k~I~--ift,~8AR~~----!tQNt§~Ax~_ayg~§T_2L_!2li ------- GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY: Let's begin with some light and humorous news which, after all, aay turn out to be the most significant tidings of the day. At some points on the invasion front, the war h s turned into a farce. Take the scenes witnesses at the town of Lav~ which is in the sector where the Americans, having cap tured LeMans, are driving headlong toward Paris. •The Baille of Le Mans,• cables United Press correspondent Henry Gorrell, "was a mob-scene reminis- cent of New ~ear's eve in Times S~uare, with Americans and Germa s chasing one another through thick crowds of cheering Frenc civilians. Sharp fighting occurred before the Americans were able to push into Laval, and a painful mishap befell the American Commander on the scene - [iANCE fJ. - %,. . 1..,,_i. f i r ~ ~ . , . r. t'/1/4. ~ § . Let's b gin with so~e light and humorous news which, after all, may turn out to be the most significant tidings of the day. At some points on the invasion front, the war has turned into a farce. Take the scenes wi~nesses at the town of Laval, which is in the sector where the Americans, having captured Lelans, are driving hea long to ard Paris. •The Battle of Le Mans•, cables United Press comspondent Henry Gorrell, "was a mob-scene reminiscent ' of New Year's Eve~ Times Square - with Americans A and Germans chasing one another through thick crowds of cheering French civilians. Sharp fighting occurred before the Americans were able to push into Laval, and a painf l ■ i••• mishap befell the American Commander on the scene - Major Joseph Novellino, of Paterson, New Jersey. He was up in a tree directing the fight. Perched on a branch, he could see things better. Bull~ts were whizzing and shells wer,banging, and the Major had the branch shot out from under him. Ripped off by enemy fire - and you know what happens when you're up in a tree sitting on a branch and somebody saws it off. The Major took an ignominous tumble; and then was one ) of the first to enter Laval for the carnival. •with bullets flying in all directions, and with German staff cars racing to get away", cables the U. P. Correspondent, "the crowds of cheering French refused to get off the streets. They rushed out with American, French and British flags, and began hugging and kissing every Yank in sight • . Because of the crowds, German soldiers were able to escape on foot. Americans ran the• down, however, and took several hundred prisoners•. The whole thing is summarized by Captain Charles Freeman of Hackensack, Rew Jersey. Be says: •If it hadn't been for the mob of celebrating French, including some of the g ■ prettiest gals I've ever seen, we'd have captured Laval far sooner". So that apparently is what's happening to the war at some points on the invasion front - the capture u of a town impeded by some of the prettiest gals'' you've ever seen. This tauch of light comedy may be of the utmost im p ortance. It signifies that, in so r ne sectors, at least, the German Army is so broken and demoralized that the whole thing has become a picnic for the Americans. - itnd thJ- sort of thing ma~spread. It 11ay be a symptom of a general Razi collapse in the face of the American drive toward Paris. The news tells us that, from the captured highway center of Le Mans, the Americans are goiDI right on in the rush that ks simply been eating up ground. This news comes from the~••• German side, Nazis describing the latest I ■ Aaerican move words: •Forging ahead to the East and we have the statement that American troops are now less than eighty-seven miles from Paris ~ · -,.-- 0 . - . . . - - - 0f course, there is bitter and stubborn fighting [BANCE - 4 in many places - as in the area of Caen, •here~he Canadians are making their own gr at drive. But even there, too, Nazi resistance is de s cribed as collapsing. The Canadians today' were less than six miles from the city of Falaise, which~s a dominating highway point. They have been thrusting ahead for miles, and seem to have shattered the German defenses that have been called~:'tbe hinge of the enemy line: The latest is that the GermanA seem to be pulling --~ out-"I' -~putting up desperate resistance at some points, as pmt of a general withdrawal. The general fact is that the flanKs of the whole German Army are now exposed, and the enemy is threatened with a speedy turning movement that