The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 6

6 THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KY. THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 3, 1943. SECTION 1 I)c Courier 0unml THE SIEGE OF THE GHETTO A significant battle rages in Warsaw, where Jen armed by Polish Christians, fiercely resist Nazis By DOROTHY THOMPSON. Mark Ethkidc-e, Publisher. EAKFY IXC-HAM, Preiident.

A1' i revealed an amazing thing. The walls surrounding the ghetto had been converted into barricades, by the inhabitants within. Behind them were Jews drawn up for battle. Not a mob, with stones in their hand; but an army, trained, disciplined, in squads, platoons, companies; officered and armed! Armed with rifles, machine guns, hand grenades, Molotoff-bombs, detonating caps and fuses! In the heart of Warsaw, the most unmar-tial of peoples, the most hopeless and lost, had turned their prison into a fortress and were prepared to the last child, to maks) their tormentors pay dearly for every life. The wailing walls had become stockades! The Gestapo had to retreat and appeal to sore-pressed Berlin for regular troops-regular troops to put down ghetta Jews! Special S.S.

detachments, field artillery and motorized infantry, had to be hastily mobilized behind the lines, for a third front in the very center of occupied Poland. At the last reports, the battle was still on. LJOW did the Jews get their arms? Of course, from the Polish underground. Christian Poland, aware of the horrible end that awaited the prisoners of the ghetto, mobilized to smuggle them weapons. Inside the prison turned fortress, Jewish members of the demobilized Polish army, men who had fought in the Polish war, or had been trained to fight but never called, organized the battle.

As the assault on, the ghetto was met by counter-fire, word flew throughout Poland: The Jews are fighting! The ghetto refuse? to bow to Hitler! By their resistance, every other resistance was made more fierce. Silent legions were organized, to increase acts of violence to deflect Nazi attention from the ghetto, and oaths were sworn: "All aid to the Jews, who resist Hitler!" Behind the walls were husbands of Polish women, torn from them by Hitler's race theories. These devoted wives, long helpless, were amongst those who risked their lives to get a few sticks of dynamite to still loved men. Just what the situation is at this moment, in unknown to the representative of Poland in London and Washington. The word has reached them from the remarkable underground radio station, the letters of whnw name, spell in Polish, "DAWN." But whatever the outcome, this battle represents one of the most extraordinary episodes in the history of religious and racial strife.

Against a common and terrible enemy, the underground heroes of Christian Poland, defended the embattled and fighting Jews of the ghetto, and th Jews, by their battle, sent out a rail to men: Endure no longer! Fight! There will be a dawn! New York. JOT listed or publicized under notable military events but a revelation of this war's social character, is a battle that has been raging for days in the last place one would expect it, the Polish ghetto. There, imprisoned behind massive wall. were 300,000 totally defeated victims of Hitler the first to be attacked; the first to confront extermination. When Poland was conquered, the Warsaw ghetto was established; an enormous concentration camp, segregated from the rest of Poland by high masonry, within which Jews from Warsaw and afterward from Lublin, Cracow, Lodz and Katowice, were herded like cattle, to live worse than cattle, without sanitation, or any work save what they could do with a few tools and their own hands; with only supervised communication with the outside world; with only what wealth they could manage to take with them; living crowded and ever more crowded in dank hovels; subject to hunger, filth and disease.

Such conditions of life, thought the Nazis, would spare them the responsibility of direct massacre. Th imprisoned Jews would simply die. For who, thought the Nazis, would help them? The Poles, they argued.had troubles enough of their own, and were not famous for sympathy with Jews. Thus, the "Jewish question" in Poland would solve itself. Reduced to the status of caged animals, the Jews would perish like caged animals.

HE Polish underground, however, gave serious trouble to the Nazi authorities. Organized resistance and especially sabotage were taking too great a toll from the resources required to maintain the German armies on the eastern front. Wilhelm Krueger, the Heydrich of Poland, charged by his Gestapo boss Himmler to "liquidate" this resistance, decided to revert to the original Nazi tSctic, and make before Polish eyes, a demonstration of ruthlessness, a horrible example of the ghetto Jews. He announced that the Warsaw ghetto would be "eliminated." and its occupants obliterated. German efficiency, hard-pressed by economic necessity, set out to close even those mouths that took so pitifully little food close them with machine guns, gas chambers, and in mass graves.

