-I paid 79. Od a gallon for that white stuff in my tank.

An Kailan optimist mecis Italian pessimist.

Says the optimist: "If it goes on like this, we shall ait end up by begging."

•

ari

the pessimist,

"Yes," and Americans,

countera Though British absorbed in the Russian danger, back "but from whom?"

rebirth 11 д Great Germany's

They are saying wearily in South Power-anything, they say, to stop Russian expansion-they pooh-pooh Africa that it is not what a voter

that counts, leader of Germany. being a stands for but what he falls for,

threat again.

Their critics-I among them-say

•

•

POCKET CARTOON

by OSBERT LANCASTER

doos a bit of burrowing to bring you somothing right away from the nows INCE the headline tells Winter is one long hunt for food.

The question of a mole's eyesight | you what I've done, I'll Day and night it is burrow, burrow, their own length or go into revers is another about which people have 1 The 45 million Germans in

till they come to a siding.

the Western Zone, who were got to ground straight burrow, or starve.

It there aren't any worms on been arguing for years. Aristotle Most animals can store up energy

they icar into (and Shakespeare) and it was blind, knocked down and out at the away. There are more molchils

as fat and tissue and use it again their regular routes

new. Inc. But they were talking about two about now than in summer, be- when they

"I feel terrible this morning," sald can't get food, but the the walls and build a

creatures. The moles in end of the war, and have been cause moles have to work over- mole is like a dynamo

the man in the tobacco queue; "I without a When hard pushed they can make different

Grecco have a thin skin over the eye clinging to the ropes ever since, they are ignoring the lessons of his-

dreamed last night that the Torles time in winter, or perish. battery. When the power is cut off 223 feet of fresh tunnel in a night.

are now getting up on their feet tor Atistotle (born 384 BC) studied and are definitely blind. Our moles

After the. Kaiser's war the "pacf-1 got back and sent us bills for what and wrote about moles, but after haven't.

Old Le Court tested their eyesight | again.

Asts Weimar Republic" sent its staff we'd had from the National Health The mole (Talpa Europaea) is the

All those malchills you see just that no one took much notice of

officers. 16 bo trained in the Soviet Service." hungriest animal on earth, or just

Frenchman named Lo by putting them in own now are signs that the moles are in them tilf twice his

Western Germany feels the Un Russian officers came to

Union, about. He cats weight of worms every day, and top gear. And the harder they have Court set up a school for selentine drainpipe and waving a pencil at the This chap other. When the pencil was, there if he has to go without for more to work for their food the more of mole-cateling in 1708.

dieg of it they need to keep going. It is all reckoned they could travel under- the moles wouldn't come out, but life-bringing pounds and dollars Germany, Marshal Zhukav studied von Secckt, commander-in-chief of tew than

hours he

rather sad really, and colours their ground as fast as a horse can trot, when he took it away they did. So coursing through her, economic strategy in Germany ander Generál

(Remember? he presumed they could sco. starvation-yes actually dler,

veins, and is flexing her muscles. the Relchawehr. whole life. They can hardly keep

Selentists scoff at this now, but

was limited to 100,000 men). have So he can never get a full night's still for a moment and do everything

Moro than £600 million

Under Hiller there was contact be they haven't produced hard figures frantic speed. sleep. It would kill him if he did. at a

gone that way from the pockets tween the General staffs of the two He can gorge himself in the evening Except in the breeding season

On the other hand, a more recent till he's ready to burst, but by mid- (March, and April) the mole is a if they are right. The way to time

Communist, signed his pact of non- night he's ravenous dgal:1.

misogynist. Ile just linsn't the time a mole underground is quite simple, top-line British observer of moles of the British taxpayer since countries, and Hitler, the arch anti- You find a place where one of held candles in front of their noses the occupation startod-n sign aggression with Stalin, the arch anti- People who have kept moles to for one thing, and for another the them is-working on a new tunnel and found they took no notice until that Britain will not be able to Nazi. study have seen

and follow the line back, planting they could feel the bant. them fall asleep two sexes can

These from sheer exhaustion in the mid- right way to build a tunnel.

little atleis is you go. should have a flag on top and the Moles can swim, though how they end should poke through into the navigate if they can't see is some-

thing nobody has explained.

So now the Germans, who,

no guarantee that this One of the reasons they go swimm-| Churchill said, aro either at will not happen again.

Nor can SO THE term) belleve in the Bakerloo Then you stand back with a stop ing is to get rid of their fleas. It's

and American oficials, frenziedly hunting for more.

A man caught a healthy, full- plan, with long straight stretches watch in hand and blew a terrifle real case of the bilad (or nearly so your feat or at your throat, are the British

a trumpet. The mola

bulwark against the East, promise grown moto once and gave it a third between alations. But madam has the blast on of a pint of worms to eat. Beforò feminine touch. Iler tunnels wander dashes for home in a panic, pushing leading the blind, because molo fleas certainly no longer at our feet. who are bullding up Germany as n after the other can't see either.

anything.

Perhaps in five or ten years the going to bed he gave it another third all over the place as they do on the the flags down one

he goes.

Gamekeepers say that moles de The Germans know that the keep away from District Line. pint to

spectra of, the Germans and Russians I was shown how to do this as a liberately tunnel under But it wasn't enough while

Through these tunnels the molca

United States is determined working together will aries before us stat-vation

speed

egns that fall at serve it some while express

day h

boy, but I didn't have a stopwatch nests and eat the When he came to

They will show you to govern Germany, its pivotal again. Then Herr Beldel may again breakfast the poor mole was so weak and night in their non-stop hunt for then. My Impression, however, was through. with-hunger it couldn't swallow, food, On mall-line routes there is that the mote wont with the spoed-subsided nests to prove it. Naturalisis bastion against Communism in talk about the poor British but the word poor will have a different and and dled a low minutos later of room for two to pass but, of a palloping horse, not a mero think It is just chance.

Europe: (Cebinued on Fago, 14)

more deadly meaning. malnutrition.

*must necessary, they can turn round in trotter."

never ogree on the

to refute it, as they could easily do

die of eating a worm. Half an hour Inter they wake with a start, finishi

Express Spood

tunnel.

the (JE,imales (boars is

correct

the worm off-which they cat as an Italian

spaghetti-and does

pheasants"

afford many more victories like this.

UNCERTAIN

Wo havo

“The vet, zdys there's) nothing" radically

wrong. with up--we're just terribly worried about Chiang