The Germans committed fifty divisions to an assault at Verdun, commencing the battle that would last over nine months.
The German Army deployed stormtroopers in the attack for the first time.
Richard Murphy, legendary American seaman and commercial fisherman, died at age 77.
The Italian hospital ship HS Marechiaro was sunk by the SM U-12 near Durrës, Albania.
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France launched a large-scale campaign to take the island province of Bến Tre Province in the Mekong Delta which was held by the Việt Minh.
President Truman gave a press conference.
The President's News Conference
February 7, 1946
THE PRESIDENT. [1.] I have a most interesting letter which I would like to read to you this morning, from the famous Dean of Canterbury, Mr. Hewlett Johnson. He says:
"My dear Mr. President:"--
This is dated 31st of January, 1946·
--"May I categorically deny a statement, which I understand has appeared in the American press, that I regarded America as 100 years behind in everything save religion and 150 years behind in that." [Laughter] "That statement, which is of course ridiculous, was made in a jocular mood by my predecessor." [More laughter]
"I neither endorsed such a statement, nor do I think it is true.
"I believe and constantly affirm that America leads the world in industrial adventure, activity and achievement. Indeed, I am accused in England of over-enthusiasm for America's achievement.
"I am convinced that we in Europe have rich lessons to learn from America, especially in enterprise and the arts of production.
"I believe also that America may learn in the future from some European experiments in distribution and planned economy.
"I only write because had such a statement really been made by me, it would have shown the most gross ingratitude for the over-abundant kindness I received from you and your countrymen."
If anybody wants a copy of that letter, we will furnish it.
[2.] Now to get down to serious things, I am particularly interested in this food situation.
In most of the wheat-producing countries of the world, outside of the United States and Canada, there has been almost a total crop failure in wheat. Australia's crop is a failure. South Africa had a drought. All Europe suffered from a drought, so far as the wheat situation is concerned. And in the far East, the production of rice in India is from 12 to 15 percent short of the usual crop, and they are always an importing country on that part of their food, and they import from Burma and Siam and Indochina. Those countries' rice crops are, of course, a total failure on account of the fact that they have--were in this war situation, and they also have had adverse weather conditions along with the war situation. The Japanese crop, I am informed, is 15 percent short of normal, and they import usually 15 percent of their rice for food.
It is proposed under this program which we have inaugurated, that we hope to be able to ship 6 million tons of wheat in the first half of 1946. Now, if anybody needs a lesson in arithmetic, that is about 200 million bushels. The measures ordered should make it possible for us to come closer to what we want to do by about 500,000 or a million tons.
Wheat and other food products which we plan to export during the first 6 months of this year will provide 50 million people with a diet of 2,000 calories a day, or 100 million with 1,000 calories a day for a 6 months' period.
Now, some of the people in the devastated countries of Europe are living on much less than 1,500 calories a day. We eat about 3,300 here in the United States. The situation is so serious that we felt it was absolutely essential to take every measure possible to help keep the people in these countries from starving; because in those countries which are our friends and allies, they are not to blame for the situation.
And in enemy countries we can't afford to see our enemies starve, even if they did bring this situation on themselves. We can't do that and live according to our own ideals.
We have asked Canada and Australia, and all the countries which are supposed to have surplus foods, to join us in this program; and I think every one of them will.
If you want a copy of these figures and things, Mr. Ayers will be able to furnish them to you after the conference.
Q. Mr. President, is it possible we may have meat rationing as a--may we have to come to that eventually?
THE PRESIDENT. I hope not. If the packing plants can run at full blast, it will not be necessary. If it becomes necessary, in order to keep 10 or 15 million people from starving to death, I think we ought to do it.
Q. Mr. President, can you throw any light, in that connection on that same story, in your meeting with the Cabinet?
THE PRESIDENT. That is substantially the statement that was issued yesterday as adopted by the Cabinet as a whole.
Q. Mr. President, under the Potsdam Declaration, the rations of the Germans should be no higher than the European average?
THE PRESIDENT. That's right.
Q. Does this worldwide shortage, particularly as it affects Europe, indicate there will have to be a cut in German rations?
THE PRESIDENT. There will probably have to be a cut in the whole European ration. There is a cut in the whole European ration now. That is what we are trying to meet. We are trying our best to meet the thing on as equitable a basis as we possibly can.
Q. But this thousand calories would be less than the Germans are getting. Are we going to feed the enemy better than our allies?
THE PRESIDENT. No, we are not. That is what we are trying to prevent. We are not going to do that. We are going to take care of our allies first. That figure is in Poland and Germany, principally.