The first answer of the Polish underground to this announcement was the assassination of the hangman Krueger. He met Heydrich's fate. His successors pressed forward his plans with accelerated hatred. The assault on the ghetto began. Obviously, this would be a simple matter.

The ghetto was, of course, unprotected. But tentative approaches by S.S. troops, "We'll Win This War Yet!" THE POINT OF VIEW A preference expressed for present weekly cycle over a proposed plan for reforming the calendar Russell Briney, Chief Editorial Writer. MEMBER or THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for publication of all news dispatches credited to or not otherwise credited in this paper and also local news published herein. All rights of republication of special dispatches herein also reserved.

classified page. Telephone WAbash 2211. in the French character. A people whose leaders have yielded spinelessly to one shame after another need more than anything else the reassurance that, as a people, they still can stand firm, still can defy terrible odds and still can pursue a set course whatever discouragements may lie along the way. General de Gaulle represents, both to the thousands of nameless soldiers and sailors who have risked life and every hope of a future to stand with him, and' to the Frenchmen who within France now know the full extent of their betrayal, the personification of a revived hope that France one day again will be strong and free.

To keep faith with his followers, now a mighty if still largely a voiceless army, General de Gaulle must insist that the half-traitors, the collaborationists who have not scrupled to fire on Frenchmen, the opportunists looking for a chance to resume business before long at the same old stand, be purged from any group which presumes to speak in the name of all Frenchmen. To keep faith with men who have proved useful in an hour of need, who pledged a personal loyalty to tne emergency government he was called upon to organize on such short notice, General Giraud will not lightly consent to their dismissal under disparaging circumstances. The troubles still to be smoothed away are not light ones. Only the honesty and patriotism of those who must solve them can guarantee a solution that will benefit France. What Is Japan Waiting For? The puzzlement expressed by informed circles in Washington over the Japanese drive toward Chungking and the "rice bowls" of Fre China the drive which was turned into utter rout this week by Chinese fighters and by Chinese and American fliers is much the same puzzlement which surrounds the whole Asiatic theater of war.

Why, it is asked, did the enemy launch a campaign employing forces too small for a major offensive and too large for a mere raid? Why, it may also be asked, has there been no major offensive in China in nearly a year? It must be apparent to the war lords of Nippon that the United Nations are grow ing in strength on land, on sea and in the air and that that strength will be turned against Japan in full force following the defeat of the Axis in Europe. It also must be apparent that China is the logical battlefield for the defeat of the Japanese armies and that China affords an ideal base from which to bomb the Japanese homeland. Why then is there no all-out effort to liquidate the "Chinese Why this Oriental version of the phony war? Following the conquest of Burma last May there was a drive down the Burma Road but the Japs were stopped at the west bank of the Salween River where the bridge had been destroyed. There was a similar drive down the Yunnan Province on the other side of the river but it got nowhere. Military experts have declared that a powerful force based at Hanoi might be able to capture Kunming and seriously menace the Chinese capital, but no such move has been attempted.

Probably Japan is flabbergasted by China's immensity. It has learned by experience that it can take by the superiority of its equipment almost any place in the vast domain but a garrison is required to hold Japan's army is not big enough to garrison the Chinese interior or any considerable part of it. Last December while the British drive toward Akyab was under way Premier Tojo told the Japanese Diet that the United Nations were preparing to deliver counterblows of "great importance" and declared "the signs were that the real war is starting from now." But except for the counterattacks in Burma, there was no move on the part of the Japanese army. Perhaps the Japs are resting on their laurels. Perhaps they are bewildered by their conquests and the geography of would-be conquests.

