THE WEEK IN REVIEW
THE WEEK IN REVIEW THE WORLD'S largest labor federation—the American Federation of Labor—and the world's largest individual union—the United Automobile Workers (CIO)—basked in the national...
...Speaking over a national radio network, Truman asserted that publicity staffs maintained by big corporations "occupy themselves in attempts to confuse the issues and obtain public comment favorable to the companies...
...Suport for putting the President on trial, so to speak, came from Philip Murray, president of the CIO, who asserted that labor is not getting a square deal from Congress and the Administration...
...He cited especially the cases of Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation and the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, both of which have been accused of unloading defective war equipment on the government...
...7, 1941, denied this week that he had demanded an immediate court-martial...
...The convention voted to reaffirm its "no strike" pledge without qualification, but demanded the scrapping of the "Little Steel" formula and President Roosevelt's "hold-the-line" order, and urged a rollback of prices to September, 1942, levels...
...THE WEEK IN REVIEW THE WORLD'S largest labor federation—the American Federation of Labor—and the world's largest individual union—the United Automobile Workers (CIO)—basked in the national spotlight during the past week as they held their annual conventions at Boston and Buffalo respectively...
...Francis J. Haas, retiring head of the Fair Employment Practices Committee and bishop-elect of the Grand Rapids Catholic Church, pleaded for full union status for Negroes and other minority groups...
...15, 1942, if the general public cooperates...
...Public disgust with the government's handling of war news has been mounting in recent months and last week it appeared on the verge of boiling over...
...Truman revealed that the Army is now court-martialing officers exposed by his Committee in connection with the Curtiss-Wright scandal at the Lock-land, O., plant...
...Most noteworthy development at Buffalo, where 2,000 delegates represented the more than 1,000,000 members of the United Automobile Workers, was the appearance of a rather chilly attitude toward the Roosevelt Administration...
...Bennett Clark, Missouri Democrat, last week challenged the right of the Army to issue Allied military currency in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy...
...7. Heard two fraternal delegates from the British Trade Union Congress express regret that the AFL had refused to join with British and Russian unions in an Anglo-American-Soviet trade union council...
...Example...
...Sen...
...R. J. Thomas, UAW president, who announced that the extent to which labor may be rallied to help reelect him "will depend upon his efforts to keep the labor-hating, Tory section of the Democratic Party from interfering with and dominating his policies," and from Victor Reuther, chairman of the resolutions committee, who put it this way: "I do not believe that labor should make a blind date for 1944...
...In his keynote address, President William Green asserted that the United States "must join with other nations of good will to preserve peace throughout the civilized world," and then added: "That is why labor demands a place at the peace table to see to it that the will of the people is not thwarted by professional and international diplomats...
...The House of Representatives voted unanimously this week to refund through immediate tax credits a portion of the five per cent victory tax, ranging from 25 to 40 per cent...
...We expect these promises to be fulfilled...
...5. Listened politely as Msgr...
...Admitting there was some justification for criticism for the withholding of news, Davis was inclined to blame brass hats of failing to deal frankly with the people...
...Truman Strikes Back Sen...
...Names And Notes In The News News...
...The Johnson amendment would permit a monthly allotment of $50 for a wife, plus $30 for the first child, and $20 for each additional child...
...Walter Short, made this comment: "My position is and has been that I do feel that I am entitled to a court-martial and will welcome one at any time...
...Although the UAW has been a loud and enthusiastic supporter of the President and all his works up to now, it adopted a resolution pledging only conditional support for a fourth term—its condition being that Mr...
...UAW Cool To F.D.R...
...Harry S. Truman, Missouri Democrat, chairman of the famed Senate investigating committee which bears his name, charged last week that the investigation of war production has been hampered by "industry's publicity men...
...The Newspaper Advisory Committee of the Office of War Information issued a blistering attack on government suppression of news, attributing complacency and letdown in the war effort to lack of information...
...But we cannot agree with them that vital facts should be withheld from the people...
...Discussing domestic problems, Green warned that "the free enterprise system faces a life-or-death test in the post-war period...
...Louis Post-Dispatch when it gave front-page display to the news that Joseph Pulitzer, its editor and owner, was fined $500 for an Arkansas hunting violation...
...The Senate-approved bill also provides that all occupational deferments, in private industry or in government, shall be limited to prewar fathers, or to men who are certified by employers as indispensable...
...They must face the risk and responsibility of investing the necessary funds or the people will lose confidence in them...
...The delegates reelected Thomas president and reelected Walter P. Reuther, head of the right wing, vice president, and George F. Addes, leader of the left wing, secretary-treasurer...
