The Berkshire Eagle from Pittsfield, Massachusetts • 1

The ARE WE DUMB? Lippmann's Warning Unheeded Says Pegler Page 11 City Edition Eagle Berkshire Evening Volume 50 No. 202 14 Pages -Price Three Cents Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Monday, February 16, 1942. Japanese, Gathering in Singapore, Throw Weight of Attack Against Dutch Indies Nazi Submarine Carries War to Caribbean Sea Making the Draft a Family Affair Enemy Pays Heavy Toll For Palembang Capture Aruba Shelled; Four Tankers Torpedoed German I ndersea Boal Attacks Important Oil Port: Standard Coin pan Buildings Fired On WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, Dutch West Indies f0lIL A German submarine deep in the lAmeriean Aritnm lone east of the Panama Canal has torpedoed twe ml tankers and shelled the great oil refinery on the Dutch island of Aruba, it disclosed today. Tt main enemy submarine attack aprainst the flnd of Aruba, where American troops were landed recently to protect one of the world's greatest oil centers off th Venezuelan coast and about 600 miles east of the Panama Canal.

,1 I sMj sfiwV. -Jfl mPrF' sf ShKp lati SlSu hrIEi1 ssssssssssssal i 3t VKb 'wpr BSJ 93 (By The Associated Press The Japanese, already victors at Singapore, gained another steppingstone today in their southward offensive Palembang in southern Sumatra but the United Nations were exacting a frightful price for this gain on the approach to Java. United States, Dutch and British planes, furrowing Bangka Strait with their bombs, scored direct hits on two Japanese cruisers and five crowded transports. One of the cruisers was set afire. The United Nations command from its Java headquarters announced that fighters and bombers had caused "great devastation" among the Japanese moving into the Ship 1 nrped Three tankers wew torpedoed at tAruba, the Netherlands, Indies Mediterranean agericy said, while a fourth.was tor- InWsitv Palembang region.

The smoke of the Dutch "scorched hung over the great oil refining center. I The shelling of the Aruba re- finery, owned by the Standard Oil Company of Jersey," caused only slight damage, the dispatch re- earth" policy The damage. 1 1 1 -f between us Donalds" might be a more mtlng title for this scene. It wa enacted at Dawes School this morning before Miss Katherine I Black, a teacher-registrant for selective service, by Donald I estimated at was said to be the greatest Patrols Clash in Libya Ruffians Continue Offensive The agency's dispatch said: "Ah enemy submarine today attacked Aruba, torpedoed three tankers and shelled the refinery of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. of- his i 'HHiiaii.

vaira, nnn cuiior i i ne jutgie; imnaia rv nuicninn. run nrotncr-in -mw ana uonaia i. I'L 1 oleman his son. The senior Coleman and Mr. Hutchinson are war buddies, hating enlisted to- DieCC Ol deliberate CieStTUCtlOn DV Ulan grther from Sprinjrficld in 1917 and having served oversea.

Donald L. who only recently became own eHgibto for the draft, decided not to wait for a call from I ncle Sam and after leaving registration property. quarter enlisted In the Army rmored force. Capital Expects Nazis Japs Now Hold To Demand French Fleet Keys to India Bombs Blast Cruisers; Oil Wells Are Destroyed BATAVIA, Netherlands Indies (AP)-Savaely battered Japanese troops captured Palembangr. rich oil center By the Associated Press "American troops recently ar-Pending the' next pnase in the rived Aruba to protect the oil in-battle of Africa which may betJft'on- a Hitler aurprise the fighting in "The refinery was only slightly the Mediterranean rone was mark.

damaged In the attack. There were ed today by reports of patrol' casualties on land. Then umber clashes in Libya, fierce air action. casualties amortg the tanker and an Axis assault on a British crews was not immediately learned, convoy. E- "Another tanker was torpedoer Rome announced that Axis air near Willemstad harbor and was and sea forces had sunk a British oadly damaged but did not sink, destroyer, a patrol boat and seven One person was injured." merchantmen in a three-day attack The Netherlands Indies news on a convoy bound from Alexan-; agency said the shelling of Aruba dria to Malta.

marked the first land attack on any The Italian admitted that one Western Hemisphere territory in Coort Says Shipbuilding profits Legal And Australia Addition of ichy Warships ifl Give Axis Ktlge on Allied Navies. of southern Sumatra today but Allied planes inflicted "yrat (devastation" on the thousands of invaders who swept aside strong Dutch resistance. of their submarines was missing in; World War II. Tokyo (Maim Surrender of 60.000 Imperial Troops Justice Department Overruled in World War 1 rubers Hit 1 Aruba a small Dutch-owned the battle and that British bomb- Two Japanese cruisers and five crowded transport were blasted with direct bomb hit by American, hit the town! of Augusta, Sy- island that lies less than mites racuse and Florida, yesterday in an off the Venezuelan coast opposite Tsisauit on the east coast of Sicily, the Maracaibo oil fieljds. The fields Axis airmen continued to ham- and the refineries on 'the island, are WASHINGTON (AP).