But it would be rash to assume they are indulging in their native fatalism and just waiting for the blow to fall, A Italic of Barbarism At Last Abandoned The Board of Education has abandoned what can hardly be called less than a relic of barbarism. In view of the low rate of teachers' pay, the rule cutting this to one-fourth for each day missed no matter if unavoidably missed on account of illness was barbarous both to teachers and to pupils. For its effect was that teachers have sometimes dragged themselves to the classroom when they should have stayed at home. Such teachers, pathetically beset by the meagerness of their income, inflicted cruelty upon themselves and exposed their pupils not only, in some cases, to the danger of communicable illness but also, in all cases, to instruction inferior to the teachers' best. The new rule announced by the board grants ten days' sick leave annually at full pay beginning next term, with some provisions for extension, and it is good to hear from Superintendent Scott that it corresponds with what is done in the public school systems of cities comparable in wealth and size to Louisville.

We do not mean to say, of course, that the old rule has been something imposed in cold and calculated inhumanity. The Board of Education is composed of people incapable of such a thing. The board has its own financial problems and it was these, of course, rather than deliberate intention to be mean, which accounted for this social anachronism. Consolidation of the Focu. Nov.

25. 132: The Daily Journal, 1830; The Morning Courier, 1537; The Dally Democrat. 1243. First issued as Tie Courier-Journal Nov. 8.

1868. Founded by Henry Wa'tersoi and Walter N. Haldeman. Published by Courier-Journal and Louisville Times Company. Thursday, Juke 3.

1943. Circulation rates first Victory, But There's More Fighting Ahead The forces of heedless nationalism and logrolling protectionism have been rolled back for the time being in both houses of Congress. The reciprocal trade agreements aefs life has been extended to June 12, 1945. The vote was 342 to 65 in the House and now 59 to 23 in the Senate. There was compromise on only one point.

The act was made effective for three years when it was originally approved in 1934, and it was extended, for three-year-terms in 1937 and 1940. This time the extension was reduced to two years. We are sorry that much had to be yielded, but the victory by impressive margins in both branches is exceedingly gratifying. Sumxer Welles has pointed out that our Elbes are bound to be asking themselves whether we will again follow the isolationist tariff course we took after the other war. In a very real sense," he added, "the decision that will be made with regard to the renewal of the trade agreements act will be regarded by peoples throughout the world as an acid test of our future intentions.

They will see in that decision a clear indication as to whether the people of the United States have determined upon a policy of international co-operation for the future, or whether they will once more turn back to that road of isolation which leads to inevitable disaster." It too much to say that the present victory of the Hull policy in Congress has guaranteed our future course. But Mr. Welles is entirely right in the sense that, if Congress had rejected it now in the midst of war when the operation of the ct has r.o practical effect on any tariff-seeking interest and when the minds of men are presumed to be exalted in the common international task of crushing the Axis, then our allies would have had reason to be hopeless indeed of future world co-operation. A negative answer at such a time as this would certainly have meant that the country was too far gone in reaction to give any hope of redemption whatever. The affirmative answer means that this r.ot the case and thus Li to be rejoiced in.

But the fight for the ideals which in a mild and limited way the reciprocal trade agreements act embodies is, of course, not won. Most of the slogans of the shortsighted selfishness which helped to bring on the disaster of this war were heard at one time or another in the Congressional hearing? and debate on renewing the act: We may depend upon it that the sloganeers and the interests and emotions they represent will renew the fray, and the people who to make this the last war cannot relax their vigilance. The Troubles In Algiers Are Not Light Ones Tre reported decision of British and American governments, that from now on the solution of French differences is the business of the French themselves, is wise and helpful. From now on out there can be no question but that the solution of existing French problems will best be handled by Frenchmen. And there should be no superficial expressions of impatience from those who are merely observers of this drama that the solution is not more quickly arrived at, that problems of personalities and procedures do not melt away as they might if the present circumstances were merely the third of a musical play set against the sun-washed back-drop of Algiers.

The wounds which disabled France were many and deep, End their healing was rot facilitated by the fact that many of them were self-inflicted. The sensitivities of Frenchmen who are striving to pull France once more into life have had much to inflame them since 1D40, and the auspices under which they now must work are not of the happiest. In General de Gaulle and General Gi-faud, France is represented by two of the bravest soldiers in the world. Unhappily brave soldiers are not always wise politicians and much of the trouble now attending the birth of a provisional governing body is due to the fact that along with the tragedy of military defeat the generals have had to shoulder so many of the sins and mistakes perpetrated by the politicians of the Third Republic. General Girauo has vipon his side a single-hearted determination to avenge his country's defeat and to restore the prestige of her armies.

