.SUNOCO^_THURbDAY^_JAN^_lj._12i2 ^ GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was back in Washington today, where he and President Roosevelt went to church, and then resumed the plan­ making conferences for the winning of the world wide war. The church they attended was an American historic shrine -- at Alexandria, Virginia right across the Potomac. George Washington’s church -- where the president and prime minister sat in the old ce pew once occupied by the founder of American independen and his family. Later they visited Washington’s Tomb, where Church iU placed a wreath of flowers -- honoring the memory of the American national hero who won the freedom of this nation from England. They visited Washington’s home too -- historic .Mount Vernon. Later President Roosevelt called a session of the United-States-British War Council -- at which ROOSEVELT^CHURCHILL - 2 he and Winston Churchill gathered v^ith miltiary and diplomatic experts of their respective countries. There was one point of novelty -- for the first time Admiral King, the new commander-in-chief of the United States Navy, was invited to join the consultations of the WarCouncil He is being mentioned as a possible commander of all the allied forces -- in a supreme unified comman In addition to the task of laying plans for victory in the war,| Prime Minister Churchill today propounded a New Year’s Eve toast. In the dining car enroute to Washington, he rose and proposed:- Here’s to Nineteen Forty-Two. A year of toil. A year of struggle. A year of peril -- But a long step forward to victory. SOVIET CRITICISM At the War Department press conference today, Secretary Stimson was asked about an article published in the official Soviet newspaper Pravda, an article sharply criticizing the United States. The secretary was asked had he any comment to make about that. The Soviet newspaper attacks the American proclamation that declared Manila an open city, undefended, and not subject to bombing -- after which the Japs proceeded to bomb Manila in violation of international law. Moscow's Pravda states the opinion that the open city declaration at Manila constituted an act of cowardice. We are told that General MacArthur's determination should have been to hold the capital of the Philippines to the bitter end -- the way the Red Army defended Moscow, Leningrad and other cities, and the way the British stood siege at Tobruk. The Moscow newspaper employs a complexity of inetamores and figures of speech to signify a lack of courage, and likens our action at Manila to Marshal Petain's, when SOVIET CRITICISM he declared Paris to be an open city, and not subject to bombing. This, as the Wazi blitzkrieg drove against the French capital in the fall of France. All together it seems a peculiar sort of gesture at Moscow -- calling our policy at Manila an act of cowardice. We .Americans might point out that in the Manila battle we are fightingin alliance with the Philippine people, and a brave army of Filipinos. They have been with us staunchly, true and strong -- and it might be only common decency for our General MacArthur to consider the fate of their old and historic aapital -- in these days of cities destroyed by bombs. We Americans might well assume an attitude of compunction and decent consideration for the people of Manila. However, whatever the moral and military angles may be, we wonder why official Soviet journalism should take this occasion to launch the blast of ciriticism - General MacArtl.ur*s action in such SOVILT CRITICISM ♦ 3 opprobrious terms. This was the theme on which Secretary of War Stimson was asked for comment today. He replied by declining. He said he did not wish to engage in any controversy, but indicated that the open city affair at Manila was a question that might be left to the judgment of General MacArthur. "Our people out there,"said the Secretary of Wark"are under a most skilful fighter." And that was that* LINDBERGH Secretary of War Stimson when asked today about Lindbergh’s offer to enlist, replied that he had not taken any action on the Lone Eagle’s letter offering to serve in the air corps. But the SecreJ,ary added that he wanted it distinctly understood that anybody’s help is welcome. "Whether it comes from Colonel Lindbergh or anybody else," he said, "any advice that will help the service will be greatly appreciated and carefully considered. " STALIN Here’s a late rumor and a sensational one. It was picked up from the Budapest radio, which quoted Swedish reports. In that roundabout fashion, we hear that Stalin is coming to the United States. The rumor relates that President Roosevelt sent an invitation to the Soviet chieftain