The prenrie Court overruled today WASHINGTON WP) A determined new Naxi attempt to get Immediate control of the French fleet was forecast today as members of Congress familiar with naval matters said Germanyfa success in uniting its surface fleet in home waters portended a realign- Japs Driving Close to Burma Road Su-the ions ling un- mer Malta. British Mediterranean one or me greatest ou centers Justice Department content island base 60 miles from the world. thaB the Bethlehem Shipbuil. The Germans said 15 British planes There is a fairly large American Perforation was not entitled War Briefs Saigon Radio Sa Japanese in Java LONDON. A broadcast by Radio Saigon, which frequently has made erroneous claims for the Ash, said today that Japanese troops had landed in Eastern Java during the night and were Dutch and British planes -strikina; in the Bangka Strait.

One of th 'cruisers was set afire. The Japanese, following a para chute invasion, continued to land lin today. 'JK9. TOKYO (From Japanese Broad-casts) UF) Japan celebrated the conquest of Singapore today as a tremendous achievement giving her armed forces the key to India and Australia and virtual control over vital supply route to embattled China. Even an official warning that the war is still far ttom won and that great strugglesIie-ahead failed to dampen rejoicing over the blow to, had been shot down in recent ac-, colony on the island, wnich is ae- wnai the department termed tion over Malta and North, Africa.

voted almost entirely to oil refinery conacionablc profits" on the conh.ment of sea force all over the in mi siruiction oi snips tor me unuea -J 1 i i fr 1WUI1U. Chairman Walsh D-Mass.) of jiuumea (Muui hu niiw-wMa inr isiana oi Aruoa is aauui oj stases tluring jne Iirst World war. force oyer a wide front in Libya, square miles in area, with a popu- justice Black wrote the 5 to li Bombers and fighter of tha United Nations took strong action against Japanese ships on the Musi River, where a beachhead wa established yesterday. v''5 Anticipating the Invasion of tha 1000-mile-long island, the Dutch applied the torch yesterday to th attacking an important airdrome. Nipponese Pre on Thaton Luzon Artillery Active decjsion, which was sought by senate wavai anairs commu-govf rnment as a guide in the pres- tee told reporter that the Reich entj victory campaign.

might be able to muster a battle Jjtstice Frankfurter dissented. flwt capabie of challenging the dt-Hack said -that the Supreme wwi imii. nt th. ttnitH Mtian Irom trie coastal area west or Ain tat ion of 10,000. Almost its entire el Gazala to about 40 miles south maritime traffic is the Importation The Axis may.be preparing there.

crude oil from the wells of the to drive against Tobruk or to out-SVenezuelan fields operated by af-flank it again in a thrust eastwatd filiates of the Standard Oil Com-against Egypt. jpany. aod exportation of the re- British Fall Hark British prestige and to Allied strategy in the Pacific. The official announcement of the fall of the citadel over which the D.iii.'k WJ 111 Court did not have the constitution-! if Hitlpr roulH adrf French Refnre Thalon RANGOON. Burma.

wmcn 5Upply haIf the lndie, Near Polish Border fined products. I V. I.la J. ln columns, supported by oil. thel Jower Trw" contracu; pOWer to the Nail strength which! years said the surrender had been in; me European ineairesr me- unchforceable because they were was reinforced in home ports Kuasian onensive continued un-iKup, vu.ataU, I when two battleship site of the capital, Willemstad "7" ZZ ahaif-d anrt British bombers over RANGOON.

Burnt. (IP) British forces defending Burma were reported today to have withdrawn to stronger lines close to the town of Thaton, following a heavy Japanese attack. the President in accordance with and a cruiser forced the Dover night blasted at docks in the Ger- Aruba and the island of Bonaire an act oi umgif is. Neither Corieress nor the Pres-! Most I noempA in he- man-held rench port ot st. waz- aire, apparently seeking out the Landed idcSt," Black added, "restricted the! lieve that the German would soon A Mack pail of smoke from flaming tanks of petroleum, reftnerie, docks" and other building hung over the battle area-.

The damage, said to be the greatest ever deliberately inflicted by man on hjia own property, probably exceeded $100,000,000 and represented tha over-night destruction of decade of patient building by the colonist. The main force of the sea-borna complete and unconditional. oomoers and machine-gunning Domei. ln a dispatch today from fighter planes, drove perilously Singapore, said British forces 'n cloge to Thaton today In a drive to Singapore at the time of the sur-i render comprised SO.OOfj men. choke PP" China over 'These troops included cam-1 the winding Burma Road, paigning forces, fortress guards Thaton is only 50 miles south-and 1 volunteers made up of 15.0O0weft importaRt rail wnt of the British metropolitan force, 13,000 Australian and the remain- Rangoon-MandaUy and der Indian," it said.

