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HIS WEEK: A Roundup ¢

- The War

Bombs Alone Are not Enough

The devastating bombing raids of German industrial centers
by the RAF, RCAF and American Air Force continued to be the
main military activities on the European front this week. Fol-

lowing the biggest raid of the war
en Dortmund in the Ruhr, in which
British and Canadian bombers
dumped 2,000 tons of bombs that

were reported to have smashed
that city into rubble, a raid of sim-
ilar intensity was launched on Dus-
seldorf. Other forays swept over
widely-separated districts of Ger-
many and Italy, leaving in their
wake devastated industrial and
other military targets and large
pumbers of Axis planes destroyed.
The intensity of fhe raids and
their round-the-clock nature raised
the universal question—are these
the forerunners of the promised
military action in Burope which
Prime Minister Churchill gave to
the United States Congress in his
speech last week? On that occa-
sion Churchill urged Americans,
despite the magnificent successes
in Tunisia, to retain “a sense of
proportion” about the war as 2
whole. and said the “main burden
of the war on land is still being
borne by the Russian Army.” He
pledged that “we must do every-
thine in our power that is sensible
and practicable to take more of
the weight off Russia in 1943."
Again this week Churchill told

newspapermen that Russia “had
torn the heart and guts out of the
German army.’ They were now
bearing the full weight of a Ger-
man army of 190 divisions and 28
satellite divisions and we can ‘ask
no more of them. He made this
statement in reply to a question as
to whether he believed the Soviet
Union would join In the attack
against Japan.

‘Tt isn't for me to make sug-
gestions of this kind,” he remarked.
“They (the Soviets) are grand al-
lies and they have struck blows
that no one else has done.”

Churchill also confirmed the fact
that the gigantic production ef-
forts of the past years have placed
the Allies in the position where
the problem of application of the
giant armament stofes now on
hand must now be considered.

Whether, in view of Churchill's
statements, the bombing raids are
part of a “softening-up” process
to pave the way for utilization of
Allied armaments in a second front
invasion of Europe, can not of
course be Known. There is some
concern, however, lest the Allies
stili hope that bombs alone can
crack and break down Hitler’s po-
sition in Europe.

Eastern Front Still Decisive

Whatever the Allied armies do this summer, short of an in-
vasion of France, Belgium or Holland from the northwest with
at least 50 divisions, the center of gravity of the war still remains

Eastern Front. Some ex-
the ratio at about ten

of the
perts put
to one.

No aerial offensive, even if it is
stepped up beyond its present al-
ready magnificent scope, no at-
tack on Italy or other parts of that
proverbial “underbelly” of Europe,
can alter this situation.

Tt seems apparent that again the
Red Army will have to stand the
main brunt of Hitler's armies as
far as human lives are concerned.
So far the Red Army has suffered

approximately 10 men killed,
wounded or missing to every Brit-
ish, Canadian, Australian or Am-

erican soldier. Hitler knows this— —

and more important, knows that
with the Red Army still in the
field, unconditional surrender will
mean more than just the surrend-
er of armies on the battlefield. It
will mean also the complete up-
rooting of his entire political sys-
tem, the extermination of Naziism
from the world scene. His only
hope of pulling out of the war

ee

UNIO OW)

Goebbels’ Press Conference: ‘‘There is no victory in Africa.
only lengthened their lines of communication.”

By aa
The Allies have

without complete defeat lies in de-
stroying the striking power of the
Red Army.

It follows from this that Hitler’s
principal strategy from now on is
to make a big noise about “the
strength of his Atlantic defenses,”
hold Europe with the barest num-
ber of divisions, maintain the sub-
marine warfare, hold out at all
costs against the bombing, and
meantime concentrate everything
he has on the Eastern Front for
the final mighty blow against the
Soviet Union.

At present the Nazis are con-
centrating at such points as Gom-
el, Bryansk, Orel and Belgorod.
Moscow reports particularly for-
midable tank and manpower con-
centrations at the latter two points,
indicating the possibility of a Ger-
man thrust from this area direct-
ed at Moscow.

There is no indication as to what
course the Soviet high command
will pursue in this situation. Some
observers are confident the Red
Army will not allow the Hitlerites
to get set before taking the offen-
sive itself. Still another probability
is that the Soviet command will
‘wait and see,” relying on greatly
strengthened anti-tank defenses,
letting the Nazi armored units get
a pounding from those defenses
and lose their initial driving force,
then hit back in a counterblow.

Aside from conjecture, one thing
is certain—the Nazi blow is near
and will fall in the East. And the
only factor that would render that
blow relatively ineffective is the
opening of a second front in Wes-
tern Europe. That would not only
tak the load off the Soviet Union
but would almost certainly guar-
antee a decision in 1943.

Inside Italy

Opposition to Il Duce Grows

All reports about Italy this week give evidence of a tremen-
dous crisis in the ranks of the fascist hierarchy, with the Italian
cabinet reported almost continuously in session.

