if • ATLANTIC CaARTER A year ago today an American and an Englishman, each tne number one statesman of his own country, sat in the cabin of a ship and signed a document. This took place in the north Atlantic — hence the Atlantic Qharter. Today, on the first anniversary of that event, President Roosevelt at cabled to British Prime Minister Churchill as follows: WA year ago today you and I, as prepresnfeatives of two free nations, sat down and subsclibed to a declaration of principles common to our people," say* the President^«Bd:-ha goes on to say that today all A the United Nations are fighting for those principles — "^hey have, he cables to Churchill, "Formed a great union of humanity, dedicated to the realization of that comTion 'program of purposes and principles set forth in the Atlantic Charter," Thus the President of the United States reaffirms the ideals of freedom to which he and Kinston Churchill pledged themselves a year ago today Today s ofricial british account ol% the big convoy battle in the Mediterranean, reveals several outstanding facts. One the loss of the British cruiser Manchester, which was sunk in the engagement. The Manchester was a new and powerful craft -- put into commission four years ago. Previouslyr Lond+Ha—had-iannouftC^4 the—~of a large-^ 14 —€ti reeaft oarrley?—Bogle—— torpedoed gn*t suihf-dn-tho saae Meditopraneen-eettle. MEDITERRANEAN B1TTLK the admiralty announcement is that the German and Italian claims slnlrtug-anjl are wildly exaggerated4-- ■of^'ShlpsTTr the c rifliet"TT^-the oonvogu The second point ‘in the story from London concerns the Axis claim that the United States aircraft carrier Wasp was heavily hit and badly damaged. This is completely denied. We have an authoritative London statement that, not only was the wasp not hit or damaged "the Wasp wasn^t even there# either that big ^merican qqp any other American warship was in the convoy or anywhere near the clash of planes and ships. MEDITERRANEAN BATTLE - J? The battle began as the convoy, steaming from Gibraltar, ^ ) approached the narrow strait between Italy and Africa. That is a stretch of water beset by desperate hazard, and any convoy pushing through is subject to all the attacks that modern war at sea has devised. As for the reason why the British undertook the venture, we need to mention only one word -- Malta. That stronghold, the most bombed place in the wor^d, has got to be maintained —— because of its vital position along the Azis supply k line from Italy to Rommel’s Panzers in Egypt. The necessity for reinforcing Malta was so urgent, wm that the British undertook a major naval operation -- a convoy battle. The Allied ships with supplies for Malta were guarded by a powerful Naval force -- the strongest kind of escort. And, sure enough, as the mighty flotilla approached the narrow water between Italy and Africa, the conflict bagan — with the Axis throwing everytning into the fight, bombing planes, torpedo planes, heavy warships, motor speed boats, and submarines. It was a submarine that sank the aircraft carrier Bagle. The loss of the cruiser Manchester occurred at the hot spot of the I | engagement — where the coasts of Italy are nearest to the African ^>, shore, Tunis. MEDITERRANEAN BATTLE - 3 Today’s admiralty account states that many ■I surviv6rs of the Manchester were picked up, and still others are likely to have b en saved. Many must have got ashore, because the cruiser sank near to the coast of Tunis. The convoy itslef scored a success against a faiEK force of Italian warships that came steaming to the attack. They promptly returned steaming from the attack — when bombing planes of the convoy assaulted them. They were driven off before they got within range of cannon fire. This defeated naval force consisted of Italian cruisers, which later were intercepted by a British submarine. The sub scored two torpedo hits. London today emphasizes that fact that, in sp te ol tne warship losses, the convoy got through — reaching Malta with those vital supplies for the iusiaagiutKii beleaguered fortress, inis controverts Axis claims that the convoy was broken up, and driven bac-t and almost entirely destroyed. From the British point of view, this latest Mediterranean battle was a matter pf paying a price to accpmplish a result. The loss of the warships was a heavy price, but reinforcements for Malta represent an important gain. BUSSIJ Today * s news of the war in Russia presents tl.ree ohases of conflict. In the extreme south -- the Caucasus it's the same old storyf the Nazis pushing on. In the all-important Stalingrad area, just to +h e north of the Caucasus, both German and Soviet