Q. I was thinking of Poland, that is what I mean.
THE PRESIDENT. Poland and Germany. But we certainly are not going to treat our allies worse than our enemies, you can be assured of that.
Q. Mr. President, are there any mechanical difficulties in milling the flour?
THE PRESIDENT. I don't know. I don't know enough about the milling business to answer the question.
Q. Mr. President, can you say whether there is any problem of hoarding wheat in other countries at the present time?
THE PRESIDENT. I am not familiar with it, if there is.
Q. Mr. President, in connection with the extraction order, there are some rough spots in the milling industry, and I take it that the objection to that order is to get the wheat and the order--you would not object to the order being workable or flexible, so long as you got the wheat?
THE PRESIDENT. That's the point exactly. And I think we will get their cooperation-I don't think there will be anybody who isn't anxious to keep people from starving to death. It's un-American, I think, to have the idea to let people starve.
Q. Mr. President, when you were discussing this with the experts--with the agricultural people particularly--did they bring up details of this wheat shortage--grain shortage--in certain areas where farmers would be anxious to keep the wheat right with them, and you have to get it out? Is that part of the problem?
THE PRESIDENT. Yes. I think every phase has been gone into by the agricultural experts.
Q. Any particular answer to that situation ?
THE PRESIDENT. I can't give you an answer to that. We hope that this situation will work out. The reports that have been made indicate that everybody seems to think it answers the purpose.
Q. Mr. President, if there will be no rationing here, are the mechanics such that we will cut down, just not buy so much; that is, the American people--
THE PRESIDENT. Yes. Make contributions, just like they would clothing and everything else. I think they will do that. I think they will be pleased to do that.
Q. Mr. President, who will handle the equitable distribution of these food supplies in the various countries?
THE PRESIDENT. UNRRA will handle most of it.
Q. It will continue under UNRRA?
THE PRESIDENT, Yes.
Q. Mr. President, does this 6 million tons represent an increase in our commitments, or a decrease in our commitments?
THE PRESIDENT. No. There is, I think, a slight decrease in our first commitments. You will have to get those figures categorically from the Secretary of Agriculture, who has been the conferee with our allies in this setup.
Q. Mr. President, can you tell us what estimate you have on wheat saving from the livestock reduction program?
THE PRESIDENT. About--between 25 and 50 million bushels.
Q. Well, do you believe that this saving is justified in the light of the danger of short liquidation of livestock?
THE PRESIDENT. I don't think there will be any short liquidation of livestock. Livestock will be slaughtered at a lighter weight than they ordinarily would. And 225-pound hogs will, I think, make just as good eating as 300-pound ones; and I used to raise them.
Q. [Aside] Better.
[3.] Q. Mr. President, about Mr. Pauley. Are you going to withdraw his nomination?
THE PRESIDENT. I am not. I am backing Mr. Pauley. I think Mr. Pauley is an honest man, and I don't think he is the only honest man in Washington or in the oil business.
Q. Have you any comment?
THE PRESIDENT. I think he is a very capable administrator, because he was the Reparations Director up until just recently and did a magnificent job in that, and I have the utmost confidence in him.
Q. Did Secretary Ickes advise you of his testimony before?
THE PRESIDENT. No, he did not. I didn't discuss it with him.
Q. Do you intend to now?
THE PRESIDENT, No.
Q. Mr. President, did Ed Flynn confide in you yesterday, when he was going to leave your office, that he was going to criticize Mr. Ickes?
THE PRESIDENT. No, he did not. I didn't discuss Mr. Ickes with Mr. Flynn. He was discussing other matters.
Q. Can you tell us what you were discussing, sir?
THE PRESIDENT. It was political matters in the State of New York. [Laughter]
Q. Mr. President, you don't consider that this situation involves anything at all, any change in your relations with Mr. Ickes?
THE PRESIDENT. I don't think so. Mr. Ickes can very well be mistaken the same as the rest of us.
[4.] Q. Mr. President, how is the price-what is the situation on the wage-price balance?
THE PRESIDENT. I hope to be able to make a complete statement on that in a day or two. I can't do it now.
Q. Will it come today possibly?
THE PRESIDENT. I don't think so.
Q. Do you anticipate, sir, that that would bring on an early settlement of the steel and other big strikes?
THE PRESIDENT. I hope so.
Q. Mr. President, has the administration made any suggestions on that wage-price formula that may be under consideration by U.S. Steel and Labor in their current sessions?
THE PRESIDENT. I haven't discussed the matter with either one, up to the present time.
Q. I was wondering whether Mr. Snyder may have passed it along for some suggestions for a formula?
THE PRESIDENT. I don't think so. They are working on it. That's what they are working--it will all be worked out.