Rangoon-Martaban line, and itap- "Therr are a million Inhabitants peared that the invaders were aim- PORT, freedom of the Fleet Corporation serve an ultimatum on Vtehv if AN EAST CANADIAN light warships wRich helped German battleships ScharfttK Survivors of two recently to jgrant measures of profits com- they have not already done so to ed freighters said today they mon at the time. And the Fleet' deliver up a major part of the I the two Canadian corvettes! Corporation's chosen policy was to! Frerich fleet still afloat, rescued them from the operate in a field where profits for At the beginning of the year and GneUenau escape ilast week' from Brest through Dovr Strait. jJ'jP In RussiaSoviet troops were re-i ported assaulting the winter nicn defenses established by Hitler while north Japanese invasion seemed directed northwestern Atlantic might' have. sprvices are demanded and ex- France wa reported to have the score by sinking one iected. able for Immediate service 1 bat- and possibly three German sub- "The futility of subjecting this; tleahlp.

1 aircraft carrier, 14 marines. choice of policy to judicial review cruisers, 52 destroyers and 60 sub- cont the Mos German at a tai Front Russiani said the The survivors, 35 from a BritishMs demonstrated by this case, com-j marines. 10 miles craft an1 1 from, Greek vessel ing to this court as it does morel The ultimate disposition of the The Brit- ierp recovering in hospitals 20 years after the ships were French fleet has been a continuing Stockholm hotete while planes continued a completed. cause of concern to the United I Army in search for 37 missing shipmates "In any event, we balieve the ever since the eollapaa of Germans Prepare Against Turkei tSTANBri (AP) Travelers reaching Istanbul say that German preparations In southeastern Ruropr include measures as groundwork for a move against Turkry. They include, construction of invasion barges, landing practice, development of airports.

Alcoa Walkout Comes to End DETROIT (UP) Workmen returned to the Detroit plant of the Aluminum Company of America today, ending an unauthorized 40-hour walkout which paralyzed work on defense material and still in Singapore, including at the junction city. The fall of from the huge squat Island of British. Pegu would cut the railway feeding Borneo which lies to the northeast. It wa announced that 1000: the Burma Road. Borneo's rim has been occupied members of the British garrison; (A London military commentator almost completely by the Japanese, would serve as an auxiliary policejsaid that the fighting wa "ob- appeared possible that some force to maintain order until Japa- scure" and that Thaton might nowroops might also have been t4h nese troop, who entered the city be in Japanese hands.) i leased from the battle of Slnga- at 8 AM today, could complete their i Japanese spearheads converged pore, which fell to the Japanese occupation.

on Thaton from Paan, 12 miles to I yesterday. The remainder of the garrison the east, and from Martaban at the i Japanese planes far to tha east laid down Its arms at 10 o'clock last mouth of the Salween River, the bombed a small place In New night (9 AM EWT Sunday), and now shattered first line of defense, i Guinea for an hour, killing four iio broadcast a 72 miles rive of those rescued were mem- question OX whether or not this ranee in june, iw. wt -n in and the bers of a German Jewish family; policy iita wise is outside our prov- imporiani conaicjerauon nrieinallv from Hamburg on rhnfiin HmiHi. Washington relations With the and the on the south jania. Wilno (VI east front to Cincinnati, Ohio, where thej had, "The profits made in these and lin government in Vicby, several occasions both the Japanese said the captives! American ana.

British planes civilian and wounding five others. hoped their home. The other contract entered into under Sg United State and Great Britain would marched off at once to prison five including the parents, two. sons, the same system may justly arouse 17 and 15 and a daughter, 14 indignation. Lindbergh Is have made it plain that they would Interpret it a a hostile act if Vichy yielded to German pressure for made exhaustive eiiorts to punisn (j.ovet nment buildings ana houses the enemy wnerever his supply 'suffered great damage.

Other lines were exposed. The battle enemy planes fanned out on recon-ground was only 85 bomber miles i naiasance and light bombardment from Rangoon, and 125 miles by of other sections of the equatorial camps. Japanese naval authorities, meanwhile, announced that they immedi- control of the French fleet. Draft Registrant Defense Housing Project Renewed uneasiness over the; caused the death of one employee. land and rail around the tide-swept islands.

Singapore Continued on Second Page Gulf of Martaban. WASHINGTON OP). Smiling, but French fleet served only to deepen! State Labor Conciliator Victor! the somber mood which a mon.it-:M. Swearlngen said 600 men had onous string of Allied reverse ha struck in protest against company's; declining to answer queritio Expected To Start Soon Charles Augustus Lindbergh the built up In the capital. 1 refusal to grant a wage Increase.