aight become an encirclement if he doesn!t get out. Presumably the Nazi command will try to establish another front before Paris is reached. But just where they will be, is anybody's guess - as the American drive on Paris becomes, in some places, a comedy of war. ---0--· The latest i~ a report that American troops have captured the great port of Rantes at the base of the Breton Peninsula. There is no official confir■ ation of this, but at Allied Headquarters it was stated iiu late today that the story is probably true. ITALY One of the strangest phases of the war is being seen in Italy -- the battle for Florence. Allied troops are in one section of the city, while the I Germans hold the other. Des this mean violent and destructive warfare in that historic capital of the fine arts? Newspaper columnist Anne O'Hare McCormick has said it is lik a b•ttle in a ■ useua. But it is a battle tuned down to aw isper -- ■ ere occasional skirmishing between patrol parties. By ooamon consent both sides have refrained froa hurling artillery fire a ■ ong the architectures of Florence -- no ahell bursts or shattering boab explosions a ■ ong the art treasures. The battle tor Florence ■ ore and more represents an act of singular homage in this modern war -- homage to the capital ot the arts of the Renaissance. The issue is being decided outside of the city, where troops of the British Eighth Ar ■y today captured a strategic hill. · To the east of Florence the river Arno makes a big bend, a loop dominated by ITALY - 2 the hil l that w a s captured today. The fate ot Florence, it is believed, will be decided in that sector, with the Al l ied forces driving to isolate the city. The decisive clash of arms was in the river loop, where •ii •ii ~~~ violent fighting . ..,..reported.tn,.te~ - A." The political news fro ■ Italy tells of an alliance between the two parties of the Lett -- the Socialists and Co ■■ unists. Ever since the days of Lenin and Trotsky there was bitter ani ■ oaity between the Co ■■ unists...- with their allegiance to Moscow, and, the old line Socialist parties. But now there i~ ltal7 have for■ed an alliancej-- ttf .. announce~~ -ef.cialist and Co■■unist newspapers~~ And there is talk that the two groups ■ ay even merge as one single party. 8wt. if they did, ti would constitute A the most powerful single political element in Italy far surpassing the party that i~ now the largest, the Christian De ■ ocrats. - And another note fro ■ Italy -- Tito was in Rome today, that legended leader of the Partisan ITALI - 3 forces in Jugoslavia. Marshal Tito is reputed to be a Communist. He and his partisans have had the support of Moscow all along -- which gives an additional turn of interest to the following:-The news telling -- that Tito and bis staff visited St. Peters in Ro ■ e, having a look at the religious monuaents in the world's largest Christian church. ----- - - , .. On the Eastern Front the Germans are launching l ast-ditch attacks to defend Eaat Prussia. Along the frontiers of that province, the home of the Junkers, the Soviet Army s tands a mere seven miles away, threatening an overwhelming drive onto Geraan soil. To ■ eet the situation the lasta Mazie have resorted to a xii••~ violent counter-offensive. They have rusb~d powerful forces of aen and tanks from central Geraany. And these announces today drove forward, They have been repelled, Jl l.ti/ _ .. ' - ~ """'1 Uoecow, ~ last-ditch attacks hurled back. /\~A Negotiations carried on by the Polish Premier in Moscow have ended -- suspended teaporarily, says today's Moscow bulletin. The Premier conferr e d with Stalin who is said to have expressed the opinion that the Poles should settle ■ atters aaong the ■ selves. That ia, the exiled Govern ■ ent should come to an agree ■ ent with the Polish Co ■■ ittee which the Soviets are backing as the Govern■ ent ot Poland. So the negotiations conducted by the Pre ■ ie• have actually been with that Soviet-sponsored Polish Coaaittee ot National Liberatio~. ' A p parently they haven't got anywhere, because the news now is that the Premi e r is leaving Moscow and z ■saaz returning to London, tir::pa•pn11t t:. to consult with other members ot the exiled Moscow com ■ ittee are suspended. d,j,ffepeaoe : :wa ~ t i i l l l l l l i liI'tLEJa PUBGE Over in London opinion is shaping up on the subject of the Hitler hanging of the high Ger ■an generals. It ■ ay lead to the co ■ plete