—SUNOCO.-- FROftL'JS.S. QUEEN MARY". FRIDAY. MAY 21. 1957. L.T. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY: This last broadcast of mine before getting back home reminds me of the first one at sea - although I hope the similarity is not too great. This time, same as that time, I'm talking into the microphone from an ocean liner. But that first time from the EUROPA, a magnetic storm choked up the ether waves, and turned everything into a raucus jumble of static. Tonight aboard the QUEEN MARY, I hope I'll be able to jame a few words through the oceanic distance that separates this peeding liner from North America, Tonight, as it happens, I have another reason for reminiscence. I am reminded of talking to Mussolini standing at the window in the Palazzo Venezia, of having Premier Blum on the air with me In Paris and of putting in a telephone call from London to President de Valera in Dublin. Mussolini, Leon Blum, de Valera - .. r LEAD - £ heads of nations, ^nd whom have X encountered here aboard the QUEEN MARY,, but another head of a nation, chief of a country of peculiar interest to Americans. The newest reoublic in the world, the only independent Christian nation of the Far East. X1 ve just come from a dinner table talk with Manuel Quezon, President of the Philippines, I was surprised to see President Quezon aboard; didnft know he had been to Europe. HeTs just been telling me that his trip has been strictly private, a vacation, incognitor. He’s been avoiding publicity and giving the newspaper men the slip. At our dinner table talk with the President of the Island Republic, the inevitable topic came up, the first thing any A merican is likely to ask President Quezon. What about Japan and the Philippines? The islands soon to be entirely Independent of the United States, won’t the Mikado’s empire snap them lip? Does the new government in Manila fear this? Quezon gave a thoughtful reply. He’s the thoughtful cooly meditative kind - with a genial liveliness and a gift for merry conversation. Now he spoke with deliberate reflection. LEAD - 2 No, he was not afraid of Japanese ambitions in the direction of the Philippines - not for a long time anyway. f!l believe,n said ne, "that Japan will be too busy developing Manchukuo to molest us, too much involved with expansion on the mainland of Asia to reach out toward the Philippines.11 HAnyhow, the Philippines," I suggested, "might not be such an easy prise to capture!" I was thinking of the formidable difficulties of mountains and jungles, together with the powerful army that is being built out there by universal military service. President Quezon smiled in reminiscence. "We gave the United States Army a hard job thirty odd years ago," he said. "I myself fought in the insurrection as a boy, when we campaigned against eighty thousand American troops - we had no military training and only five thousand of us had even halfway modern rifles." There was point to this reflection of a one-time enemy in this reminder of the days when the U.S. Regulars had such difficulty in putting down the insurrection of the Philippine jungle fighters, who fought with the bolo — the ±cnixe ox tne jungle. i J lm 1 ! 1 1 LEAD 4 nXes,T1 Manuel Quezon reflected, ’'it might not be so easy to conquer the Philippines - especially when our military program is complete. Under universal conscription," he added, "we will have £d,ght hundred thousand trained soldiers, ready to toe mobilized ! il for swift defense. The development of our army is being directed by General Douglas McArthur, who, as you know, was a most brilliant United States Chief of Staff, Now, with us he has the rank of Field Marshall, and is helping us to build a powerful modern defense." i 1 ! I | And that should toe something to reckon with in the turmoil of international affairs - a trained army of eight hufadred thousand, all with up-to-date weapons - defending a natural fortress of jungle and mountains. Yes, that should be 11 important in our American calculations. I find the Philippine President a man of copious information. Sitting there at the table this evening, it’s ten o'clock out here in mid-ocean, he has been giving us some pointers in American constitutional history - bits of insight in the cpnflict between John Marshall, the great Chief Justice and LEAD - 5 Thomas Jufferson, a President equally great. But then, Manuel Quezon is a graduate of the oldest university over which the American flag has flown. No, not Harvard, but the University of St« Thomas, in Manila — founded by the Spaniards nine years before the Pilgrim fathers landed at Plymouth Rock. Moreover, Senor Quezon was for seven years Philippine