GEORGE E. SOKOLSKY - SUNOCO
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MAY 20. 19^7.
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^. iiiatiy is a-gain conipiaining to tR© Amepicaa
Government because Hiter objects to something an American citizen
said, ^t is difficult for the German leader to understand that
Free Speech is the most sacred heritage of the American people
and that no official in Washington can suppress freedom of speech.
The German Embassy has protested to the State Department
over Cardinal Mandolin1 s criticisms of Hitler. Quite apart from
the issue of free speech, the Nazis do not realize that Cardinal
Mundelein, as a leading Catholic, was irate over the attacks made
on his chufch and the morals of priests
by the official propaganda
organs of the German Government.
Dr. Thomsen, Counsellor of the German Embassy, felt that
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Cardinal Mundelein’s remarks would further strain German-American
relations. This is the third time in almost as many months, the
Nazi
government has howled to Washington about impco-ite remarks
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from Citizens. On each previous occasion, the
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btate Department has made the only reply that it could make.
Ihicle oam regrets," and so forth, "hut Uncle Sam has the un-
Fascist you might almost say un-European peculiarly of letting
his nephews and nieces say whatever they please. That is,
of course, within the ordinary civilized laws of libel.
The last time they were strained was when Mayor LaGuardia of
New York attacked Hitler. Htfhen that happened, secretary Hull,
in a formal statement, tried to make it clear to the Germans that
there was nothing that the government in ?,Tashington could really
do about it.
The German press is all excited over this situation. They
accuse the Cardinal of villifylng Hitler, but the word villify
is a bit strong, for all that the Cardinal did was to call Hitler
"an Austrian paper-hanger*"^That may not be exactly true,
for actually the Fuehrer was a house painter. I don’t know
whether in Austria, house painters akis also do paper-hanging.
Cardinal Mundelein is himself of German origin and has
close associations with German Catholics* His diocese includes
probably the largest German-Anierican population in the United
States
Bishop Ernst Lynn Waldorf of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, Bishop George Craig Stewart of the Chicago Diocese
of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and Rabbi George Fox,
President of the Chicago Rabbinical Association stood by Cardinal
Mundelein. They defended the Cardinal^ right to Free speech
and supported his criticism of Nazi Germany*
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soviet Russia is executing spies again. This time,
forty-three men and one woman were convicted and shot on May 9,
because they were accused of espionage and sabotage.
Of course, the accused were called Trotzkyists, which
only means that they have dissatisfied the existing dictatorship
in Soviet Russia. They were also accused of acting under orders
of the Japanese Secret Service in organizing the wrecking of
trains in the Far East.
A few years ago such a wholesale execution would have
been conducted by the 9GPU, the Soviet Secret Police organization.
But now the head of that organization, Xagoda, is himself in
jail, accused of sabotage, iagoda was the grand inquisitor and
the lord high executioner, and was Dictator Stalins right hand
man. But he got in wrong with the army, which used the Japanese
war scare to deprive Yagoda of his private army. Recently, they
even arrested Yagoda.
Cases of espionage and sabotage are now tried by the army.
Sabotage might mean anything. A strike in Russia is sabotage.
A failure to fulfill the requirements of their speed-up is
to work properly is sabotage. For all these
sabotage. Failure
and many other offenses men and women are being shot in Soviet
Russia.
General Bluecher, who commands the Far Eastern Soviet
Army, which conducted these trials and executions used to be a
military advisor of the revolutionary army in China. He is a good
fighter and is said to descend from the Austrian marshal Von
Bluecher who fought Napoleon at Waterloo. Maybe so. I used
to see lots of him in those days and know that he is a good
soldier and a ruthless one.
COUKT
The Supreme Court fight is still with us and excitement
over it does not die down.
Incidentally, I recall a story that President Herbert
Hoover recently told me* He was anxious to appoint a judge of
known liberal views to the bench to sort of even things up* So
he hit on Judge John J* Parker of North Carolina, a known liberal,
who although a Republican, was endorsed by every Democratic Senator
and all the Bar Associations In the South.
Well, the liberals all seemed happy until it was discovered
that the judge had once said something to displease the negroes*
Judge Parker was defeated for confirmation In committee by one
vote — and the opposition was entirely from liberal sources.
The liberals turned on a liberal judge because of one statement*
So Mr* Hoover appointed one whom he regarded as a conser
vative, Justice Roberts, and all the liberals voted to confirm
the conservative. It is this Justice Roberts whose vote in 5 to
4 decisions so often determines the final decision of the Court.
In commenting on this incident, Mr. Hoover said that one of the
most difficult tasks that faces a President is to get the right
kind of a man on the bench — one who by training and temperament
suits the job, and yet, one whose life and activities are such
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that no one can protest the appointment.
He said that he never allowed party politics to influence
him and pointed to his appointment of Justice Cardozo a New York
democrat — of which he was quite proud.
Well, the rumor mongers had nearly the entire court
resigning tod^y. But Justice McReynolds spiked the reports
about himself by writing a letter to a questioner in which he
said:
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“You may disregard all rumors concerning my resignation.
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One of the most surprising items is the steady attack on
Justice Brandeis among the younger elements of jfoH New Dealers.
Justice Brandeis has always been regarded as the father of the
New Deal. His book, "Other People's Money," has been accepted
as gospel in many liberal circles. Yet, it is now known that
the younger New Dealers want him to resign. He is the oldest
justice on the Supreme Court bench.
When Chief Justice Hughes defended the Court, Justice
Brandeis associated himself with the defense which was a surprise
to many who assumed that he would take another position.
