1 WAR The war^nipht poses a problem of retreat. Huge Soviet armies vs are withdrawing. Are they doing so in good order, keeping their lighting powers Intact? Or are they being broken, cut aff into segments, turned into a disorganized % vt<rvO mob? That^ the number one question in the Nazi-Soviet conflict. The appeal made by Red Dictator Stalin to the Russian people yadmitted vast withdrawal - all along the line. \Rome A — of it having already been made, some of it being made. Soviet War bulletins today indicate the same thing. In the North, they place the battlefront on the Berezina River, where the Nazi aigh Command located it two days ago. In that te area, the Red Army has retreated a couple of hundred miles since the war began, txm Sunday before last. Moscow tells of repelling assaults aisjc along the Berezina, - holding tne ^ermen drive there in check. In the southern sector, the Red Army bulletin tells of other successes - attacks hurled back. But where t were they hurled back? That’s the Key Question. What are the places, the towns? We have such place am names as Tarna Tarnopol, £-1 } r WAR - 2 Shepetovka and other Slavic names quite unpronounceable, Looki them up on the map, shows a revealing thing. They’re far to the £-a?t of the line where the battle began, tv/elve days ago. They’re near the border the Soviets had before they took a deep slice of Poland. The Red Army has retreated that far. It»s common enough for a natls^ixi nation to announce a victory at one location today, and another triumph tomorrow - some distance to the rear, victories going back - on the retreat. So we find today that in the southern area, the Soviets forces are far back from where they started battling to hold the fortress of Tarnopol. The blitzkrieg machine has driven around It, to the place called Shepetovka. That’s further to the East, within the Russian Ukraine - on the road tf* the Soviet capital of Kiev. St alin, in his appeal, stated that the iMax bul^t of the ^ed Army was not yet in action. That sounds formidable. It raises the supposition that perhaps the Soviet forces may be retiring to a defending line, and there will be Joined by great assKXSQBxsKESxai accessions of strength. There’s talk of powerful i T WAR - 3 frontier positions which the Rod Amy established before it took Dnieper River and its northern tributary, the Berezina. .That's one hope for Soviet Russia -- the ability to retreat in order reinforced. However,j Stalin's radio speech today clearly indicated the possibility of much greater Red Army withdrawal, almost unlimited retreat. He proclaimed the policy of what the Chinese call — the scorched Eart^.\ Leave nothing that might benefit the Invader, destroy the/crops, remove the cattle, take away all useable equipment. Desjbroy the country. The scorched earth is a modern Chinese method, but the Russians themselves used it with terrifying effect a hundred and thirty years ago. Against / iNapoleon, leaving/sheer desolation and then bitter winter to } defeat the greatest of modem conquerors. ----------------------- that Eastern slice of Poland, positions that they can now defend. j There's mention of a supreme line of Soviet resistance along the g ■ for a relatively short distance, and then stand and be powerfully p I ::J Word from Berlin indicates that Stalin's policy is being followed. A German dispatch tells that Blitzkrieg forces are WAR - 4 pushing across vast areas of utterly devastated land — every village burned, everything destroyed as far as possible. However, fields and fields of wheat are said to be standing. And today It, motion pictures of waving fields of Russian grain. /The explanation given Is that the wheat/^^lelds are now too green to / burn. The Soviets cannot apply,^he scorched earth policy to / the source of bread. This yi In accord with word we bad when / the ^»azl-Soviet War sta^l^d — that Hitler was picking a moment to strike when the v^5t Russian grain fields would be green, wouldn’t burn Reprots from Russia tonight tell of measures being taken in Moscow — the city af being fortified, streets barricaded. preparations for a house to house defense. Women and children are being evacuated — all the signs of a city expecting attack. Moscow seems to be preparing itself for a Panzer division drive. The possibilities of continuous retreat are almost unlimited for the Soviet forces — deep into vast Siberia, if the Mazls showed foreign newspaper men newsre'el pictures to prove need be. And the Reds may be ready for that. Stalin and his power could retire to the immensity of Central Asia, and there continue ^ ' I WAR - 5 the