_ THIS WEEK: A Roundup

The War

Victory Impossible Without 2nd Front

Principal military-political event of this week was the special
communique issued by the Soviet Information Bureau, which
marked .the~ Soviet’s second full year of successful struggle

against the greatest military of-
fensive the world has ever seen
by reiterating the urgency of an
Allied invasion of Western Eur-
ope “without which victory is im-
possible.”

Declaring that Germany has had
no military successes during the
pas year but on the contrary has
suffered one defeat after another
on the Soviet front and in North
Africa, the communique pointed
out that as a result the German
military power has been shaken
and a crisis caused.

“But this is not enough for vic-
tory. Everything now depends on
how the Allies will use the favor-
able situation for a second front,
without which victory is impos-
sible.” :

What Hitlerite Germany’s attack
on the Soviet Union has cost the
Nazi war machine in casualties
was shown in the statement that
German killed and missing num-
bered 6,400,040 men, while in equip-
ment the Red Army’s heroic ef-

forts had accounted for 42,400
tanks, 56,500 guns ,and 40,000
planes.

Soviet losses were shown as

4,200,000 dead and missing, with
30,000 tanks, 35,00 guns and 23,000
planes destroyed.

As had already been emphasized
by Stalin in his May Day message,

the Soviets showed that the Ger-
mans have already lost the main
part of their first-line divisions
and described Hitler’s defeat be-
fore Moscow “as the decisive event
of the Second World War.”

“Germany has lost all hope of
a quick victory, and Hitler’s sub-
sequent attempts to split the Allies
has been shattered in the firm al-
liance of all freedom-loving peo-
ples.”

The effect of the Soviet an-
nouncement served to sharpen
apain the feeling in other United
Wations countries for a coordin-
ated blow from both East and
West against Hitler's so-called
European fortress. That the need
for such a demand is still on the
agenda is indicated by a number
of recent events, notably the fren-
zied campaign against President
Roosevelt and the win-the-war
forces launched by a powerful
group of reactionaries and pro-
fascists in the United States.

The Soviet Union's warning of
the consequences of too much de-
lay has helped to clarify once
more the fundamental issue con-
fronting the Allied countries —
only a second front within. the
next few weeks at the most can
hope to achieve decisive victory
over the Axis and avoid the ter-
rible consequences of a stalemate
and a negotiated peace.

Moves Point To Invasion

On the war fronts attention continued to center this week
on the Mediterranean, from Sicily to the Aegean Islands off
Greece, where Allied airplanes were blasting the way to what

can only be landing operations in
southern Europe. Not only Sicily
but the great industrial centers of
Worthern Italy were the targets
for bombing forays which were
directed at levelling Mussolini’s
main supply and transport centers.

Closing of the border between
Turkey and Syria has also given
Tise to rumors of Allied action
from this quarter, where the
heavily-reinforced and long-trained
British Ninth and Tenth armies
are stationed.

Germany again came in for
some of the heaviest bombing at-
tacks of the war from the RAF
and American Air Force. Giant

While a bus burns in the Plaza de Mayo rae Government

raids continued on cities in the
Ruhr Valley, especially at Ober-

-hausen.

On the Eastern Front the two
giant armies of the Soviet Union
and Hitler Germany meanwhile
continued to face each other in
deadlock. with neither side con-
ducting more than scouting forays.
Air action had abated, with the ex-
ception of bombing raids in the
Orel-Bryansk-Gomel sector. Else-
where only local clashes were re-
ported, and nowhere was there
Signs of the large-scale heavy

fighting expected to develop out
of another Nazi Attempt to make
a third stab at knocking Soviet
Russia out of the war.

House in Buenos Aires, crowds of Argentinians parade
through the plaza. Banner at right carries the single word
“Democracia,” slogan of the people.

China Turns Tables Again

The tremendous contribution to Allied vietory already made
by the Chinese armies over the past six years was further streng-
thened this week as the Chinese counter-offensive along the south-

ern bank of the Yangsze River
continued with the occupation of
a whole series of towns south of
Ichang.

Towns like Kungtan, Michitai,
Sungtse, were occupied on succes-
sive days. The Japanese are con-
tinuing to suffer heavy losses as
their units retreat over the ground
which only a few weeks ago they
had confidently expected would
take them right through to Chung-
king and a final knockout blow
against China.

What the Chinese have done with

their relatively poor equipment,
though this has been added to
somewhat by American bombing
units, has surprised the world, and
has proven again that with more
attention paid to the supply needs,
China will continue. to be one
of the decisive factors in final
victory. z

Meantime Chungking has again
disclosed instances in which Japan
has used poison gas, this time on
Mey 31 in a willage of Siuyuan
Province, and again on June i in
Shansi. :

Fighting French

The Underground Wants Unity

The crisis in the French Committee of National Liberation
sharpened again this week as a result of apparent pressure on
General Charles deGaulle by representatives of the British and

US state departments aimed at
mafntaining General Henri Giraud
in supreme command of the Fight-
ing French army.

