The Charlotte News

Thursday, August 12, 1943

SIX EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: The Nazis were withdrawing from Sicily to the mainland of Italy en masse, reports the front page. The one requirement to land a spot in a German boat off Messina was that the soldier still have his gun. The evacuation was being covered by the most intense German-Italian artillery barrage yet of the Sicily operation.

Contingents of the American Seventh Army, having landed behind German lines in assault boats near the mouth of the Nazo River forty miles west of Messina, fought through enemy lines to reach the main body of the Army near Cape Orlando--as shown on the map. The object was to trap Nazi troops between the two forces, preventing their retreat to Messina.

Twenty-five Flying Fortresses were lost in an American daylight raid on Bonn, Gelsenkirchen, and Wesseling in the Rhineland. Gelsenkirchen and Wesseling were targeted for their synthetic oil manufacturing facilities.

In Russia, the Red Army drove to within seven and a half miles of Kharkov, bringing the Germans holding the city within artillery range. Capturing seventy more villages, the drive from Orel to Bryansk also continued. German infantry were said to be chopping down apple and cherry trees to construct pillboxes.

Peace talks between Prime Minister Churchill and Prime Minister MacKenzie King of Canada had reached a reported lull, awaiting the arrival of President Roosevelt for the Quebec Conference.

On the editorial page, "Chino-Americans" indicates that the Congress was considering repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which had barred immigration by the Chinese to the United States. The repeal legislation was considering a quota of one hundred Chinese per year to be admitted as immigrants. Though limited, the Chinese Government had no quarrel with the proposal as it was discouraging emigration in any event. The object was to end the ban, no matter how merely symbolic its ultimate impact.

The Act had been implemented in 1882 and forbade Chinese from becoming naturalized citizens, as well as allowing discretion to the government to readmit Chinese who left the country and sought return. The legislative effort appeared to derive primarily from concerns over a growing cheap labor base in competition for the jobs of American citizens. The Magnuson Act which repealed the law in 1943 most notably allowed naturalization. But it was not until the Immigration Act of 1965 that Chinese were allowed freely to immigrate to the United States.

"The Doors Close" tells of Sweden shutting its borders to German officials, including Norwegian quislings seeking refuge there, anticipating defeat in the war and the ultimate reprisal from their fellow Norwegians for the sell-out to the Nazis. No longer was the Swedish sanctuary available.

Raymond Clapper extends this report on Sweden's reversal of policy, shutting out all German troop traffic which had to this point in the war been reluctantly tolerated by the Swedish government, though condemned by most Swedes, especially the student population.

The passage of troops through Sweden had enabled the Nazis to avoid the perilous sea route around the coast of Norway to deliver troops to and from that occupied country.

Mr. Clapper finds this turn of events signal of the crumbling walls of Hitler's empire in Europe, no longer able to threaten war for failure of obedience to his will. The Allies had conveyed their impression strongly on Europe since spring, in North Africa, in Sicily, in Russia, in the air over France, Italy, and Germany. Sweden no longer had reason to maintain its policy of strict neutrality.

"First Payment" comments approvingly of the AFL's decision not to readmit John L. Lewis and the UMW to the AFL camp. The refusal was in punishment for the coal strike during the spring. The editorial, however, qualifies the need for sanction, suggesting it be limited to Lewis himself, not applied to the miners, many of whom were immigrants, merely following their Master’s Voice unquestioningly.

Drew Pearson reveals that FDR had taken a personal role in advocating against the effort by Lewis to gain readmission. It was not clear, however, just how decisive this opposition had been in causing the AFL to turn down the application.

"Post-War Ration" warns of the probability of continuing rationing even after the end of the war, so that war-torn countries without a ready agricultural base might be fed.