to visit Washington, and thtt Stalin has accepted. The stoiy continues with the assertion that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill will remain in the American capital until the Soviet dictator arrives. I repeat this principally as an example of the product of the rumor factory. It would indeed be a surprise of statecraft if Stalin were to show up in Washington feo confer with the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Great Britain. LIBYA Fightin^a died down a bit in Libya, though the British are continuing to hammer at the Nazi panzer units at a place ninety miles sourth of Benghazi Berlin and Rome describe the fighting as severe. The imperial troops have scored successes at Bardia -- which stronghold is still bein^ defended by Azis troops though it*s now isolated far behind the fightii^ lines The historic island of Malta is right under the Axis guns and that adds drama to a British statement that enemy planes from Sicily have been making attacks on Malta every hour. Since t!ie Libyan offensive began, Malta, where St. Paul was shipwrecked, Malta with its fine old palaces and churches, has undergone fifty-two-air raids by day and forty-seven by nightf-- ninety-nine bombing attacks on one small island -- this in the attempt to knock Malta out as a base for striking through the air in the direfticn of Libva. / MANILA Today’s bulletin from General Arthur in the Philipi^ines came through late this afternoon. It indicates a unified battle front around Manila, a semi-circle from the north of the city down and aroun(d^ / to the southeast.'! General MacArthur’s dispatch, in terse military phraseology, is as follows: Despite heavy enemy attacks attemtping to break up our troop movements, the maneuvers designed to regroup the twoforces of American and Filipino troops opposing the Japanese in the north and the southeast have been successfully accomplished. All available defending forces have now been united." The battle for days has consisted of two Japanese drives, made from two principal landing places, Lingayen to the north of Manila, and the Antimonon area southeast of the city. Two American- Filipino forces opposed these two Japanese advances from opposite directions. Now the double operations has coalesced with General MacArthur’s troops retiring and regrouping, the two fronts combining into a single MANILA - 2 line for the defense of Manila. Tonight*s beikletin goes on «^ith a statement telling of the interment and surveillance of enemy aliens at Manila. Three thousand Japs have been rounded up -- "to protect them against possible mob Violence," says General MacArthur. And the United btates commander scrupulously adds the following: "Although our troops were fully occupied in combat operations," he reports, "every requirement of international law was carefully observed in dealing withJapanese subjects residing in the Philippines.” In Washington, Secretary of War Stimson today described the strategy of our Far Eastern commander with this one word "masterful."/ Under that masterful direction our troops have been inflicting the heaviest kind of losses on the outnumbering invaders, said the Secretary of War. Whereupon he gqve a warning cautioning us against undue optimism. Secretary Stimson said he was confident that we will beat the Japs in the end. MANILA r-3 but he added that ike should not look at the war through what he called "rose colored glasses." The Secretary of War amplified that by denying recjent newsp^persreports which soo|l^ed at the enemy -- belittled the Japs. He referred to stories that the enemy troops were boys, poorly trained, badly armed, ridiculously clothed. There’s nothing to that contemptuous tale, he said. HAVi’AII The Japanese bombardaients of several islands in the Hawaiian group don’t amount to anything much Enemy subs fired a number of shells into isolated areas, but there were no casualties, and the extent of the damage is indicated by one detail. On the Island of Kausai, a field of sugar cane was set afire, but the blaze was estinguished quickly. Why are the Japs wasting their shells? On this we have some illumination from Admiral Nimitz, new Coramander-in-cgief of the Pacific Fleet. Today he said: ”1 believe the Japanese captins desire to make the utmost use of their weapons." And he went on to analyze the enemy submarine bombardments as follows: "When they lack targets for their torpedoes^." he said, "it is relatively safe and simple to rise to the surface near a port and throw shells into it. It is not beyond the realm of possibility," the admiral added, "that any port might be shelled by the enemjr j TIRES 1 Today gives an answer to a question that