THE WEEK IN REVIEW
THE WEEK IN REVIEW THE spectacular advance of Allied armies on the battlefronts of the world this week achieved a home-front objective which the nation's progressive forces ha:l sought without...
...How about Gerald L. K. Smith...
...eight per cent called for punitive action...
...Although Congress had planned to remain in recess until after Labor Day, there was a concerted effort being made this week to resume sessions promptly in order to pave the way for early action on reconversion...
...The discharged Japanese-American workers, urgently needed for track and terminal labor, were all Americans of second, third, and fourth generation who had been cleared by the FBI...
...Asked how they would treat the people of Germany, 65 per cent favored "lenient treatment" of the people—not the Nazi leaders—and called for "active assistance or a re-education program...
...In a statement issued last week on his 81st birthday, Henry Ford visualized a "great age" ahead, "if we apply what we have learned and mix it with plenty of hard work...
...Homer Adkins...
...their statement said, "jobs will disappear for 20,000,000 workers now engaged in war production...
...American battle casualties, standing at 313,000, now greatly exceed the total of 278,828 for World War I. Included in the 313,000 casualties since Pearl Harbor are more than 63,000 dead...
...Statements attributed to him confirm my judgment expressed at that time...
...Principal political developments of the week were these: Split In Labor Ranks Organized labor showed that it was far from united, not only on candidates and platform, but on tactics and strategy as well...
...The officials of the powerful Brotherhoods made it clear that they desire to "repudiate Mr...
...Thomas E. Dewey, the GOP's Presidential candidate, made front-page headlines last week when he publicly repudiated Rep...
...Hamilton Fish, New York Republican, and urged his defeat for renomination in this week's primary election...
...Thomas charged that the Republican and Democratic platforms were "virtually interchangeable...
...The United States Government will hold $15,000,-000,000 worth of war plants and equipment and $60,-000,000,000 worth of supplies...
...Political reports contended the significance was largely local in character...
...At least I do...
...J. W. Fulbright led the race for the Democratic nomination in Arkansas, but he must fight it out in a run-off against Gov...
...Another labor blast at the Hillman-Murray organization came from K. C. Adams, editor of the JJnited Mine Workers Journal, whose leading editorial lambasted the Political Action Committee and the Roosevelt Administration...
...Race Row...
...We must produce at least 60 to 70 per cent more than we produced in 1939...
...Organized labor is solidly united behind the Kilgore Bill...
...John Bricker, also made headlines this week...
...Dewey's running mate, Ohio's Gov...
...If peace catches us thus unprepared, an economic panic jeopardizing any possibility of postwar security and reconstruction may ensue...
...We welcome all support to the Republican ticket," said Bricker...
...Dies On The Warpath The CIO's Political Action Committee was under sharp attack from the right as well...
...Political Developments Much of the home front news of the past week was political in character, even though the nation as a whole remained apathetic as the Presidential campaign swung into action...
...Names And Notes In The News Open Letter...
...If they agree with you and vote for you, well and good...
...Condemning President Roosevelt's foreign policy as leading toward a third World War and his domestic program as appeasement of reactionaries, Norman Thomas, Socialist candidate for President, in an open letter to Prof...
...Although many American intellectuals favor harsh treatment of conquered Germany, the common man advocates a policy of leniency, according to a poll taken by the National Opinion Research' Center...
...At a joint press conference with Dewey, Bricker was asked if he would approve "the support of John ,L...
...Martin Dies, who is soon to retire from Congress, released portions of a report on the CIO-PAC prepared by Robert E. Stripling, chief investigator for Dies' Committee on Un-American Activities...
...Arthur Vandenberg, Michigan, chairman of the Republican Steering Committee, was first to sound the call for action, asserting that "chances for an early German collapse are sufficiently encouraging" to make it urgent for Congress to act on bills for reconversion of industry from war production...
...The Texas Tory charged that there had been wholesale violations of the Hatch Clean Politics Act by dozens of high-ranking Administration officials in a score of agencies...
...Casualties...
...Harry Truman for Vice President as a "flat repudiation of the efforts of the CIO Political Action Committee to take over control of the Democratic Party...
...Conflict On Legislation "When the war ends...
...Speaking of his great bomber factory at Willow Run, Ford said none of the macWnery would be scrapped but would be diverted to production of tractors and other kinds of farm tools...
...The Illinois Central Railroad was compelled last week to fire 59 Japanese-American employes because the Brotherhoo'd of Maintenance of Way Employes (AFL) threatened to strike in protest...
...In South Carolina, Sen...
...If the war against Germany should end suddenly, before we have made legislative and economic provision for that contingency, the home front would be plunged into chaos...
...Olin D. Johnson, who tried unsuccessfully, with President Roosevelt's help, to unseat him in 1938...
...Sidney Hillman and Philip Murray, whose CIO Political Action Committee is designed to swing organized labor to the fourth term candidacy of the President, were under heavy fire in other labor quarters...
...Meanwhile, the American Federation of Labor hailecl the nomination of Sen...
...That's the way you win elections, by getting votes...
