0 1 F RUSSIA 1 1 _ I uw The news about Russia all day long told insistently of great Soviet successes in the Red Army drive against Kharkov.\The British radio tonight /< reported that General Timoshen^o^s forces had penetrated the second line of Nazi defenses in front of that city^^; j which is so important a point along the battleline of the Ukraine. Stockholm chime^ in with word that the Seventy-Ninth German Infantry Division has been annihilated and that a hundred and fifty Nazi tanks have been destroyed durirfg the past two days. Red Army units are said to have driven across the Donets River and have advanced ten miles beyond that stream. The b is ( Soviet is described as being on a thirty-five / mile front, with a break-through that is putting in peril the whole German all the way to the Black Sea. Ji RdSSIA - 2 Just as significantly, London states that the Russians have gained complete mastery of the air - with British Hurricanes and American Tomahawks and Aira-Cobras fighting alongside those armored Soviet tank destroying planes -- the Stormoviks It becomes more and more evident that the Hitler offensive, is taking the play away from the Nazis. The idea being -- to stop an enemy attack in advance by hitting him firai.^— In the Crimea, the Kersh peninsula, the Germans claim that their own offensive in that region is pushing along. Berlin announces that Nazi troops have reached the outskirts of the town of Kersh, on the narrow strip of water, across which lies the Caucasus. Red Army, instead of waiting for that much heralded / 'l \r / LAFAYETTE - GENERAL HERR 1 At Lafayette College today,one of the older j and one of the great«^ institutions cf learning in this country, I sat with Secretary of Commerce Jesse Jone s , arae s of Pennsylvania, Industrialist Thomas J. Watson, Doctor William Mather Lewis, and others, and listened to an eloquent defense of cavalry, and the value of the horse in modern war. The speaker, | Major General John Herr, who says that the German army right now uses more than eight hundred thousand horses, fifty thousand of them for cavalry. And, says General Herr, although the old cavalry practice of riding boot to boot, swords flashing in air, no longer is done, the horse is still of immense value in war time to an army. General Herr says that in the Russian army. right now, they are using some two million horses. five hundred thousand of them in the Ewsian cavalry, more than forty cavalry divisions. they are raisin. and training vast additional mounted troops,^tdiai'Jhe . Cossacks ride again. i I i LAFMI:I1E„ z «GM|RAL HERR - 2 told tl9 t*!H -ft-j-rpiane and thg ■i'^aiiiet onA ii#ii )^~d'^^3ou!iwi-^fiator iDc4'"»an In this country, says he, "We appear to be obsessed with the delusion that no matter what the job may be, the motor'is synonymous with progress, and the horse out of date. General Herr, who by the way <r is credited with being the first to sponsor the Oeep A in this country, insists that we have swung too far in our rush to mechanize our forces, and that we are in serious need of more cavalry divisions. i w f . ! NAZI CLAIMS There is no confirmation whatever of the German claim that Nazi bombers have sunk an American cruiser and destroyer. According to Berlin, the air attack happened along the Arctic supply line to Russia. Y/e have not known of American warships operating that far on the other side, but the German dispatch speaks of - ”a United States squadron." They describe the cruiser they claim to have sunk as of the PENSACOLA class - a nine thousand ton vessel. The destroyer is not described in any detail. And the Germans say they sank a merchant vessel A Nazi claim - no confirmation. BURMA The British in Burma announced that they have succeeded in escaping a Japanese trap near Lashio. They have withdrawn to new position^ This dispatch was in conflict with another, which stated that the British had withdrawn from Burma altogether, their forces retiring into India. But the contradiction is cleared up by a London statement that there is no truth in^^British tester] B urma. O The Japs pushing inip^ China have reached Tengchung Is • lia ^u ptiSliGtjk into China for a hundred and tv/enty-five miles along the Burma Road. of anti-aircraft ammunition. This was unloaded, and ^ then a cargo of gold, silver and securities was put SUBI'-IAEINE A striking episode of the war in the Philippines it was revealed today - how an American submarine took away from Manila an immense treasure, before the city fell. The Japs were closing in on the capital of the Philippines, when the sub stole into harbor with a cargo aboard. The gold stock of the Philippine Treasury was at Corregidor, where the Philippine Government maintained a well guarded vault. That part of it was easy^^ut — there was also a huge store of wealththe twelve Manila banks - and this had'to be gathered in a hurry. They rushed it to the -submarine, which thereupon stole away through the Japanese naval blockade.