Commission, Like Congress, mous aviator, registered here txiay for selective service. Lindbergh formerly held a commission in! the air corps reserves but resigned it last summer while making speeches; severe ngnting continued unabated in southern Celebes, tha octopus-like island to the east of Borneo. New Grave Threat In the narrow Ce.lebes Peninsula on which the major part of Macassar was destroyed, a Japanese unit was ambushed and lost two officers and 30 men. The Dutch had no casualties HHH The seizure of Palembang pointed Declared Guilty of "Sneak Contract Awarded to Boston Firms Mayor Provides for Water and Sewers To Be Demountable China Arrow Avenged by American Patrol Bomber criticizing the President's foreign policies. He is now engaged ln a civilian research assignment for the War Department.

that Although no formal notification Company, until recently Incomplete Reports on Pension Bill Tended To Confuse Public And Solons Themselves Arrow, which had been sunk 100 mile off the Atlantic Coast. As a result of this discovery, all 37 of ha been received from Washington, there was every indication! today that the Pittsfield defense hous was known as the Hodgson Company of Boston. Under the pre-frabicating plan, there is a minimum for an architect to do, but Weather the tanker's1 crew were rescued. Jt Soon afterward, the letters coW- ing project is ready to start. Mr.

Ritchie, head of the firm By Bl'LK LEY GRIFFIN Sfll is THE EAGLK year. The fact Is he can, the commission now admits. The commission continues confusing as to the It was learned that construction bearimr his name who was In the NEW YORK (UP) The submarine which sank the tanker China Arrow was Itself most likely sunk a few minutes later by a United State Army bomber on Atlantic patrol duty. It was disclosed today at ceremonies honoring the three officers and three men of the war-plane. Lieut.

Gen. 'Hugh A. Drum, com and architectural contract Have city the past week end, said his been awarded to the Pre-Fabcicited i comoanv will handle layout and tinued, "a submarine, awash, was sighted, and attacked immediately." "Four bombs were dropped from an elevation of 1000 feet." the commendation said. 'The stern of the submarine was still above surface when the bombs dropped. All WASHINGTON.

Although spon-exact pension available under the sors of the congressional pension act. ola proposition claim they did not try I Fiat, as to the so-called "sneak" to "sm-ak" it through Congress, thr tactics in Congress. When the hill Company Inc. and James H. Ritchie service detail.

A Associates respectively, both of; It is understood that the con-j Mn' I tracts call for the construction of Mayor James Fallon today plajceo 100 sinele demountable houses with manding general of the first army Sumatra Continued on Second Pag Index Page Amusement 4 Beacon If I 11 Clsuuincd Ads It Comies It County News Crossword Pussie It Editorials IS Paul Mallon IS Radio 14 Social New Sportr The War Today It Westbrook Pegler and Eastern army force, presented bombs fell In close proximity of Massachusetts Slowly rising temperature this afternoon and tonight with light rain except show In thr Berkshire region beginning this afternoon and light to modrratr rain tonight increasing winds becoming fresh tonight. Eastern New York Rain in extreme south and snow, changing to ram. in central and northern portions tonight. Increasing winds with rising temperature. The local weather report will be found on Page 1, Second letters of commendation to the the submarine.

One bomb exploded right against the hull, at the most came up in the House and it; author. Chairman Ramspeck (D-Ga.) of the House Civil Service Commit -tee, was asked to explain it, he talked for less than a minute and hi disclosure of the pension-for-congressmen provision consisted of the statement that the bill "extends available evidence Indicates that they did. The evasion that has attended the whole performance also Involves the Civil Service Commission, which indicated a congressman couldn't qualify himself for a pension large or small by merely paying $1.40 on the last day of this an item of in the city no cellar foundations, notwith-budget to cover the estimated ot standing the action taken last week of extending sewer and water lines by the Pittsfield defense housing to the project site where the Bos- committee. That group, at a spe-ton company will make the service cial meeting, voted to urge the gov-connection. The Benedict Read ernment for multiple unit dwellings tract will be the location.

with cellars, and a written request Pre-fabrieating, which will -be 'to that effect wa sent to Washing-the greater part of the work, ill ton Thursday. No answer has been be -done by the Pre-Fabricatlng received. fliers at Governors Island. The letters, from Brig. Gen.

Arnold N. Krogstad, commander of the first air force, related that on Feb. 5, the crew of the plane, a B-25A (North American) twin-engined bomber, sighted a lifeboat containing survivors of the China Ave feet away. An oil patch about 50 feet ln diameter appeared on the surface of the water within a few seconds. Another oil slick showed up a little later about 300 yearn ahead of the original oil patch.

Pension Continued on Second Page PolUrdt lot tewtlrr, South SCrrrt -Ad. 17..