17 May 1942
Page 1
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Newspaper
Monroe Morning World
Location
Monroe, Louisiana, United States of America
Date
May 17, 1942
Page
1
A 1917 era report discusses disillusioned Italians, some welcoming an Allied invasion to break the Nazi grip. It cites Mussolini’s faltering regime, German and Japanese influence, and calls for American and British landings in Europe to topple Fascism.
A joint army navy communique reviews offensive actions in the early Pacific campaign. It notes raids on Gilbert, Wake, Marcus, and bombing of Japan, plus battles in Coral Sea and Makassar Straits and submarine successes. About 600000 American troops moved to battle stations in three weeks, with Bataan surrender looming.
Government price orders will be explained at a special OPA clinic in Neville High auditorium on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. Attendees include wholesalers retailers and merchandising operators from the Fifth district. Officials from the Dallas regional OPA office will discuss how the price ceiling applies to all commodities and services.
England reports Prime Minister Churchill telling 25,000 Yorkshire war workers that Allied victory is in sight. He described the struggle as a deep, humanity-driven movement and urged perseverance to push Axis tyranny to its end, promising Britain will endure and triumph.
In Washington on May 16 President Roosevelt commuted the four year sentence of Earl Browder, former Communist Party leader, for passport fraud after serving about 14 months. Browder, once general secretary of the U.S. Communist Party, was released from Atlanta penitentary pending proper arrangements. The news came as a rare clemency action by the administration. The Abraham Baldwin, a Liberty ship built by Delta Shipbuilding, was launched at New Orleans, named for a revolutionary Georgia hero and early UGA founder who later led the university.
The navy announced a small Norwegian merchant vessel was torpedoed off the east coast of South America and survivors were landed at an east coast United States port.
Seventy four bedraggled Americans including diplomats and their families arrived in Lisbon after five months in German custody. They rode the first of three trains carrying 132 U.S. citizens and 120 Central and South Americans from concentration points in Germany, as negotiations for a German diplomat and press exchange continued. The Drottningholm, docking today, will repatriate 923 Germans and others.
Price Administrator Leon Henderson told the House Ways and Means Committee that if the war labor board fails to stabilize wages he will ask President Roosevelt to take further action. His closed session testimony warned of inflationary danger from wage increases and spurred talk of a general sales tax to raise funds for war needs and curb inflation. Members noted a sales tax could lift revenue from about 5 billion to meet an 8.7 billion goal, while opponents warned of a tough political fight in the House.
LISBON May 16. An Associated Press dispatch from interned journalists argues Hitler's decision to declare war on the United States was the gravest miscalculation of his career. The piece, by 84 year old Louie P Lochner, says German psychology was stunned and Goebbels misread the mood as Germany faced American resistance and allied pressures.
A Melbourne radio broadcast heard by CBS claimed Japanese planes over Port Moresby dropped 400 letters from Australian prisoners in enemy territory. The letters dated April 28 were forwarded to recipients by Australian army authorities after the drop.
Washington, May 16. Here is the text of the joint army-navy war review thus far. On December 7, 1941, while diplomatic negotiations were in progress in Washington, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The strikes sank ships and damaged facilities, destroying planes and wrecking hangars and repair shops. The army and navy moved to meet the crisis, strengthening convoys and using army bombers for protection. Shortly after, Japanese land-based aircraft bombed Philippine islands.
Washington May 1 a war production board spokesman said almost all war plant contracts that cannot be completed and in production by mid 1943 will be cancelled. About two thirds of approved or contracted projects will be abandoned as raw material shortages and a potential war turning point compel a focus on arms munitions and selective facilities like synthetic rubber and aviation gasoline plants.
The White House announced that the nations vast cargo ship construction program is on schedule and that shipyards will handle the workload. A tonnage shortage will persist until world sinkings are controlled, with 1.5 percent of new vessels delivered in 130 days of 1942, 20 percent more than all of 1941, and more ships needed to replace others sunk under allied flags. The war production board plans to slow new war plant construction to divert steel and materials to immediate arms production.
Laval, premier of Vichy France, said he rejected most U S demands on Martinique and warned Washington of responsibility for any unjustified violence. He cited a noted U S note with six demands and claimed his cabinet text would show the United States sought control over Martinique Guadeloupe and French Guiana. The United States says negotiations are with Admiral Robert as the ultimate authority and Laval’s government is not a party.
Mid May 1942 ushers in a deepening global war with no refuge from devastation, yet hope remains that the Axis will be driven toward destruction. The piece centers on Russia as the theater for a possible turning point in the summer campaign and ongoing Allied resolve.
A Monroe Louisiana USO stands out with a repurposed garage as the front hub and a rear area housing some 75 beds and free shower facilities. The center offers meals rides to the pool dances and games to hundreds of service members, drawing high local support from a town of about 25 000 people. The narrator highlights the town’s welcoming attitude toward soldiers and praises the USO’s wide range of services.
A school for air raid wardens in Monroe and West Monroe runs Monday May 18 through Monday May 25. Those not yet finished should attend. Sessions cover organization control room blackouts air raids gas and fire defense with daily West Monroe and Monroe listings and a Sunday May 2% general review at 2 pm at Central Grammar school Monroe.
In May 16 14 Louisiana teachers urged legislators to vote against changes to the teacher tenure law. H W Wright president of the Louisiana Teacher Association cited rumors of revision but offered no specifics. Superintendent John Coxe likewise urged leaving the law intact, calling amendments untimely and unconfirmed.
Citizens honored for reaching adulthood or naturalization with remarks on duty and patriotism. John L Murff urged active government participation and lawful action during wartime. Dr George C Marlette stressed effort and vigilance for citizenship. Statewide observance urged by Superintendent John E Coxe with school programs on civic duties.
Allied headquarters report three new air attacks on the Japanese air base at Lae in northeastern New Guinea destroying eight bombers and starting fires. A Soviet offensive nears Kharkov across a 7 mile gap in Ukraine, with reports of major advances and captures as German defenses bend under pressure. Berlin claims Kerch secured, while Paris radio contests this, noting continued Soviet activity and prisoner counts.
Washington May 14 UP I Retailers were reminded that price ceiling regulation becomes effective next Monday and the Office of Price Administration expects them to post price lists in a clearly visible way. Lists must be displayed on sheets and not tucked away in books or folders.
Louisianan parishes conduct a practical bond census to urge every income earner to pledge bonds or stamps for the wartime drive. State administrator Paul H Meloney relays Secretary Morgenthau’s demand that Louisiana meet a May quota of 4,943,500 dollars as part of a nationwide one billion dollar monthly target to finance planes guns and ships.
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