members of our own Congress in Washington; and, he has been a friend of the last six American presidents. i I asked him about a bizarre and romantic story I have related on the air several times - the dynastic troubles among the Mohammedan Sulus of the southern Philippines. Who shall be the Sultan of Sulu, with the Princess Dyang Dyang competing for power? And then President Quezon told me of an odd historic turn. nCenturies ago,” he said, "the power of the Sultans of Sulu extended into parts of Borneo, now British. Valuable oil deposits are found there now. The British leased the territory from the sultan, a long term lease - with the payment of six thousand dollars a year. The old Sultan, who recently died, used to collect his six thousand from the British each year - ■ I 1 'itl f lil LEAD - 6 and then he would go to British Singapore, and spend it. There he was always given the full royal salute of twenty-one guns, and a royal celebration. The British do those things to perfection. I I 11 ;| Si ill President Quezon also told roe of the latest in the ■ dispute that followed the death of the Sultan, the most recent event in the ambition of the Princess Dyang Dyang to make herself Sultana. The British government, still recognizing the obligation to make the payments for North Borneo, approached President Quezon and inquired: "In the dispute for the crown, whom do you recognize as Sultan of Sulu? To whom shall we now pay the annual six thousand dollars?" "Pay It to whomever you like," was the reply. Quezon's attitude was that today the Sultan of Sulu has only a ! | religious position, head of the Mohammedan faith out there - no politifal authority or power. Therefore the government at Manila takes no part in the dynastic dispute, which is strictly religious. 1 and Manila doesn't give any recognition to either of the claimants * to the sultanate LEAD - 7 So there were quaint reminiscences of that old time musical comedy hero? the Sultan of Sulu - as I sat dining today with thd President of the Philippines LABOR JUr - 4 ^ Qrtr tr^ ' ->- j LuXi^ IMtj&itX *» | I I ^jy) The vote for employee representation in the Jones and Langhlin plants conducted yesterday by the National Labor Relations Board resulted in seventeen thousand votes for the C.I.O, and seven thousand, two hundred votes against the C.I.O. Before the election, labor leaders predicted a nine to one vote. Actually, they produced better than a two to one vote. The ballot permitted them to vote ,!%esn or nNon on C.I.O. representation. No other name was permitted on the ballot. I wonder what the seven thousand two hundred men voted for. This number was unexpected, so far as I can learn, either in labor circles or among employers. Under the majority rule of the National Labor Relations Board and in accordance with the preliminary agreement signed between the union and Jones and Laughlin, the C.I.O. union will represent all the workers, including the seven thousand two hundred who voted against them. According to the preliminary agreement, the Jones and Laughlin plants will now operate under a virtual closed shop arrangement. LABOR - 2 It is understood that the C.I.O, will next tackle the Big Five among independent steel manufacturers. Republic, Inland, Youngstown, National and Bethlehem. This will be the crucial battle In steel - as Ford is in automobiles. NAZI Mayor La G-uardia is in another row with Hitler* The German press took the offensive. It all started this way* The District Attorney in Brooklyn has heen conducting a campaign against alleged immorality in the high schools in his district* The campaign has not been particularly exciting and has not attracted too much attention in New York* But in Germany, the Nazi press got all hot and bothered over it and published stories under such a headline as "Hair- Raising Immorality In New York High Schools." They then attacked La Guardia as being responsible for all this. La Guardia, who is in California, replied: "Statements such as those can only be referred to Deputy Sanitation Commis­ sioner Binger, who has charge of sewage disposal in New York City* No decent person can answer or even comment on such filth*" Well, now we shall have it for a few days* Just as Cardinal Mundelein protest simmers down, the LaGuardia row starts. There's no telling how exciting this one may be. Incidentally, the Germans always refer to Mayor LaGuardia as a Jew* The fact is that his mother was of Jewish origin; his mzi -£ father was an Italian band-master in the American Army* His wi fe is of German origin* The mayor speaks all these languages and lots more —* and some times leads a band* I wonder in which language he shoots off most of his dynamite m . it BARUCH Bernard M* Baruch, who probably knows more about the relations between war and commerce, called the American Neutrality Bill ”a kind of hodge-podge of purposes and policy.