collapse of the German Army in the near future - say Allied Intelligenc• officers. The reasoning is that the savage •engeance exacted by Der Fuehrer for the plot against hi• is in the nature of a Hitler atteapt to aake the Geraan aray the scapegoat for Geraan defeats. And this, will not go well witti the German officers at the fighting front. They are said to realize that the ~ 4 - ~ war is lost, and~•" probably syapathized with the conspiracy against Hitler. They are inclined to bla ■ e the German defeats on Der Fuehrer's own policy and•* strategy, and they'll resent~zi attempt to paaa I' the buck to the ailitary coa and -- buck-passing expressed in ter ■ s of the hangmans' noose for Field Marshals and Colonel-Generals. Hence the belief that the collapse of the German fighting fronts may soon occur -- a belief which today's United Press dispatch from London BITLER PDBGE .:....2 attributes to Allied military intelligence. And some observers in London think that the aorale of the Geraan Aray ■ a7 deteriorate so rapidly as to bring about a final collapse in six or eight weeks. .!J!IIY Rl4PIHG Over in England soae Aaerioan Generals are having a headache -- caused by a question of what soldiers are allowed to read. English newspapers, for exa ■ ple, a~e banned froa American Aray Caaps. This is because of a clause in the law governing soldier votes. A cl~se forbidding the circulation ot Presidential election propaganda aaong the troops. British n~wapapera are displaying a lively interest in the forthco ■ ing Aaerical battle ot ballots, and there is no way of telling whether or not they will take aides. I.A lagli.Ab Ae•spaper ••1 ••i-t• ia- tn,11 ctf irnident- Booaevalt. aad a touPt.-h t.er ■, while , • so 1 British newspapers are out. Other publications, however, are permitted to circulate in the Aray caaps over there -- all this to be arranged in accordance with the preferences of the soldiers themselves. But how can you find out what the soldiers ARIIY READING - 2 prefer -- •hen the law is so framed that troops on the invasion front are included? •soae of our men,• one Ara7 officer re ■ arked acidl7 toda7, •are rather bua7 in France right now.• Too busy, he meant, to take a vote on what publications they want to read. / n,'spa t a n ~ are fu:7ric / / / ~rescr}tied th / / / / , / / the co ■■ Mld over ~here shal ~ draw ' up a list r :ti:tt,,e ' en / 7 - / / / /. / / repre~~nt Aapican ' newspapers , lor / / / / . , ; / / /' read. b'rin / f.he Hobod7 n~s to go on reoor as / adac;,a{e / / nailing t e sol4, ( ere / to a cli Amei,,i dail i es re~es (ative - ~ an ; ' / / /. Tb re / •igb ~ / be so,e lou / , / • S~ppose th omitted t e :.R:e:a:~-. / ~ g ~ the , fi ~ r, / 4 1 t { 1a Y th ~t( the ht : rint, / / / / / / / /. / ' ; ' , / don ~ t kqow • , at t e m / U()h ~ aras~ed F / / / / e a~e ooing to do about i t . T~ey aig,ht 9, ft / c aise · b ]., is hJ;ng ne.wspa,pers al t<>ge / ., , L,R,, ~ < . , : ) ~ .§OLltY!OOD t,u..t, ot-Aer oC"e-.ei4-tlal ~t,-of k1>~l@fie1.d c-a-11-ri a-, Bellyweocl .p,u-t,y. T-we - t~party: t&ged. abt.h• zfJ ~•t.1-H ,, bo ■ e of o--,- D&He1,-t1re bMIL leacler_, ..J.14111::al~~ ~ranking ■CHr.H11' pJ..ct,~ et.m:- ••n bavia1 a ai1a " o-1-d t.i ■ e --.-- wbea t,a. ttteable lfnrted., were oyi, &&ya that his host walked up to hi ■ and asked: •that kind of cigarettes do you aaoke?• . •old Golda•, replied the fil ■ actor • . •1 don't like the ■,• retorted the band leader, and hauled off and socked hi ■• Jon Ball utterly denies that the fight started when he hugged the actress wife of band leader Dorsey. •1 just patted her on the shoulder,• says the actor. In any case, the fight was on and Jon Ball says he was jumped on by what he calls •A bunch of persons.• Another version is related by the Panamian HOLLYWOOD - 2 fila actor, Antonio Isaael Icaza. Today in a Hollywood I court he filed a lawsuit against band leader Dorsey, a - - suit demanding forty thousand dollars in daaages. Senor Ioa&a says that Dorsey threw a bottle at hia, a bottle j that hit hi ■ in the ear. The Panaaian actor says that a tree-tor-all was going on, in which actor Eddie Norris and Jane Churchill, the blonde singen and society beauty, were tangling with Dorsey, his actress wife and soae fiz• friends. Senor Icaza adds th a t Eddie lorris and Jane Churchill were getting the worst of the battle when he gallantly intervened. Whereupon, he alleges, Dorsey socked hi ■ and threatened him with