It is his misfortune that so many of the assiduous opportunists who had dragged the Republic into a morass of political corruption and defeatism have attached themselves firmly, end without invitation, to his side. He can-rot be expected to have examined these cMers of help from suave, intelligent and experienced administrators with the suspicion that a man more practiced in political guile might have shown, or to rid himself hurriedly of people trained for a job he docs not know how to do and whose presence frees him for the fighting job for which he feels so much better qualified. On the other hand General be Gaulle, v. ho also is a soldier and not a politician, has received a hard training in political jeahtics in the past three years of building ud both a fighting forre and an underground movement within France itself. Against the General it must be said that he possesses sn arrogant and inflexible nature.

These fo characteristics, which have protected him against pressures that might have overwhelmed a less strong man, are not the aids in the world for influencing the tortuous course of politics. But they happen to be traits that sick and tortured Frenchmen, at home and abroad, longed desperately to know could still be found it 'LARGE POTENTIALITIES are doubtless sick of the war, many loyal Fascists would provide great difficulties. Furthermore, if the Allies treated with the Fascist leaders, they would make the mistake of angering the occupied nations and Russia. If we invaded Franco, however, the temptation to treat with Laval would not be as great, as his disposition would prove easy in comparison with the removal of Mussolini. So, with France's more favorable geographical position, her support in the invasion and conquest and her superior economic resources, France seems to me a far more promising field of invasion than Italy despite the obvious handicap of harder resistance to our landing there.

West Point, Ky. Charles Roberts. The Way It Was Done To the Editor of The Courier-Journal. As a taxpayer I resent very much the manner in which County Engineer Hugh Wood was discharged, and 1 don't even know him. This little coup d'etat would have been considered an underhanded trick by inmates of our lowest dives.

So I wonder what the public is thinking; it took place in the county building. I am sure I am not alone in my thoughts. However, if anyone thinks this was a manly act, I would like very much to read his comments. It those responsible can show me where they were justified in firing Mr. Wood in the manner in which they did, I will be glad to apologize for my remarks.

Louisville. W. T. Embry. Hank and File Id To the Editor of The Courier-Journal.

To those workers in our vital war industries who for selfish reasons will go on a strike and hamper war production, who seem to regard their union card more highly than their citizenship, who will harken to the precepts of a John Lewis rather than to the President of these United States, I wish to relate an incident said to have occurred last month at the Thompson Products Company which makes essential airplane equipment. I quote from the June issue of the Nation's Business: "The C.I.O. called the strike, but the union members shoved right through the picket lines and the strike flopped. A reporter quoted one woman worker as telling a picket that, if her husband in North Africa knew she was on a strike, 'he would blow her head An elderly man, significantly swinging a hammer, displayed a pair of army wings worn in honor of his boy in the Army Air Corps. Pretty soon the picket line melted and the C.I.O.

called off the strike. In this case the rank and file checked the leaders." It is encouraging to know that some union members regard the winning of this war more important than winning a strike. Lebanon, Ky. Loyalty. "The Ileal Victor" To the Editor of The Conrier-Jonrnal.

In reply to B. Y. Featheringill of Georgetown, If Mr. Roosevelt had attempted to enforce the Embargo Act, Republicans and, no doubt, some Democrats would have raised a bellow that could have been heard from here to Kingdom Come. They would have screamed that he was leading us into war, by refusing to keep friendly trade relations with foreign countries.

They would have been griping about not getting the exchange products which we got from Japan. On the other hand, if the President had attempted to change or revise the act, the roar of Republicans could have been heard from here to the Straits of Dover, rumbling one word, "dictator." Every time the President has tried to revise a law this has been the, monotonous refrain. So you think Lewis won a victory over Roosevelt? Well, I don't. Yes. the miners got their raise, but deep in their hearts, they have a feeling of contempt for Lewis.