Q. Is it a materially new wage-price stabilization policy, Mr. President?
THE PRESIDENT. No, it isn't. It's a working out of the situation we are faced with now, and I think it will be worked out in a very satisfactory manner.
Q. Can you say when, sir?
THE PRESIDENT. I hope in the next day or two.
Q. There has been some speculation, Mr. President, that this will be called "the big steel formula"?
THE PRESIDENT [laughing]. I haven't heard that one.
Q. Does that mean it will be temporary, Mr. President, in meeting the present situation?
THE PRESIDENT. Here is the situation that we are trying to meet: We are all aware of the fact that what we need is production. We know that if we get production--mass production--on the basis that we are capable of putting out here in this country, that the situation will adjust itself; and whenever that situation comes about there will be no reason for a wage-price formula, for that will adjust itself.
And that is exactly what we have been working for, ever since V-J Day. That was the reason for the first directive on a wage price formula. It was my hope that we would, as soon as possible, begin working just as hard as we could to create production to meet the demand that has now piled up as a result of the war.
We have had some stumbling blocks. We are trying to meet those stumbling blocks now. The first wage-price formula would have worked, if we had been able to arrive at the production we were hoping we were going to get.
[5.] Q. If the steel and other strikes are not settled, will there still be a Florida trip?
THE PRESIDENT. I am still going to Florida.
Q. [Aside] Good!
THE PRESIDENT. I can still do business by telephone.
[6.] Q. Has the committee from the House Territories Committee reported to you on their investigation of statehood for Hawaii?
THE PRESIDENT. That's right. They recommended
Q. Can you report your views?
THE PRESIDENT. They recommended that Hawaii ought to have statehood.
Q. As you made in your annual Message for immediate statehood?
THE PRESIDENT. That's right. I think they were--they are in favor of that very thing.
Reporter: Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT, All right.
NOTE: President Truman's forty-seventh news conference was held in his office at the White House at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 7, 1946.
How nice it must have been to have a President who didn't sound like an idiot every time he spoke.
The India Burma Theater Roundup came out. It was one of the many service newspapers of the Second World War.
The paper's masthead.
We've had Yank up here from time to time and that service magazine notably had a pinup in ever issue, an unfortunate indication of things to come, even though the pinup was always clothed. Perhaps because of its distance from the continental US, the Roundup was packed with pinups. This issue, which I'm not going to fully post, had a bikini clad young woman on every page. I note that because, for whatever reason, I'd assumed that the bikini had come into being in the 1950s. Not so, it had clearly arrived by the mid 1940s.
Because we put some newspapers up from the 1940s, well because we do it quite often, we've looked at quite a few and that's been revealing as well The Rocky Mountain News was very obviously much more of a tabloid than it was later, and it had cheesecake photos in it a fair amount. However, the other day going through it it had an article entitled "Denver Women Do Not Like Nude Look" featuring a woman wearing a see through blouse. I don't doubt that Denver women didn't like it, but the fact that it even came up says something about the standards of the time. Indeed, in looking at the issue for this day in 1946, a bikini clad actress was featured. In a recent issue, a cartoon that focused on post war life had women a dressing room, naked bare backs to the viewer, in the drawing, with the cartoon page being the one that children favored.
Perhaps related, the Rocky Mountain News had this article for the day:
In a more serious article:
Indeed both of the shoe designs depicted above would have worked for the Army uniform at the time, which leads us to suspect that these were contract overruns, or perhaps left over after contract terminations.
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Fawzi al-Qawuqji lead an assault on French security installations in the city of Hama, Syria.
Fawzi al-Qawuqji had started his military career as an Ottoman officer, and then under King Faisal. He thereafter served in the Syrian Legion for the French, before deserting in the Great Syrian Revolt. He served the Saudis after that, and then the Palestinian Cause against the British in the 1930s. He was wounded in the Palestinian uprising and ultimately took refuge in Germany, where he joined the German Army, ending up a prisoner of war of the Soviets. Released in 1947, he made his way back to the Middle East and was appointed the Arab League field commander of the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) in the 1948 Palestine War. His forces ultimately lost control of territory that was to have been Palestinian. He retired to Syria thereafter and died in 1977.
Al-Qawuqui is one of those rare military refigures who had a track record of serving in uniformly losing causes and who not only survived them, but inexplicably continued to receive further commands.
The Soviet Union gave up on restricting the alcohol content of beverages.
Ty Cobb, who was normally a centerfielder, pitched against the St. Louis Browns for one inning. The Browns had George Sisler first baseman pitch for two innings against the Tigers. Non pitchers in the pitching role would not happen again for another 92 years.
The Finnish torpedo boat S2 sank in a storm with the loss of all 53 hands.