successes are reported. Still farther to the north -- along the immensely extended battlefront -- heavy Soviet counter­ attacks are being launched at four widely separated places. In the Caucasus the Nazi war machine has two goals. The Gefmans have pushed a wedge southward -- all the way to the Great Mountains. On one side of this wedge is the Black Sea, on the other, the Caspian. The Nazis themselves, explain that the Red Army defenders are favored by rugged and difficult terrcim in that particular section, and the rough country has slowed the mechanized advance. On the eastern side of the wedge that the Germans have driven to the mountains, their progress is much .acre rapid -- in the direction of the Caspian. Moscow reports the German Panzers to be within a hundred and forty miles of the Great Grozny oil fields. In general, pushing eastward, the Germans appear to be better than hall way to the Caspian -- which they must reach to cut the southern Caucasus off from the rest of Russia. In the Stalingrad area, the Panzers scored a striking success by breaking through in thesec tor of Kletskaya. The Red Army, however, promptly retaliated with a counterstroke -- they outflanked the forward Nazi units, and cut them off -- trapping them. At last reports, the Soviet forces were fighting desperately to annihilate the trapped forward unit, while the Germans were battling with all their might to break through the ring and relieve the hesieged column. Two counter attacks are under way in the Moscow area. Also near Leningrad. Obviously, the Red Army strategy is to launch powerlul assaults calculated to make the Germans withdraw iorces irom the south to strengthen the threatened points. The Berlin correspondent of a Stockholm newspaper quotes Nazi military sources as declaring that the Red Army offensive in the sector southwest of lioscow, might create a real diversion. The Nazis may have to divert some of their strength from the Caucasus and the Stalingrad Front, and send it to the north to check the Red Army counter attack. INDIA The woru from India today continues to be -- cuieter, disturbances dying down^ This applies to the huge province of Bengal, in particular. The first flare of disorder was the greatest in Bengal. There Gandr. ifs civil disobedience campaign met the quickest response. Today we hear of a few new outbreaks, but the wrath and fury is definitely on the -wane. However, the BHBnon-cooperat ion troubles -- of the violent non-cooperation sort -- are spreading to southern India -- which at first was not so greatly affected. foe hear of railway stations being burned by raging moos. Three stations in southern India were destroyed, and a fourth was attacked -- the police beating off the mob in this instance. Then at Madras, the tamil metropolis on the Coromandel Coast, the crowd stormed the court of the civil magistrate and took the money from the safe. In another place, Gandh followers tried to rescue a prisoner from the police. The attack was so determined that the police had to INDIA - 2 fire on the angry throng -- killing one person. And at other points telephone and telegraph wires have been cut. So the picture in India shows the Gandhi incited distrubances almost at an end in northern India -- but spreadin in some degree to southern India. Bill Pawley’s big American airplane factory is in the south, at Bangalore. Bangalore is the Hill Station for the Sahibs and Burra sahibs and memsahibs of Madras -- Bangalore and Potacamund. So far we haven’t heard whether Pawley's big American aviation olant has been damaged by the \iolent f o 11 ow er s of the non-violent Mahatma Ghand i . SOLO-i 0 i<i S This atternoon's bulletin from the Navy lists it, s information under three headings -- onef two and three. Number One: MThe task of consolidating the shore positions now held by United States Marines in the Solomon Island^," says the bulletin, "is orogressing satisfactorily." "Consolidating shore positions" -- is military language for say in., that Uncle Sam's leathernecks on the beaches ol those South Sea Islands are improving the positions they've captured. SOLOMONS - 2 They are said to have seized or are about to seize, ■ft' P- the air base area on the*large Island of Guadacanal, and that A- would mean that our side now has a land aviation base - land This afternoons navy communique goes on with point two, saying:- nNaval units are engaged in protecting our lines of communication and escorting supply vessels to our occupying forces*. The lines of communication mentioned consist of the supply routes from Australia to the Solomons, ship lanes across the Coral Sea. These are the lifelines for the marines on the tropical beaches. The Navy bulletin speaks‘of ^escorting supply vessels .