** He said this in a speech today before the Foreign Affairs Council in Cleveland. The Neutrality Bill excites attention because in the event of two belligerents going to war, the President of the United States can cut anyone of them off from American supplies. Mr. Baruch believes that to be Just the opposite of neutrality. It would seem to me that the best way for any nation to be neutral is for no wars to happen. As long as there is danger of war, everybody is likely to get hurt. MCNUTT A 1 11 Paul V* McNutt, Hoosier American High Commissioner, today notified everybody who needs to know that he should take precedence over everybody else. This, of course, will not please Manuel Quezon, President of the Philippines, who would probably want to be first as a mark ■ 9 of Philippine Independence, On the other hand, the High Commissioner represents the President of the United States an ; come before the President of the Philippines as long as the American flag still flies over the islands. Anyhow, this is liable to start a storm — even an oriental typhoon. I know Manuel Quezon — have known him for fifteen or twenty years. He used to come to Shanghai often before he became President of the Philippines — but he liked to be called Presi­ dent even in those days when he was only President of the Philip­ pines Senate, Quezon is short, lean, swarthy and a dynamo. He enjoys a fight as much as any man I have ever seen and he has been fighting all his life. Before Presidential dignity placed HI m ifi ■i ‘-r restrictions upon him, he used to be a good fellow, but now, he MCNUTT -2 has to maintain the dignity of his high office. Well, that is a job for any many -- and particularly hard for a good fellow. Now, along comes the American High Commissioner, a former Governor of Indiana and quite a fighter In his own right, and he says that when he and Quezon enter a room, McNutt goes first. And when both are entertained at dinner, McNutt sits on the right and Quezon on the left* If I know the Philippine President, hefll dine at home on such occasions. In the Far East, they love fights of this nature* It keeps them busy for years. Once there was such a quarrel between a Judge and a Consul-General In Shanghai which lasted ten years. And President Coolidge once settled such a row by an amazing phrase, "with and before, which amounted to this, that both men were of the same rank but one sat on a chair ahead of the other." Naturally, they could not both sit on the same chair, no matter how they ranked. Perhaps the McNutt -Quezon question may become a primary diplomatic incident. Or maybe, they’ll flip a coin to settle who gets the first coctail at a party. POLAND Jews are again fleeing from pogroms in Poland & but is r^ow an^ old story. „ 7^^ ^ is now an old story. • K V&k' d^HAAjL^^ £6s«~jL~ K (/ Poland, before the War, was divided into three sections like ancient Gaul. Austria owned a chunk; Russia owned a chunk; and Germany owned a chunk. After the War, the three pieces were united into one nation - Poland became free and independent. (x^KuL4)%Jy6?,., That was aH right politically ^it the economies of /A it proved to be that Poland was left without markets. The Polish farmers live on what they grow; and the office holders and aristocrats live on taxes and rents. But in between are manufacturers,merchants, all sorts of service people, who require more of trade than Poland produces to maintain their standard of living. Put simply, Poland has a surplus population of three million. These people cannot be supported by Poland's economy. Among them are a great many Jews. Their condition is heart-breaking and there is really nothing for them to do but to leave the country. It Is impossible for them to develop a market for Polish goods of any PQLAIsiD _ 2 size in Europe because of customs barriers and difficulties in exchange. There is a growing American market for Polish hams but that would not solve Poland*s problem. Therefore, there are only two ways out for this surplus population. One, is to leave the country 5 the other is to start some very small enterprises with borrowed capital - enterprises only large enough for the Polish market. The first solution is no good because there is no place on earth to which three million Poles, Jewish or otherwise, could readily go. And the second solution is terribly difficult. Meanwhile, there is terrible suffering in Poland and the worst sufferers of all are the Polish Jews.