- fend. lii j. - ----------- j never before had an undersea craft carried ------ w-iiirh-t-he cr^icial- — 4 rfi —W Q ohi-n g t"OTi -----d e 0 1 -B. r a tri-en -o-f—th-e—6T0 w > \ I WAR TALK PresidentEoosevelt made a statement today, and so {i i did Prime Minister Curtin of Australia - both on the same subject. They talked about talk - loose talk, too much of it. I»ast weekend, the President told the Pacific War Council in V/ashington that loose talk was, as he said. "providing information of real value to the enemy." Some thought that this applied to statements made by the Australian Prime Minister, and -that today drew an Australian rejoinder. Prime Minister Curtin declared that he pe-ople-whom "Presl'^eTit Iloeaevei-^ epiti-eiflodi——he-v# had no rebuke of any sort or J I* description from the President about the leakage of news | ,\ in my statements," said Curtin. In Washington, questions and answers at A $ White House press conference got around to the subject of - "loose talk." f The President declared vigorously t I J I t ; ar _ talk - 2 that our wn national capital is a Number One hot spot for gossip and rumo^ and twll-■»r»und-blab-marrtrh &onv(H»fca44-e^ concerning the war. Then he added that the louse talk trouble extended everywhere, to every e continent. ) Upon being told about today»s remarks uttered by the Australian Prime Minister, the President that he certainly was not aiming his criticism at Australia. Prime Minister Curtin has not been indulging in loose talk about the war, said the President. ROOSEVELT The President stated today that American forces are getting into the worldwide war more and more and at new places all the time. Our soldiers, sailors and marines are going in increasing numbers to an increasing number of battle areas. The President stated this in connection with the action of the government in taking over the xr nation’s airlines -- these now to be operated under federal control for the duration. He pointed to the army need of transport planes. The army is acquiring half of all the commercial airliners now in civilian service. The President remarked that these were I required as military transports to take the increasing numbers of fighting men to the increasing number of places. > 5 / X- SHIP^SINglNG The other evening it was the St.Lawrence River. the Mississippi. Y/e noted Vvhat a i shock it was to Canada, when Nazi U-boats sank ships in Canada’s favorite stream. And tonight it is a bit startling for us Americans - although the ship sinking ^ That mighty river fans out into many separate streams, - announced today was not in the Mississippi proper as it enters the Gulf. And the enemy U-boat struck its k blow within a mile and a half the southwest passage. A TT. A big freighter hit by three torpedoes in a ruthless | attack that set the ship ablaze - a horror of fire. And^ a heavy loss of life _________________________ G -------------- -— In Mexico today there was a demand for a declaration of war - as a result of ^ ship sinking. A Mexican vessel #as torpedoed off the coast of Florida, ana the Government of Mexico has sent an ultimatum to until May Thirty-First the Axis powers. f / U- SHIP_SINKING - 2 to explain the sinking. The affair has caused huge indignation in the southern republic. Today a crowd of students smashed the window of a German social club in Mexico City, and a Number One member of the Mexican Senate arose and demanded a declaration of war against the Ax iSo g a m W.A.A.C. President Roosevelt today signed the Congressional bill, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, and promptly directed Secretary of Sar Stimson to mobilize twenty-five thousand women,,-frhe bill authorizes the recruiting of a hi d and fifty thousand. The twenty-five t^usand is a starter / / The President added that /the number might be expanded later. The Commander of the petticoat army has been named -- atid^he announcFnr»nt"-e-trb'stramTiates ThT* ad-vancc WDTZl" re had uii"'W6'dli^‘5dayT"—Mrs. Oveta Culp Hobby, an executive vice-president of the HOUSTON POST and wife of thg publisher of that paper. FIRE At Putnam, Connecticut, they have arrested an arsonist -- charged with setting forest fires. This peijtains to the outbreaks of flame last week in the woodlands along the border of Connecticut and Rhode Island. There was every appearance of deliberate incediarism. Sabotage was charged, and it was suspected that enemy agents were aiming at huge supplies of standing timber and cut lumber marked for use in war production. Martial law was declared So who is it that tonight stands accused of starting the fires? Why, a volunteer fireman. They claim tt)at, after setting the woods ablaze, he joined his fire-fighting outfit and helped in the battle against