...Hillman's Fantastic Proposal," which condemned the "CIO scheme to raise huge slush funds to influence the coming election" because it "may injure the entire labor movement...
...Hillman's alliance with the 'Reds' is also a matter of moment to all trade unionists," Labor asserted, adding that Communists "dominate his political organization...
...THE WEEK IN REVIEW THE spectacular advance of Allied armies on the battlefronts of the world this week achieved a home-front objective which the nation's progressive forces ha:l sought without success—final consideration by Congress and the Administration of the vastly challenging problem of reconverting the country's economy to civilian production...
...During 1943, more than 157,000 persons on the Federal payroll were injured on the job...
...Labor, plain-spoken organ of the influential Railroad Brotherhoods, carried a leading editorial entitled "Mr...
...To convert to full production and employment in peace, we must find 15,000,000 more jobs than were available in 1939—when 45,000,000 were employed...
...Two Senators Retired Two members of the U. S. Senate were retired to private lif,e by their constituencies last week...
...Accidents...
...However, Roosevelt and Dewey could exchange platforms and the voters would be none the wiser...
...A survey by the Council of Personnel Administration disclosed last week that it is safer to work In a powder plant than for the Federal Government...
...Sen...
...Bricker On Gerald Smith Gov...
...Race Issue Injected Gov...
...Labor contends that the CIO's yardstick of qualifications often has little to do with issues affecting labor, and that, "as a consequence, candidates with good labor records are being vigorously and even viciously opposed by the CIO...
...Urging prompt consideration of the Kilgore Bill for postwar readjustments— the measure around which the nation's progressive forces have rallied—Kilgore and Celler warned that 60,000,000 jobs will be needed when hostilities cease...
...Great Age...
...He wrote his colleagues on the Committee to inquire what procedure they favored in acting on the evidence, asserting that Re leaned toward forwarding the evidence to Atty...
...Is he going to...
...Hillman's unprecedented program at the very beginning...
...Hattie W. Caraway, only woman member of the Senate and the only woman ever to be elected to that body, was retired from public life...
...I have always fought that kind of thing all my life and always will, regardless of partisan consideration...
...Mr...
...Anyone who injects a racial or religious issue into a political campaign is guilty of a disgraceful, un-American act...
...His vote willbe counted, if he votes the Republican ticket," said Bricker...
...Reinhold Niebuhr, chairman of the Union for Democratic Action, last week asked the Union to explain the grounds on which it justified support of the Democratic Party...
...Awaiting consideration are two bills on reconversion —the George-Murray Bill which has been denounced as greatly inadequate to meet the coming economic crisis—and the Kilgore Bill, now bearing the joint authorship of Sens...
...Emanuel Celler, New York, both Democrats, issued a joint statement calling on Congress to "enact comprehensive reconversion legislation now or gamble with economic disorganization...
...Francis Biddle with a recommendation that the officials be prosecuted for violation of the law and dismissed from the Government payroll...
...E. C. ("Cotton Ed") Smith, one of the hardest-bitten reactionaries and racists in Congress, was defeated in the Democratic primary by Gov...
...The AFL's news service asserted that "the CIO group, led by Sidney Hillman and Phil Murray, went all out for Henry Wallace and packed the galleries with a Communist rabble in an attempt to force the hand of the delegates...
...I haven't any more idea than the man in the moon," said the Ohio governor...
...The report purported to show that there has been frequent communication by telephone and telegraph between the White House and officials of the CIO's political arm...
...I have never accepted the support of any such individual and I never shall...
...Right now we are wholly unprepared for peace...
...Lewis...
...Man-days lost reached a total of 5,300,000, almost half as much as the combined loss from strikes in the whole country for the year...
...To these within a few months will be added 10,000,-000 service men who will return to civilian life...
...Kilgore, Thomas (Utah), Johnson (Colorado), Hill, Downey, Truman, Wallgren, Wagner, La Follette, and Pepper...
...Fish was quoted in a New York daily as saying, "the Jews are more or less for the New Deal, unfortunately...
...William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor, expressed a view frequently voiced by other labor leaders when he declared this week that "immediate passage of the Kilgore Bill is vital to help provide jobs and insurance for demobilized service men and disemployed war workers...
...We call upon the members of Congress to act quickly on this important legislation because time is running out...
...Fish...
...Predicting that air commerce and vastly improved world highways would make international boundary lines unnecessary, the veteran industrialist asserted that "we should not be satisfied with an armistice" to end the present war, but should "pull aside the curtains and see to it that the real causes of war are exposed...
...Only...
...Harley Kilgore, West Virginia, and Rep...
...1 Contrast...
...In Arkansas, Sen...
...Indeed, he added, the GOP platform "is slightly more liberal, for instance, in dealing with the vital matter of action to promote race equality...
...We have no plans for coping with unemployment, with shutdown of war factories, or with the problems of reconversion...
...Dewey promptly issued a statement in which he said: "Two years ago I publicly opposed the nomination and election of Rep...
...More than 90,000 of these suffered injuries serious enough to be forced to stay away from work, and 617 were killed...
Vol. 8 • August 1944 • No. 32