* anEpggjfc And those words have the most heartening sound of A all - supply vessels. They mean that munitions, food and reinforcements are getting to the leathernecks on the white beaches of the Solomons. Our war ships are dfiricg doing the escorting, defending the supply vessels as the most precious r treaaure, defending them with their lives. For those carco steamers on the coral sea mean life and death to the_____ SOLOMONS - 3 marines or the beaches. Point number three in tonight’sbulletin navy * A states the following:- nU.S. Army and Allied shore-based- aircraft are continuing to attack Japanese air ksuses bases and ship concentrations in enemy neld harbors”. Which tells us that General MacArthur’s American and Australian Army Bombers are contiiv A < 7 V\ smashing at the Jap lines of comrunications. Our air power doing heroic work in preventing the enemy from reinforcing his own troops, whom the Marines are bent on expelling from the Solomon Islands. -------- 5 An Australian military commentator sump.arizes the^ situation in the following words:- "The first agx stage of \/T Australian the battle is over. The Americans won it". The view Is that the marines have made such progress in their attacks during the past two days, that they x & kxbr cannot be dislodged and driven out - unless the Japs are able to move in large reinforcements SOLOMONS - 4 Australia things tne battle of the Solomons is likely to ftontinw for weeks, with continual fighting on both A $2 .ir. land and sea. We hear rumors that a great naval engagement kxx has been fought - is still being fought. The Japs make their usual victory claims - declaring that they have won a great naval enga ement and have sunk fleets of American warships. This is denied. The Australian word is that the Japs, if necessary. will come out with the major force of their navy x? to save the Solomons. They’ll risk the largest kind of naval aasXXXXXBX hostilities - rather than lose the islands. And some well informed Australian quarters are inclined to Xha i think that American Vice-Admiral Ghormley is deliberately trying to get the Japs to come outj - trying to entice the main enemy fleet from its lair, "deliberately trailing its coat", say tne Austalians, employing an old 1rishJ phrase for provoking a fight. Remember the old irish challenge, "who’ll step on the tail of me coat"? The belief is that if the Japs venture to get on Ghormley’s coat tall, our Admiral will promptly singe their SOLOMONS -45 tail feathers - using another old phrase. black ^ arket — The Governraent today made its first move to sn ash the black market in steel. Federal authorities obtained an injunction against a dealer at Houston, Texas. He is accused of violating restrictions on prices -- the price ceiling on steel. This dealer is one of those who is said to have sold black market metal to the Higgins Shipbuilding concern at New Orleans. HOUSEWORK Today at ^hicago, an attempted hold-up turned into a comedy of life in wartime -- with accent on the woman who works in defense industry. Several days ago Walter Holberg, mild and middle aged, GL walked into shop dealing in gold and precious gems, and n announced — "This is a hold-up!" And, with that, he pulled from under his coat two toy pistols, and pointed them at the Jeweler. The jeweler just walked outside and called the cops. When they arrived the robber said gratefully, "Okay, I wanted to be pinched." Today in court Walter Holberg explained it all by saying that his wife works in a defense plant and leaves him home to look after the house. The usual roles reversed — wifie hurrying off to her job every morning, with hubby left to do the housework, and take care of the baby. "I have to stay home and cook, wash, iron and sweep and all that stuff," he said today, and added, "I thought I*d prefer jail." The judge reminded the prisoner that the sentence for attempted robbery could be as high as fourteen years in prison. HOUSEWORK - 2 That made tne houseworkin^ husband blink, and exclaim: "Your honor, i've changed my mind. Ifd like to 6et back to my dusting.' The house must be a fright, H he added, ’’and I don*t think washing dishes is so bad after all." He said he would much rather get housemaid’s knee than prison cell lumbago. The judge dismissed the case and at last reports wifie workin at her war industry job decided that hubby won’t have to do so much oi the housework hereafter. She is even going to get a maid to take care of the baby. She may even let hubby go to church, which Hugh no doubt will admonish all of us so to do.