...Pattern Hits Adminstration The AFL convention also: 1. Heard James G. Patton, president of the National Farmers Union, charge that the Roosevelt Administration has been intimidated by a bi-partisan coalition of big agriculture, banks, insurance interests, processors, distributors, and the U. S. Chamber of Commerce...
...Challenge...
...The organization's refusal to support this proposal was regarded as a setback for both Administration supporters and Communists who had advocated its adoption...
...3. Heard Chester Bowles, general manager of the Office of Price Administration, pledge that the government will live up to its promise to roll back prices to levels of Sept...
...Trek...
...Davis, whose Overseas Branch was sharply attacked by Sen...
...Business leaders must be prepared to move boldly and swiftly...
...He declared that the War Department "is in complete agreement with the Committee on the basic facts about the Lockland plant...
...There are no differences between us about the quality of the newly replaced management, or its inspection, or the engines in question...
...Henry Leonard of the Marine Corps revealed that he had been retained as counsel for Kimmel and that a letter asking for immediate trial had been sent the Navy Department...
...The AFL, whose several hundred delegates dislike being rushed, was continuing in session this week, with final action on a variety of major issues scheduled for the closing days of the 63rd annual convention...
...4. Indicated that it was ready to reinstate the United Mine Workers Union with its 700,000 members...
...Burton K. Wheeler's bill to postpone the draft of pre-Pearl Harbor fathers was killed in the Senate last week, several major proposals to correct the current manpower muddle were incorporated in a substitute measure which was passed by a vote of 69 to 0. The approved bill places greater emphasis than has hitherto been the case on cushioning the impact on families from which fathers are taken...
...Most newspapers suppress the news when their own executives are involved in law violations...
...Lodge, who used to defend it, had a new headache when the New York World-Telegram revealed that the AFL and CIO had lodged protests with Davis because the Overseas Branch had been regularly broadcasting Communist propaganda in its daily shortwave radio program to the labor populations of occupied Europe...
...6. Received a report from its executive council charging that machinery established by the government to promote industrial development of Latin American countries disregards the interests of working people in those countries...
...This schedule of liberalized grants was under attack in the House Military Committee which was prepared to sponsor a somewhat reduced scale this week...
...Washington correspondents continued to yell in protest at Prime Minister Winston Churchill's habit of scooping them on important war developments by releasing news in his public addresses...
...Admiral Kimmel's statement came after Lt...
...We dare not and we must not offer our returning soldiers breadlines...
...Such action merely opens the door for further attempts to mislead the public...
...About 22,500,000 persons, half the population of Britain, have moved from one area to another since the outbreak of war due to bomb damage, evaluations, transfers of labor, or other causes, Health Minister Ernest Brown disclosed last week...
...Refund...
...Communists and their associates had sought to win approval of complete, unconditional support for the Administration, but withdrew their resolution when they realized they faced a decisive defeat...
...He said OWI was currently seeking to get military commanders to agree to release promptly bad as well as good news...
...Attempting to reply to critics, Elmer Davis, much harassed head of OWI, announced that he is trying to have an Anglo-American news policy adopted which will prevent Churchill from scooping the American press...
...Revamped Draft Bill Passes Although Sen...
...We have been asked to sacrifice and in return we have been given promises...
...2. Welcomed back into its fold the International Association of Machinists with its membership of 625,000...
...The IAM had quit the AFL in a row over jurisdictional rights...
...A good example for the nation's press was set last week by the St...
...Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, who was Navy commander at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack Dec...
...Capitol observers regarded the move as a prelude to outright repeal of the tax...
...Edwin Johnson, Colorado Democrat, which increases allowances for children's support by 100 to 150 per cent...
...Sen Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., reported after a worldwide tour of war fronts that government censorship "enrages and disillusions our fighting men...
...Kimmel, who was relieved of his command with Lt...
...However, I realize that a court-martial could only be had at the expense of the war effort because of the resulting interference with the very important duties of essential witnesses of high rank now in the active theaters of war and the difficulty of assembling them...
...Green denounced the reactionary press and radio critics of labor, asserting that more than 85 per cent of the war material in America is being produced by union labor and "we hope that the bullet which will finally end Hitler's life will bear the union label...
...Roosevelt settle down to an "aggressive effort" to achieve a "sound and progressive" program...
...These are important things...
...They must be prepared to reconvert their plants almost overnight...
...The adoption of this conditional resolution was a setback for the left-wing section of the UAW...
...This was achieved largely by the adoption of the amendment offered by Sen...
...Delegates turned thumbs down on an attempt to commit the UAW to the extension of incentive pay plans that are being urged on war plants by the War Production Board...
...Denial...
Vol. 7 • October 1943 • No. 42