Earlier it had appeared that the
lengthy dispute within the French
committee, centering around Gi-
raud’s obvious inclination to re-
tain a number of pro-Vichy ele-
ments within the army, seemed
to be ended after all groups had
attended a full cabinet meeting
of the new government. :

The dispute came out into the
open again when deGaulle insisted
that one of_his major tasks was
to cleanse the top ranks of the
French army from various Vichy-
associated individuals. At the
same time the question arose of
more clearly defining the func-
tions of both deGaulle and Giraud
in the seven-man top committee
of National Liberation. It had
ben proposed that deGaulle take
the defense ministry, with power
to “renovate” the army ‘while
Giraud would remain commander-
in-chief and conduct relations with
Allied military chiefs.

At any rate, while the prolonged
seven-day deadlock was again in-
terpteted by sections of the Cana-
dian press as a sign of deGaulle’s
“difficult temperament,” there was

every indication that on the main
issue of principle — subordination
of military to economic authority
— deGaulle has the backing of
French opinion both in (orth
Africa and France.

Meantime one of the outstand-
ing developments has been the
statement of 26 Communist depu-
ties released from Algiers prison
last winter and now playing a2
leading role in North Africa.

Protesting the deadlock in the
Committee of National Liberation,
the deputies pointed out that the
French people “have had enough
of autocracy and tryanny,”’ and
were insisting on concrete deeds
for the sake of the “good name
of France throughout the world.”

Specifically they proposed: (1)
Meausres designed t6 assure that
North Africa serves as basis of
a truly national army. (2) Im-
mediate re-establishment of all re-
publican and democratic rights ex-
isting in France prior to 1939, (3)
Assignment of proven patriots to
responsible posts in the army, the
police and government adminis-
tration. (4) Disarmament of dis-
solution of all MHitlerlite groups.
(5) Assurance of equality, rights
and duties without distinction as
to race or religion.

Latin America

Argentine Unions Oppose Fascism

Argentine’s powerful industrial unions, which were an im-
portant factor in bringing about the downfall of first the Castillo
regime, then that of the short-lived General Arturo Rawson

government, this week continued
to lead the fight against the small
army of Axis agents still concen-
trated in Buenos Aires.

Though there are no illusions
that the new government of Gen-
eral Pedro Ramirez, and while
labor has strongly opposed many
of the acts of his government,
there has been tentative approval
given Ramirez's. steps toward end-
ing Argentina’s role as the only
outpost of the Axis in the western
hemisphere.

Two distinct tendencies were
noted in the new government
which succeeded the Rawson re-
gime. (Ramirez and a section of
the Colonels who planned the re-
volt sought popular support by

references to the “solidarity of the -

American nations.” The Rawson
government fell in the face of

labor demonstrations and opposi-
tion from influential papers like
La Nacion and La Prensa, plus”
failure of the US to recognize the
regime. The new cabinet, on the
other hand, despite the existence
of extreme reactionairies, contains
pro-United Nations figures who see
the need to mobilize the people to
counteract the Nazis.

A still more significant move
was Ramirez's attempt to check
the rise in the cost of living, an
important political issue.

Certainly the Ramirez cabinet,
while still filled with pro-Axis ele-
ments, is by no means homogen-

“eous and can and almost certainly

will undergo important changes.
These changes will also be hasten-
ed by labor's decision to strengthen
the movement of democratie na-
tional unity, halted by the Rawson
putsch.

Lewis—Hij

Hitler’s “secre'
pro-fascists and
Axis defeat — conf
movement in par
greatest point of dange;
Everywhere there we
that the home fr
ardy. Powerful gro
cies, working throu,
actionary section o:
can party in Congress
traitors in the labor
have launched frantic
President Roosevelt
the-war program,
tion program is b
through attacks on
tion and subsidies.
open insurrection

Taft and Hamilton FE
be aimed at taking o

through the defeat ef P -
ray, plus the simultan
of Lewis into the AFT.
column combination wit
son and Matthew Wolk,

Race Riots
Last Monday was
laden Negro section ¢
ley,” where for twod_
homes and hidden the
behind locked doors
them from mob violer
worst race riots to @
over America’s fifth ¢
Early in the after
federal troops marche!
“Valley's” main street
nets fixed and behind
ears. In a few minu
were cleared. The riots,
two days had held
the headlines, were ©
But to Negro leaders,
of trade unions in ¥
where Negroes are emp
lull was just a temporat
the real reasons behi
still went unchecke
Since the beginning
of Negroes into Detrol
dustries, three separa)
have been working
ganized fashion or
to cause racial ill:
most sinister of the t
most obvious one, co
actual fifth columnists ¢
agents who are workin
race against race for !
purpose of disrupting W
tion. i
Their propaganda ¥
ways: to the whites the