the storms of flames that swept through the trees. Apparently, he liked to put them out as well as start them. The police explain that this volunteer fireman is a pyromaniac - a mania for setting fires. / 1 m t: <■ FIRE - 2 They say that he was responsible for the burning of a grain company building a year and a half ago. And he is being held on a whole string of charges of arson connected with the Connecticut -Rhode Island forest fires. GAS The Senators today rejected the resolution pledging them against accepting any special privileges under gasoline rationing. The lawmakers took the attitude I that such a pledge was a reflection on their own integrity. The vote was almost uheksbuxxx unanimous - only two Senators voting for the resolution. One ^ Downey of Cali:^ornia, ^whd introduced the proposal. The othe:^ iwc# Pepper of Florida The debate on the subject of legislators who have procured X cards yas accompanied by some powerful denunciationj^'^alled -* "government bureaucrats." One Senator after another proclaimed that those enjoy bureaucratsthe free use of government automobiles, and get all the gas they want - holding -r X cards. Senator Byrd of Virginia stated that federal a^encies last year operated nearly nineteen thousand automobiles which had nothing to do ^th the war effort. GAS - 2 And the remark was made that these presumably would have the X card rating for unlimited gas. Senator Vandenberg said he thought there shouldnH be any X cards, and Senator Byrd declared that the names of people in the preferred classification should be published. This coincided with a previous suggestion made by PresidentjRoosevel^ said he thought the names of X card holders should be made public. \ 1 ^ CABTOONS ! i Some people say uve shouldn't joke about things these days - the war is so deadly serious. We should he grim, tough - get mad. So you might not consider it quite proper and patriotic to publicize a joke something like tM this:-10 a gas stationfcomes a meek little fellow, somewhat like Webster's "Timid Soul". In his hand he has a cigarette lighter, and he says in an apologetic tone:- "Of course. I'll only use this .lighter when I am out of matcnes.” Or here is another case of poking fun - which | you might not think fitting in the stern spirit of wartime. A sales girl in a fancy perfume shop is showing a rich customer an expensive looking bottle. You u +1.^ c-ips Pirl. smells like love it,” gushes the sales gasoline. ” Now, who are the light-minded joksters - yyv^— 1 ^ /V • r^which so little in producing such quips ana c 6-’ / CARTOONS - 2 ke 0 ping wit h the severe morale of war? '^he Government in if A 7.^ashing - the Office of Emergency Management. Those A experts of war morale hold that a laugh is an excellent thing for the spirit of this embattled nation. People have to do without a lot of conveniences, and the more good nature developed abo'ut it, the better it will be. ^The theory—irs—thet—Amer leans ,—g-i ven time'i—w-4rll laught^ a4 anything-;—fF-i-ll~joke—eb e-ut-- hrardshipa ---- arivd—wiiat they X&Aighr-a-t-iroii* I "hurt—them sro -nmerh So the O.E.M. has started a comedy department. in which gag men and cartoonists are giving their services. And they are systematically putting out a line of humor - poking fun at the shortage and getting a smile out of the wartime regulations. \ 1 ^ GIRDLE ) V^hen an important war agency in Washington issues ^ statement, it behooves a newsman to pass it along to thei public. So that’s why you hear me tonight holding forth on the subject of - girdles. The official statement on A that most feminine subject comes from the Office of Price Administration, which maintains that the girl and her girdle can help to win the war^ otryteh^o----- 0hT»-ftn4 how-oemo of ■ them tHivc ■ to-e trQ-toh» TAis^—^lire ft ii'g qbb a girl makes her girdle last longer, she will save rubber - which material is so much needed for victory. All of which impels me to recite the following - as a patriotic duty. Only patriotism could persuade me to intrude such delicate concerns of womanhood. A The Office of PriceAdministration, Consumers* Division, vy\Ji p H you ladies as follow sc- **If your waist is more A than nine inches smaller than your hips, say the girdle .4 ‘ i 1 /^ GIRDLE - 2 exports of the O.P.A., ”the chances are you won*t fit a high wasited girdle. You will find the waist too large. In that case, buy e—that sits low ^ A -») y. 11 bo heTo IS "the^^-e^h^^ert -g-dviso ■■ yoti- o-ffa There is a good deal more on the subject of the girl and her girdle, but that yh-rriTt- tiere is a limit even to a fellow’s patriotic duty. So permit me to go on to another theme of saving materials in wartime^ more my style. The War Production Board is planning to save millions of yards of cloth by reducing the length of the tails of en’s shirts. The idea is to trim the shirt-tail