struggle. A graphic example is available - China. The nationalist armies, Chiang-Kai-Shek, driven far into the interior and there continuing the battle — despite all the modern ^ resources of Japan, Could the Soviet regime do this? Could Stalin retain that much support? Against l^apoleon, thd Russian people stuck with their Czar Alexander to the bitter end. In the World War, it was a different story. Then, in the face of military defeat, they revolted against their Czar Nicholas. That’s how the Kaiser’s Germany knocked Russia out of the War. What would haopen today - if the Red Army were driven on and on? Would Russia hold steadfast to Stalin? From the German side, the picture of the Soviet retreat is one of disaster. The Red Army’s power of resistance seems definitely broken, says Berlin. We are told of disorganization. a general breakeup — under the smashing drives by the Panzer the blitzkrieg forces have achieved. The German account is very general - mostly a lot of adjectives, picturing headlong victory and reeling defeat. divisions and incessant bombings from the aky. If the Nazi ^ i ' ki version be true, the Soviet retreat has become a rout. The Berlin I bulletin names no specijic places, does not name the objectives . t SHIPPING I'oday Berlin gives us a figure for British shipping losses during the month of June. Berlin and London are alv^ays far apart on the subject of the destruction wrought by the *<azl sea campaign. However, there has been a rough ratio between the German and British figures. Berlin usually claims about twice the tonnage that London admits. So what version does Berlin give us today? The Nazis claim that during June they sank more than seven hundred and sixty-eight tnousand tons of ships. If the usual ratio of two to one te prevails, we may expect a Irltlsh figure of about half tha t^ iuiiWIwwil mu 4 fTfly ii'l P mip huh ^ i rH good dec! lower than shipping losses announced by London of late. The monthly average been around half a h mil i lonA^ons. British A ——'—^ figures for June are due In a few days, and It will be Interesting to see how they compare with the German. SYF.IA The war la Syria Is almost forgotten, eclipsed by the titanic violence In Russia. However, the British anl Free French are still fighting and advancing In that French cciilony. It’s wlghty slow going, and there’s a supposition that poor progress the Syrian campaign has something to do with the transferring of General Wavell. We have no explanation^why Britain’s only victorious commander has been removed from the Near Eastern war area and sent to take military charge In India. One guess Is that General wavell did not agree with Prime Minister Churchill about the alsastrous campaigns in Greece. In genmeral things have not been^oing too well with British efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean area - and this includes t* the campaign in Syria Today, nowever, tne Brltlsn ana /r ee French scored success- that brings a flash of historic reminiscence They’re captured Palmyra, the City in tne Desert that was once the ga glory of the ancient world. Palmyra of the j^arrlor lueen Zenotla, who for years defied tne might of the legions of Rome. p- - SYRIA - 2 loday that historic place is a series of magnificent ruins - Important in modern affairs chiefly as an airport. As such, it has been a number one goal for the British and Free French. They drove to Palmyra thirteen days ago, and set siege to the BKn^xwtiKla town which was stubbornly defended by the forces^Loyal to the Vichy government, I'oday came the end, After a powerful artillery bombardment. Palmyra fell. British tanics rumbled into the streets, followed by Infantry. Modern mechanized war in the age-old capital where Zenobla was 'tueen. . I JAPAN In Washington today hope was expressed, and the object of the hopeful sentiment was Japan. Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles made a somewhat ontlmistic statement about the new Tokyo foreign policy. He said he hoped it would help to keep peace in the Pacific. What that new Far Eastern foreign policy is, nobody knows. It was formualted at a secret meeting of the Tokyo supreme council, and concerned the new state of affairs created by the Nazi Soviet War. What attitude will Japan take in the Hltler- Stalin clash? That was decided by the Mikado’s council; but. they arenot talking about it. The Tokyo word is that the new foreign policy will be disclosed not by words, but by future action. However, it is hoped tliat it will tend to preserve peace in the Pacific. So said our own Acting Secretary of State today. Sumner Welles continued with comment on the action of the Tokyo government in requisitioning two Japanese merchant vessles that were on the w'^.y from Manila to the United States. He said the Japanese were within their rights in doing this. ARMY The United States Array today Tade a foraicl proposal to permit the use of American armed forces outside the Vkestern hemisphere. As the law now stands, there’s a restriction. The bulk of the men in training can*t be sent to war outside the western xixx flenlsphere.