They know that he was only trying to gain power for himself. They respect Roosevelt. They know he has always been their friend, and a friend to all lab r. So you think this over, my friend. Leu'? won the contempt of everyone.

Roosevelt keeps respect and admiration. Who was really the victor? Mrs. H. C. Williams.

Cave City, Ky. Letters should be brief (rarely about .700 words), preferably typewritten, on one side of the paper. The writer's name and address must be signed, to be published only with his consent The Courier-Journal reserves the right to condense. Liken It Thin Way To the Editor of The Courier-Journal. In your excellent newspaper of April 15, Corrinne Hardesty had an article supporting the World Calendar Association's plan for a reform calendar, and saying that Miss Elizabeth Achelis, president of the association, calls our present calendar "undepend-able, disloyal, frivolous and wasteful," and also refers to the holidays as "now jumping about like grasshoppers." This suggested new calendar would fix all the national holidays and birthdays on certain fixed days of the week as well as of the month, so they would never vary; but, in order to do this, a blank day is inserted each year, and two blank days each leap year, which would cause the weekly cycle to be altered, and the original days of the week to "jump about like grasshoppers." Which is the worse, to have the days of the month hop around like grasshoppers, or the days of the week? The only unit of time which has never been altered as far as human history goes is the weekly cycle.

It is this weekly cycle that Miss Achelis wants to alter in order to balance up the quarters and the months and make them equal. So far the world has preferred to have the weekly cycle remain equal and fixed rather than to have the months equal. Religious people prefer to celebrate their Sabbath days and holy days in their fixed weekly cycle, without having them "jump about like grasshoppers" from year to year. The weekly cycle is the only unit of lime that has been preserved as a standard to measure all our cycles and, when this is altered, then we have no fixed standard of time that, has been preserved by which we can test the accuracy of dates. Miss Achelis thinks that the altering of the weekly cycle and the equalizing of the quarters and the months would be a great economic saving in business transactions, but there are some things that are of far greater value to the people than the mere saving of dollars.

One is the preservation the religious significance of the weekly Sabbath. Unless these religious days are preserved our civilization and our religion will go by the board. C. S. Longacre.

Tacoma Park, D. C. Calling Time To the Editor of The Courier-Journal. When a man can write such inconsistent stuff as Howard Henderson wrote about such a fine character as Judge Willis, it is time he is shut up, and, when your paper prints such tripe, it is time people quit taking it. A.

C. McClure. Louisville. Would Invade Frances To the Editor of The Courier-Journal. Much attention has been given 1o the coming invasion and much has been said as to the place of invasion.

France and Italy seem to be the most likely spots. Many think that Italy's weakness and lack of enthusiasm' for the war make it the more likely of the two; but it seems to me that France is the better place, not only for sentimental reasons but also for her value to us. In the first place, an invasion of France would bring us to decisive grips with the main German army, while that would most likely not be the case in Italy. The Germans probably consider France of far more value and less trouble than Italy. Though a landing in France would be extremely difficult, the flat character of the Flanders district and, in fact, all of northeastern France makes fighting far swifter and more decisive than a landing in mountainous Italy would.

Besides, the excellent transportation system of France would be invaluable in the swift movement of our troops. A factor not to be overlooked is the economic value of France. In normal times, the agricultural output of France made it practically self-sufficient. On the other side, Italy is very deficient in her agricultural output. France is also far richer in essential minerals than Italy.

She ranks second among the nations in production of iron, fourth in production of coal, and produces aluminum and other important minerals. Italy has practically no minerals worth mentioning with the exception of mercury and sulphur. So it can readily be seen that France could not only feed its' own people, but could contribute essential minerals to our cause. Her loss would be a severe economic blow to Germany, while the loss of Italy would not cause undue grief among the Nazis. Another factor favoring France as an invasion spot is the fact that probably more than 90 per cent of her people would loyally support our landing.

Though the Italians R. KEN T. support, the liberality with which funds ar provided and the initiative and character of the director. At present the scheme is an exceedingly cloudy state. It is said that in the "congested areas" it will concentrate upon problems such as transportation, food supply, schools, health, recreation and fueL But, what it will do about these problems or why it should do anything are questions to which no answer is given.

