Honolulu Record, September 2, 1948, vol. 1 no. 5, p. 2
Last Days . . .
President Chiang Kai-shek was aging rapidly under the heavy pressures that came from many directions. In the field, his armies were losing the battle against Communist forces. His numerous decrees remained ineffective, despite the use of secret police and gendarmes against the people. His price fixing order remained ignored by businessmen, even by operators of public baths. His bid for economic recovery again went no further than mere utterance. But a friendly U. S. press played up his economic recovery edict in bold headlines. The same press placed down and almost passed over stories of how black market activities intensified and mushroomed in Chinese cities after Chiang spoke.
The magazine United Nations World had this to say:
"From various Chinese sources come broad hints of the overthrow of Chiang Kai-shek, without bloodshed if possible, with violence if necessary."
Beasts, Not Men
In Japan the machinery of the war crimes trial kept moving slowly. Almost three years after V-J Day, five Japanese were condemned to hang for brutal operations performed on captive U. S. airmen. Four others received life and 13 got prison terms of three to 25 years.
Stories of brutalities were recounted by witnesses in this so-called "Kyushu University" case. They told of sea water injection into the veins of some of the captured airmen, while stomachs and livers were removed from others. The victims died. The operations were performed at the Kyushu Imperial University.
"Tokyo Rose"
Again American-born "Tokyo Rose" was arrested on charges of treason. American counter-intelligence and theater provost marshal agents one day last week entered a shabby rooming house in Tokyo to take Mrs. Iva Toguri D'Aquino, 32, into custody. A wartime disc jockey, whose voice was heard by thousands of U. S. servicemen, she now occupies a cell in Sugano prison where Hideki Tojo, wartime premier, and other defendants are awaiting verdict on war crimes charges. "Tokyo Rose" was once held at Sugano prison for a year but was released when evidence against her was not brought out. This time, according to announcement from Washington, she will be tried in San Francisco.
Berlin Tension
Soviet-American tension in Berlin continued. Charges and counter-charges were fired from both the American and Soviet occupational headquarters. A Russian amphibious jeep knocked an American private first class from his motorcycle. The American soldier was trying to halt the Russian jeep in the American sector, it was reported. Then the Americans gave chase at a clip of 50 miles through their sector and into; the Russian zone, fired at the Russian driver and lodged a bullet in his back. The Russians subsequently arrested one American correspondent, two German reporters, four GIs and a German driver, and released them. American military police said they may have been arrested in retaliation for the wounding of the Russian soldier. For two days the labor union members in the Russian zone demonstrated their way into Berlin's city hall. They demanded the city council, which is strongly anti-Communist, to step down and be replaced by representatives of a labor coalition. The city government found itself divided. The council planned to move out of the Russian sector of the" city while the government's administrative officers said they'll stay in the Soviet sector no matter what the council does.
Policy Level
But what took place at Berlin was not the immediate determining factor. As tension mounted, all eyes were turned to Moscow where Western Bloc envoys were meeting with high Russian officials.
New Builders
Desert land was blossoming in war-ravaged Palestine as more and more settlements were opened up in the new Jewish state. Twelve new settlements have been set up since the state was born May 14.
Six of the farms are located on land belonging to the Jewish National Fund while others are on property confiscated from enemy nationals who helped the Arab invaders and fled before Israeli troops.
One of the new settlements of 150 adults includes 70 Americans and Canadians. All the Americans are ex-GIs.
Getting Colder
The cold war was moving into a new area — this time into a frigid zone. The U. S. has been casting its eyes toward the Antarctic and its yen to really get in on the controlling end motivated the sending of a note to Britain. The note proposed a future international administration of the Antarctic.
British policy regarding Antarctic territories has been based on straight national sovereignty. She claims rights over a vast area through discovery, occupation and the administration of whaling and meteorological bases. In the past, Argentina and Chile had posed counterclaims but Britain stood pat.
This time the U. S. was bringing pressure by broaching the idea of international administration to Argentina, New Zealand, France, Norway and Australia. The cold war was, as usual, causing conflict in a supposedly friendly camp as the desire to control this world strongly asserted itself. Immediate cause of the proposal was almost certain uranium deposits there for atomic bombs.