^ No A.E.F. The Army wants that altered. ^0 says Chief of Staff General Marshall in a report to Secretary of i^isr Stimson. have Congress remove the limitation. *ake it legal to send American troops anywhere. The Army makes a second request. Give the military 7 "^ authorities the right to hold men for more than a year. Selective Service law specifies one year as the period of military training^ «na Tne Army wants that time limit removed. This to apply to men drafted, tlcnal Guardsmen, and^reserve officers, hms: The military authorities keep them in service as lone as they A are needed in the emergency. In calling for these measures. General Mai^shall cites the perilous state o^ sur world affairs. His report i a m rwBfl reads in part as follows:- ”lvents of the past few months,’’ ’’are convincing proof of the terrific power rossessed by a ARMY - P u natior^ administered purely on a military basis. Events of the past few days^ it continues,”are even more forcible indications of the suddenness with wblch conflict can spread to areas hitherto considered free from attack." This of course nppl-^e: to the Nazi attack on Soviet Russia. Against such sudden dant'ers we*ve got to protect ourselves. "fTie Chief of Staff uses these words:- ’’Protect ourselves »it±» against the coldly calculated secret and sudden action that might be directed against us, li^nce the demand that fMo n» rpvo*ftd| -a-nd alee ^ho^^the^Army be permitted to hold the bulk of the men in service for more than a year. 1 WOMAN Today at Los Angeles, a coart of law was asked to hand la dowm a decision in an amazing case - a freak of nature. a fantastic transformation of a human being, Edward Price Richards, twenty-nine years old and registered for the draft. petitioned the court to declare him legally a woman - because he has turned into one. tie stated tnat recently he has undergone a singular change - from one sex to another. So he asked the right to wear women’s clothing and have his name changed from Edward to — Barbara Ann. In his plea^ to the court, he said, tnat as a boy he was normal - though rather sickly. He grew to manhood, and noticed no change until a couple of years ago - when he was twenty-seven. Tnen things proceeded to happen. “About two years ago,” he related, "I realized tnat some psysiological change was taking place. I used to have such a heavy beard that I had to shave twice a day. ^ ^^ow it has stopped growing. 1 haven’t shaved for six weeks,” he added, tie said the shape of his face changed and his skin became smoother and finer. His voice rose in pitch, became a contralto. ”I clianged to a woman I TOMAN - 2 mentally, too,” he coatlnued. ”I wanted to stay around the house, I became lond of cooking and household duties,” said he Or is it - she? The question of pronouns is a puzzler. Today Kdward -- or is it Barbara An.. - appeared in court wearing a smart gown, a modis.n hat, lipstick and rouge An astonishing case - and what couM ..ave been the cause? V^hat could have been the reason for the remarkable transformation? A Los Angeles ph physician stated that such yvpcytjixp a metamorphis was quite possible, and might h^ ve been caused by illness. What Kind of illness? The i^octor said - the mumps, for example. That’s a good old-fashioned malady - the mumps. Many of have had them, and never dreamed of the xHXxUtia possibilities. So, look out^fieifeow#; . U: yuK £wet-ttwit-Bwte45gi2A--£Sg=^ilu uf-^tlu. iiugi. ^ If n SAFETY STORY I wonder how many people will pay any attention to this next bit of advice from the National Safety Council? It*s thiss- Avoid too much exposure to the sun; avoid over-exercise, and here is the one:- avoid over-eating! Now, for the one that my Sun Oil sponsors would put first:- When you start out in your car, instead of putting it off to the last mini-te, fill up with Nu Blue in plenty of time. in fact start a little early, so you won’t be tempted to take any chances on the road. The National Safety Council xums it up this way:- Put Safety First on the Fourth, and be Alive on the Fifth. And that means you too, Hugh. You too. Solong until tomorrow - the Fouth of July.