It is clear that one of Mussolini's
chief concerns is the growth of
popular feeling against any further
Italian participation in the war and
for a separate peace.

Mussolini was reported to have
recalled to leading positions of the
fascist party all the leaders as-
sociated in the original Fascist
terror after the March on Rome
in the fall of 1922, an obvious sign
of extreme worry over the mood
of the Italian people.

At the same time Virginio Gayda,
the leading fascist publicist, has
several times recently reflected
what was one everyone's mind by
openly querying what Allied peace
terms to Italy could be.

The underground radio, “Free
Milan,” was heard in London to
bave broadcast an appeal to

Italian workers and people gen-
erally to steal arms from barracks
and arsenals and prepare to assist
the Allies in case of an invasion
of the Italian mainland. “Free
Milan” stressed that mobilization of
the people themselves was the
basis of taking Italy out of the
war.

The existence of well organized
groups among Italian workers, es-
pecially in the northern industrial
cities, has been reported, and or-
ganized strikes of workers have
gained wage increases.

Three separate organizations are
said to be functioning in the Italian
underground—a Liberal “Party of
Action,” the Socialist and the Com-
munist parties. All these have
their own press and are reported
to have conducted unity negotia-
tions last March. -

-Quislings

The Mystery of Wieslaw Arlet

Wieslaw Arlet was expelled from the Soviet Union in July,
1942, for participating in espionage activities directed against

the Soviet government.

Today Arlet is counsellor of the
Polish Embassy in Washington,
free to carry on in the US the ac-
tivities which the Soviet govern-
mnt considered dangerous enough
to warrant his deportation.

Arlet is a tall, fair-haired man
with glasses. He is a polished dip-
lomat, and a smooth talker. What
anti-Soviet, anti-United Nations
intrigues does he conduct from his
desk in the dark, dimly-lit Polish
Embassy on fashionable 16th
Street in Washington?

Arlet won't talk about his activi-
ties; but a few facts about him
indicate in which direction they lie.

At a meeting last December of
ten congressmen of Polish ancestry
attended by Arlet and General Si-
korski, a resolution was adopted
hostile in tone to the Soviet Union.
Arlt is also understood to be one
of the Polish diplomatic staff who
feeds anti-Soviet speeches and
propaganda to Rep. John Lesinski

of Michigan. Why his duties as
Counsellor take him away from
Washington so frequently remains
a mystery, but it is known that
while away he is in close contact
with anti-Soviet circles in the Pol-
ish community.

Another subject Arlet doesn't
want to discuss is the charge made
against him by Deputy Foreign
Commissar Vyshinsky.

After the Soviet government al-
lowed the Polish Embassy to set
up a net-work of representatives
in the USSR to aid needy polish
citizens, it transpired, said Vish-
insky, “that local Polish represen-
tatives . . chose the path of es-
pionage activities hostile to the
USSR.”

Arlet was one of the men in the
Polish Embassy who directed these
espionage activities. His particular
assignment was coordinating sub-
versive, anti-Soviet work in the
vital regions around Vladivostock.

Benes Doesn

Eduard Benes, pre °
visiting the United St -
Council on Foreign 1;
to play her full and rij7
in the post-war settler |
“The Munich agreemer
Benes, was nothing bu
power European pact |
Germany against Russia ©
ing the real beginning c~
ent war.” ‘

“The grand alliance
the United Nations mur
to function,” he said.
the Anglo-Soviet treaty
diplomatic act” and sai)
antees the future collab
tween western Europe
Soviet Union, which ¥
all European countries
deed the whole world!‘

One of the wise-crac
war is that the reaso:
Army fights so well is
only army that doesn’t ©
munism. While the issu -
ing communism” is bec
of Goebbel’s chief j |
weapons, and while al
abaloo over the Polir
ment-in-exile tends to
issues, the case of the
vakia government-in-exi ©
overlooked.

Czechoslovakia is
outstanding example ¢ |
nation, with a border —
the USSR, that does”
Communism, and in fi
itself on the staunchne
relations with its Sey
bor.

Eduard Benes has —
peatedly denounced N-
ganda which maintains
er nations of eastern ¥
not get along with the

pei

The Food G

Last week, 30,00f
ditional argument 2
cry that Indians, di
rallying in the city’s cé&
to demand “more grat
government, people's ¢
rationing and prices, &
ate imprisonment of
food hoarders.’”’ May
were J. M. Joshi, g@
of the All-India Trades:
eress and S. K. Patka
of the Kirni Kamgar
Union of 100,000 Bon
workers,

Indicative of the foot
sripping India is the 3
Bengal and Orissa, {
growing areas, no rice
Wo wheat is on sale |
jab. The general lev
prices in Calcutta roé
in 1939 to 380 in Js
Prices in rice and flow
300 percent, coal 200 P!

“The food crisis she
existing British gover
fit to rule the coun

British Co-

Support of the I
in Edinburgh, whe!
Party, with delege

operative societies pa
lution demanding “th
all anti-fascist politi