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The opposition to Justice Brandeis may be due to his age*
But
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than that is the obvious fact that what is known as
holmes-Brandeis Liberalism'1 really seeks a protection of the
rights of the individual* Many of the younger generation no longer
hold to the philosophy of individual rights.
VVefll have the Court issue a. long time with us. Neither
side admits itself defeated, but it is obvious that neither side
wants an immediate vote. So the Administration is pushing ahead
other legislation and that means that the Court debate may
be held over.
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The Duke of Windsor will be married in the rites of the
Church of England^ in spite of the opposition of the Archbishop
of Canterbury. It is believed that the clergyman to perform
the ceremony will be Rev. C.H.D. Grimes, pastor of the Anglican
Church in Vienna.
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If any hitch appears in these arrangements, which are not
confirmed, the ^uke may have the services of a pastor of the
French Protestant Church at Tours.
The Duke has pitched into British politics, according
to his friends. He expects to fight his critics in England
as well as those who are seeking to reduce the influence of the
King.
Of course, the King of England has few powers but great
influence. Even in privatematters, like permitting a brother to
attend the Duke*s wedding, the King must have the consent of
the government.
This apparent weakness of the British crown is also its
greatest strength. It is the reason for its survival.
Altnough the King^ pov/ers are limited, the influence of
the Crown is tremendous. Victoria, Edward Vu., George V9 and
-£ven Queen Mary made their influence felt throughout British
politics. The Duke of Windsor, however, disliked the indirect
method of using his influence. He often spoke out of turn —
and he sometimes even acted out of turn. The result is that quite
apart from his proposed marriage to Mrs* Warfield, his conduct
raised a constitutional question. It was the question of the
King's prerogatives even more than his more dramatic love affair,
which united British party leaders in opposition to him.
It will be interesting to see what he does politically
after he has the marriage out of the way. All sorts of possibili
ties arise in this field and I suppose that Lowell Thomas will
be telling you of them from time to time
LINDBERGH
Ten years ago today Charles Augustus Lindbergh created
the biggest ©pic in the history of flying with the single
exception of that memorable day at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,
when Orville and tfilbur Wright, before the astonished eyes of
skeptical reporters, lifted that first clumsy old orate off the
ground* It isn’t necessary today to rehash what Lindy did.
Everybody knows*
Major Ashley C. McKinley relates in the June issue of the
American Legion Monthly how Charles
A.
Lindbergh put his entire
life’s savings of around two thousand dollars into the venture*
And, says Major McKinley, Lindbergh had no dream of the
fame which his Atlantic pioneering flight was to bring. Rather,
he hoped to regain the two thousand dollars and a living for
a time by a nation-wide barnstorming.
According to McKinley., Slim Lindbergh planned to barnstorm
America* To sell flights in his historic ship, the Spirit of
St. Louis, now a relic of the Smithsonian Institution* Lindbergh
dreamed that almost anyone would be willing to take aflight in
a ship that had made an Atlantic crossing. So he believed the
LINDBERGH
Ten years ago today Charles Augustus Lindbergh created
the biggest epic in the history of flying with the single
exception of that memorable day at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,
when Orville and Nilbur Wright, before the astonished eyes of
skeptical reporters, lifted that first clumsy old crate off the
ground. It isn’t necessary today to rehash what Lindy did.
Everybody knows.
Major Ashley C. McKinley relates in the June issue of the
American Legion Monthly how Charles A. Lindbergh put his entire
life’s savings of around two thousand dollars into the venture.
And, says Major McKinley, Lindbergh had no dream of the
fame which his Atlantic pioneering flight was to bring. Rather,
he hoped to regain the two thousand dollars and a living for
a time by a nation-wide barnstorming.
According to McKinley, Slim Lindbergh planned to barnstorm
America. To sell flights in his historic ship, the Spirit of
St. Louis, now a relic of the Smithsonian Institution. Lindbergh
dreamed that almost anyone would be willing to take aflight in
a ship that had made an Atlantic crossing. So he believed the
LINDBERGH -2
prospects were good of ills earning a satisfactory living in a
barnstorming career*
And, what are the sentiments today of Colonel Charles
A* Lindbergh of whom we used to think familiarly as wLindyM or
Slim?** Ke spent the day hoeing weeds in the garden of his
country home near Weald, in England* To protect himself from
congratulations he had disconnected his telephone. One of his
neighbours is said to have asked him what he proposed to do to
celebrate this anniversary* And this is reported to have been
his reply:
"I did it. Why should I celebrate it?"
yachting
Yachting enthusiasts today are exercised about just a
ore question. "Whereis ENDEAVOUR THE FIRST, the racing yacht with
which English Tom Sopwith hopes to grab the Americats Cup a couple
of months from now?" My personal reaction to this would be - "Who
cares?1' The answer is, as a matter of fact, "hundreds of thous-
<*\
and s of people care," and of course there’s alv/ays a thrill in
a mystery of the missing, whether it’s a human being or a racing
yacht which for all human purposes outside of racing is a thorough
nuisance, though I must admit a most useful object.
The mystery is that ENDEAVOUR THE FIRST is roaming the
vast and illimitable wastes of the North Atlantic somewhere between
Europe and North America. And nobody knows why. She was being
towed by another yacht. But nine hundred miles off Newport, Rhode
Island, they ran Into a ferocious gale and suddenly there was a
loud report and bang, went the two line! The yacht that was towing
ENDEAVOUR THE FIRST reached Narragansett Bay. But nobody knows
what has happened to ENDEAVOUR THE FIRST. The master might have
•h
decided to take her back to her home port in England, Gosport.
they might have decided to sail her all the way across the Atlantic.
That would fulfill the prime condition for an America’s Cup contender
AND NOW — GOODNIGHT, UNTIL TOMORROW.______________ _
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