has p been asked all over the country -- how many new automob i le.. t ires will be released for sale in the various localities? Here's the answer for two counties in this country -- none at all. Authorities in each county were today informed | of their own local figure. Places -with many people I and a lot of necessary motor transport get the most of | course. Some areas need hardly any new tires -- from the viewpoint of winning the war. So we find a whole string of counties that will be permitted to have only one new tire during January. And two counties will get none at all. tThese are -- Alpine in California and Hinsdale in Colorado. Price Administrator Henderson explains that quotas for January are decidedly low, but are expected to be adequate -- because January is the month with the smallest consumption of rubber for automobiles. "Climatic conditions," he explains. "reduce not only the use of vehicles, but also the TIRES - 2 wear of tires on vehicles which are driven in January." The Price Administrator adds that he hopes quotas for later months of Nineteen Forty-Two will be increased In conjunction with today’s figures, the American Automobile Associations gives us some facts / | / l\ to ease, what country." There is it calls "the tire panic sweeping the need of any such panic. The no A.A.A. points out that more than seven and a half million automobiles purchased in 1940 and 1941 are equipped with tires which will last for two yea^s During that same period, eighty million tires have been sold for replacements, and they should last a long time. Moreover, by taking care and driving more slowly, the American motorist will increase the life of tires by twenty percent. Then there’s the fact that tremendous volumes of rubber are being reclaimed and we can lessen the rubber shortage almost indefinite:ij by retreading tires. TIRLS - 3 It has just been announced in Vi'ashington that the sales of nev^ passenger automobiles have been h a^ed. y Th is was announced by the Oifice of Production Management. No new passenger cars will be sold hereafter until a rationing plan has been worked out. The O.P.M. announces that under the rationing plan to come sales of new passenger cars and light trucks will probably be limited to essential branches of the government and defenseproduction. FOOTBALL The football season endea today in a blaze of thrills, surprises and flashing exploits of the gridiron -- in the Rose, sugar. Orange and Cotton Bowls. The Roses si this year were transplanted because of war-time regulations on the Pacific coast -- as everybody knows. But one thing that few suspected was the outcome of the game which was played at Durham, North Carolina instead of Pasadena, California. The lordly Dukes, Southern Conference champions, were overwhelming favorites, but the lowly Oregon Beavers got mighty busy. They took to the air -- more like birds than beavers. Oregon dominated all the way, and piled up a triumphant score of twenty to sixteen. The Orange Bowl game produced a Georgia victory, which might just as well be called a Sinkiwick triimph. Fire-Ball Frankie Sinkiwich made it almost a li onepman show at Miami. He*s an All-American halfback, in spite of the fact that he played all season with FOOTBALL -2 I f a broken jaw -- all wrapped up to keep it I’rom falling apart. Today it was his brilliant passing and running that produced a spectacular upset -- a Georgia triumph over the mighty Texas Christian eleven, i forty- to twenty-aix. New Orleans witnessed no flamboyant piling up of pointsl The Fordham Rnms beat Missouri today because of the fact that Big Steve Hudachek in the very first period blocked a Missouri punt for a safety j That was good for only two points, but it was a margin of a slender victory -- two to nothing. I The C®tton Bowl game at Dallas, Texas, producedj a winning performance by Alabama. The Texas Angies were defeated, twentynine to twenty-one in the game dedicated to King Cotton. MARRIAGE Fiftjr-three years ago at Crown Point, Indiana, ^ohn Golding proposed marriage to Mary Smith. He was twenty-two, and she was seventeen. Mary admitted that she loved John, but said she could not get married -- not just then. She*d have to take care of her widowed mother. "1*11 wait,** said John -- and he did. Mary took care of her widowed mother as long as her mother was alive. And the old lady lived to the advanced age of a hundred and one. She died recently, and today, at last, John and Mary were married -- on New Year’s Eve. He is seventy-five and she is seventy. So here’s a long delayed Happy New Year to them -- and a customary Hap^y New Year to everybody else. And Hugh, will you say so long for me?