a knife. •1t I catch you, · I'll till you,• the band leader yelled at the · senor, -- so alleges the .I coaplaintant. Whereupon Senor lcaza tried to escape, but Dorsey chased hi ■, heaved a bottle at him, and hit hi ■ on the right ear. Summarizing the · whole thing, I suppose we The Hollywood District Attorne7 would like to have a discussion with those that attended the big party that turned into a free-for-all. lt--bappw1te+t ::a::t: ~ h e home of Toaa7 Dorsey, the band ■aster. Faces were banged and the beautiful actress, Pat Dane had her clothes torn by another beauty, who says she's a relative ot the Prime Minister of Great Britain. There are some discrepancies about how the trouble started. Fil ■ actor Jon Hall whose bead and face were cut says -- att. :::.. ~ Governor Thomas E. Dewey believes that the United States must work with other nations in establishing an international organisation powerful enough to ffstamp out• any futuee threat to world peace. it was disclosed tonight. •The Republican presidential candidate's interpretation of •international peace forces• as set forth in the GOP Rational Platfora was revealed ~ "by G o v e r n o r ~ Edge of Bew Jersey/ Edge, who conferred with Dewey at length on international s affairs, said the Hew York Governor believe4 the foreign plank of the platform was •all inclusive•. l\. ~ P • ~ 80 feels that the expression 'peace ). f ■ zf• forces' is all inclusive. That it embraces everything froa an editcl'i.al to a sixteen inch g u ~ - 4 ~- ~ - - , n In short, Governor Dewey is determined that effective A means be brought into being to assure that any future threat to the peace of the world will be promptly stamped out by international action". 'th t= r:tJvePa7' feels that ia ■■■ saz ■ there are T 121 y - 2 two aspe~ts to this problem, political and economic. On the political side, he is in favor of a strong organization equip ed to deal with any future threat to world peace and to summon into action every force needed to preserve peace•. _ ,.,._ ~·- ... The New Jersey chief executive)\~ •we auat not again face the tragedy of a self-willed President who strives to ignore the Congress and write a personal 11t peace plan•. " . The greatest hope of the world for an effective ~ • c.-t::. ~ '~ J peace settlemen~ . is that A ■ erica will have in the 1/\ presidency a man who has the confidence of the people and of the Congress•~ -aovernor--Eq.e--eoatint1ed,,, And then he concluded:- •That can only be achieved by electing Gov rnor Dewey to the presidency this yearw. IELSOJ Washington tells us that the lar Production Chief has ~ called upon/'-■ ilitary High Coaaand to deteraine whether there can be a reduction of war supplies. Donald Melson has asked the !ray and la•y heads to aake a new survey of their needs, and see if there can't be reductions. This is regarded as being evidence that the head of the War Production Board is puahing his policies of reconversion. Donald lelson favors proapt switch oYer fro ■ war-tiae to peace-tiae production -- in oases where this will not affect the manufacture of aaterials that are needed for war. ~ .......,... .. .-- .. i lflOMAs-t - - . . -1..J....1 N t E ~ ~ B&O-T F-lh\NC~ ... f-R Oil -TitE ~ kPH BBG-1 fi ft I fffi "'l'HEY-4tE - Ytf THDR AW I I&. The latest is a bul le tin fro ■ Allied l■ aa Headquarters which states that the Canadians in the sector of Falaiae are separated by only about sixty ailes fro ■ the Aaerican vanguard which is thundering on from Le Mans. In other words, the whole Geraan aray is now in a pocket, the opening of which is only Allied Headquarters tonight spoke jubilantly of what ' they are calling -- The Battle for Paris. Another bulletin tells us of important cities captured today -- Le · Mans, of course. Also ~ Saint Malo, that ro ■antic harbor on the coast of Brittany, the traditional harbor of the Breton fisherman. And - Bantes, the great port at the base of the Breton peninsula. CHINA After conflicting rumors during the past twenty four hours, it would appear that the Japanese ' ha eat last captured the city of Benyang. That bitterly defended place has been the scene of supreme Chinese herois ■, the garrison isolated and without help for weeks. Yesterday Tokio announced the capture of Benyang, but,the Chinese refused to concede this. Tonight, however, news fro ■ China indicates th~t Chungking has lost contact with Banyang) and undoubtedly the city has fallen.