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A hurricane made landfall in Louisiana, killing 279 people. The destruction of the storm would not be surpassed for fifty years.
The Germans recaptured lost ground in the Second Battle of Champagne resulting in a French suspension of their campaign.
6,000 or more Ottoman troops were dispatched to break Armenian resistance at Urfa, Turkey.
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French forces took the Druze city of As-Suwayda.
Life magazine noted the increase in automobiles.
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Kim Il Sung arrived at Port Wonsan and began to organize the Communist Party of Korea.
Kim was born into a Presbyterian family. He fled to Manchuria in 1920 after being involved in anti Japanese activities. He was in his mid teens at the time and then attended military schools. It was while he was in China that he became interested in Communism. He was a figure in the Chinese Communist Army during the pre World War Two Chinese Civil War and then again during World War Two, crossing into the Soviet Union in 1940. He then joined the Red Army. The Soviets chose Kim in order to have a Communist figure to introduce into Korea even though he was poorly educated and by 1940 his Korean was very poor. His early life is not very well known.
British and French troops complete the suppression of the Việt Minh in Saigon.
New Zealand ratified the UN Charter.
William Joyce was sentenced to death.
The British announced that Indian would shortly be granted home rule.
Shirley temple married Sgt. John Agar, a fellow actor. She was 17 years old. Agar was 25.
The marriage wouldn't last.
Agar had a real drinking problem, although he amazingly lived to age 81. Apparently he's associated with B science fiction movies, but I always associate him with John Ford westerns. He also appeared in The Sands of Iwo Jima. He met Shirley Temple in 1943 when he escorted her to a Hollywood party. She would only have been 15 years old at the time.
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The 1945–1946 War in Southern Vietnam began with the arrival of Major General Douglas Gracey in command if Indian troops. He arrived to take the Japanese surrendered but immediately apprised the situation as being nearly out of control.
One of his first acts was to arm liberated French POWs. His Indian Forces and the rearmed French soon evicted the Việt Minh from Saigon.
One of the really astounding elements of this is that the British not only won the Malayan Emergency, but arguably won their own portion of the Vietnam War.
The Japanese surrendered at Rangoon, save for their commander who would not surrender until October. The Japanese 18th Army surrendered in New Guinea.
The Chinese Communist prevailed in the Battle of Dazhongji while the Wudi Campaign (无棣战役) began.
British military authorities publish a Gestapo "death list" of 2300 British and Allied notables, including Churchill and the leaders of the French, Polish and Czechoslovak governments in exile.
Spain abolished the Falangist salute.
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French and German troops withdrew from the Ruhr.
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was organized by A. Philip Randolph, Milton Webster, and C. L. Dellums.
The Spanish Navy leveled Al Hoceima, Morocco.
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John Henry "Harry" Selby, legendary African big game hunter, was born in South Africa. After a lifetime as a ph, he died in Botswana, at age 92 in 2018.
Selby was part of the post World War Two generation of professional hunters in Africa, who are more associated with guiding than market hunting. He obtained his professional license in 1945.
The Battle of al-Kafr saw the Druze shoot down a French military aircraft and ambush a column of French soldiers, killing 111 out of 174 members.
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Druze rebels captured the French Army garrison at Salkhad.
The Druze have been in the news recently given a conflict between the Druze, who tend to be allied to Israel, and Bedouins.
Nobody ever wanted the French in Syria, excepting of course, the French.
Italy and Yugoslavia signed the Treaty of Nettuno. The treaty allowed Italians to emigrate to Dalmatia, and was opposed by the Croatian Peasant Party, causing Yugoslavia to take three years to ratify it.
Boise City, Oklahoma, was incorporated.
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Facing a lack of ammunition, Aremenial militiamen engaged Ottoman troops hand to hand.
They lost, and the Ottomans entered the fort and killed the women and children inside.
The HMS Lightning struck a mine in the Thames Estuary of England and sank. The German submarine SM UC-2 struck a mine in the North Sea and sank.
French commander Henri Gouraud was wounded at Gallipoli and replaced by his divisional commander, Maurice Bailloud.
A telegram was sent to the Secretary of State from El Paso.
Collector Cobb to the Secretary of State.
[Telegram.]
El Paso, June 30, 1915.
Trial Huerta and others postponed until July 12. When Huerta left Federal building there was repetition of scene of June 27; he was given an ovation by his partisans who are assembled in El Paso.
Cobb.
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Today in World War II History—June 3, 1940 & 1945: 80 Years Ago—June 3, 1945: French troops leave Damascus, escorted by the British. US Marines land on Iheya Shima in the Ryukyu Islands northwest of Okinawa.
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