Cloudy, too, appear the ideas as to how much money the new agency will have to spend, where it is to come from, how large an organization will be needed and exactly what it is to do, how, when and why. In fart, the only sure things about it are its "large potentialities," and that it is to be operated by Mr. Gill, the protege and friend of Harry Hopkins, largely lacking, as is Mr. Hopkins, in bvisiness experience but well trained in the "tax, tax, tax, spend, spend, spend, elect, elect, elect" school of thought, of which so many pupils still stick on the pay roll. 'JM1E chairman of the new committee is Budget Director Smith.

Other members are Mr. Patterson of the War Department, Mr. Bard of the Navy, Mr. Nelson, General Fleming and Mr. McNutt.

But, all th gentlemen have other posts. With them the Committee for Congested Production Areas will be incidental. Mr. Gill will be Ihe committee and will run it. He is an able, honest, likable young man and perhaps he will run it well.

It is conceivable that he may dispel the mists about its purposes and do a lot of useful co-ordinating. On the other hand, the degree to which the old WPA. was steeped in politics when he and Mr. Hopkins were running it is justification for feeling that among the aforementioned "large potentialities" might be certain political activities not wholly unconnected with the fourth-term movement. Terhaps this does Mr.

Gill an injustice. Certainly he and the members of his committee will deny that there is the slightest political tinge to the new committee. It will also be denied that the new organization will provide opportunity for putting an additional number of faithful fourth-termers on the pay roll. Nevertheless, there are two things which more or less lend themselves to this idea. One is the absence of any evidence of the need for war, or any other purpose, 'of the new committee.

The other is the complete lack of publicity attending its creation. It is true the executive order creating it was printed in the government publication for such orders. But no one reads that and its existence was discovered more or less by acci dent. Under the circumstances it may pay Congress to keep an eye on the Committee for Congested Production Areas. It might even pay to ask Corrington Gill to report from time to time what he is doing and with how many people.

By FRANK Washington. JEMBERS of the Senate and House who feel that some progress has been made recently toward a simplification of the gov ernmental war agencies in Washington and a lessening of their confusion and cost will be chagrined over the appearance of a new and entirely unheralded agency with large potentialities in the way of jobs and expense. It does seem that this administration can create bureaus faster than an economy-minded Congress can lop them off. A few-days ago the Byrd Committee made a final recommendation for the abolition of the N.Y.A. and a few days before that the Senate lopped off the appropriation for the National Resources Planning Board, of which the President's uncle is chairman.

These were steps toward a reduction of useless agencies but neither has been concluded. While the issue as to these still remains in doubt, there springs into being a new and gaudy commission, with powers so large and purposes so vague that they are not easily explained even by those charged with its management and responsible for its origin. The new agency rejoices in the name of the Committee for Congested Production Area. It was established on April 7 by Executive Order No. 9327, and its salaried director is Corrington Gill, once deputy administrator of the W.P.A., once an executive of the old N.R.A., recently in the War Department and one of the earliest and most ardent of the New Dealers who have been here since the first Roosevelt administration and are eager to stay through a fourth term.

There has been no publicity concerning the Committee for Congested Production Areas. It has not much more than started yet and it does not know exactly where it is going, nor how. Nevertheless, its sponsors look forward to a big future for it and large plans are being made. There seems some mystery as to whose idea this new bureau originally was and quite a lot of confusion as to its necessity. However, under the authority conferred it may easily expand into one of the most formidable of the Federal Emergency bodies.

The object, as explained in the order, is to assure "the more effective handling of governmental problems in congested production areas." DISCRETION is given the committee to decide what are the governmental problems and which are the congested areas, this may mean anything the director wants it to mean. It is possible for the committee to develop into a duplicate of the old National Emergency Council or a revived National Defense Advisory Commission. Or it may attempt to co-ordinate the multitudinous governmental units which function wildly and independently in all areas. No one can tell about that. Largely, it depends upon the warmth of the Presidential.