editor – Page 160 – Old Magazine Articles

WW II Military Training at Fort MacArthur California | Earliest Days of WW II Military Training | WW2 US Army Food | WW2 US Army Training Regimen

1941, Combat Training, Newsweek

The Earliest Days of Training
(Newsweek Magazine, 1941)

By editor / July 17, 2019

Up by bugle at 5:45 in subfreezing temperature. Breakfast – boiled oatmeal, French toast and syrup, toast, jam, coffee. At 7:30 began ‘psychological test’ for mental alertness (typical question: An orange is a broom, bat, flower, or fruit?). Received complete uniforms. Try-on period after lunch resulted in many misfits, much swapping and revival of old crack about there being only two sizes in the Army – too big and too small…

WW II German War Diary from the Eastern Front 1944 | Destruction of German Army in Russia Reflected in German Diary | WW II Soviet Propaganda by Ilya Ehrenburg

1944, New Masses, World War Two

‘Confessions of a Nazi Officer”
(New Masses, 1944)

By editor / July 17, 2019

Lieutenant K. F. Brandes of the German Army was killed on October 24 [1944] on the right bank of the Dnieper. A diary was found on him. I have seen many diaries of German officers and soldiers… It was written by a clever and educated man. Brandes was a Fascist. He calls the conquest of Europe the ‘German Spring’. Like his colleagues he came to Russia for ‘lebensraum’… But as distinct from other Hitlerites, Brandes saw the limit of his dreams. He faithfully described the disintegration of the German Army, showed the meanness of the men who are still ruling Germany. I will cite the most interesting excerpts from his diary.

1947, It's A Wonderful Life, Pathfinder Magazine

Another Review

By editor / July 16, 2019

A thumbnail review of It’s a Wonderful Life written in the form of a favorable plot synopsis. Oddly, the film

1957, Gentry Magazine, Interviews: 1912 - 1960

Impressions of Elvis
(Gentry Magazine, 1957)

By editor / July 15, 2019

The artist-editor-author-publisher of TOPOLSKI’S CHRONICLE, the London fortnightly, recently visited America. These are his drawings and comments on an American-Greek-god-sex-hero phenomenon:

But, however mystically chosen, why Elvis Presley? Because, I think, he possess very happily the godlike value of all-embracing popularity: he is vulgar, yet stylish in the ‘zoot’ manner – thus he appeals to both the sophisticated and the simple. And his manhood is above suspicion…

1947, Coronet Magazine, The Great Depression

The Great Depression and the Sexes
(Coronet Magazine, 1947)

By editor / July 14, 2019

Unemployment permitted a great deal more companionship between young men and young women, which ordinarily would have led to marriage. The only thing lacking was money. The arrangements called, simply, ‘living together’ became common. Often the man or woman was married, and couldn’t get , couldn’t afford, or didn’t want a divorce. Sometimes the man simply refused to marry, and the woman took him into her home or moved into his as the next best thing…

You Might Also Care to Know About The Sex Manners of the Twenties or Men & Women During W.W. II

1937, Mahatma Gandhi, The Literary Digest

Gandhi’s Struggle Against British Imperialism
(Literary Digest, 1937)

By editor / July 11, 2019

A news article from a 1937 issue of LITERARY DIGEST pertaining to Mahatma Gandhi‘s ongoing struggle to break free from the bonds of English imperialism:

The basic policy of this Congress, Nehru admonished, is to combat the ‘Government of India Act’ (the Federal Constitution); resist in every way the attempt by British imperialism to strengthen its hold on India and its people; stress a positive demand for a constituent assembly, elected by adult suffrage.

Cold War Washington DC | Atomic Bombing of Washington DC 1950 | Washington DC Civil Defense 1950

1950, Pathfinder Magazine, The Cold War

Ground Zero: Washington, D.C.
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1950)

By editor / July 11, 2019

When it became clear to all that the Soviets had the bomb – and Washington was the target – the egg-heads in D.C. decided it was time to disperse various government offices to the suburbs:

Given any warning at all, the National Security Resources Board now seems confident it can preserve at least a skeleton Government. But as for the run-of-the-mine Federal employee, he’ll have to take his chances amid the irradiated rubble…

Marshall Plan Rebuilt Post-War Europe | 1947 Marshall Plan Magazine Article

1947, Pathfinder Magazine, The Cold War

The Marshall Plan: Rebuilding Europe
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1947)

By editor / July 10, 2019

The Marshall Plan was a U.S. Government aid program that was instrumental in the reconstruction and economic resurrection of 16 Western European nations following the devastation caused by the Second World War. It is named for Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who co-authored the initiative with the help of the prominent business leader William Clayton, and the American diplomat George F. Kennan.

The attached article concerns the first draft of the scheme that was drawn-up by Marshall and the representatives of these 16 nations during the Summer/Fall of 1947. The amount of cash to be distributed (and paid back over a period of 30 years) was $22.44 billion.

Marshall knew that such an economic stimulant (and the liberties that would follow) would serve to guarantee that Western Europe would not fall into clutches of the Soviet Union.

To read about the Soviet reaction to the Marshall Plan, Click here

Soviet Reaction to the Marshall Plan 1947 | Soviet Reply to the Marshall Plan | Soviet Backlash 1947

1947, Pathfinder Magazine, The Cold War

The Soviet Reaction to the Marshall Plan
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1947)

By editor / July 10, 2019

To paraphrase Second Corinthians: Europe’s despair was Stalin’s opportunity – he delighted in the post-war unemployment, the inflation and the general lack of confidence in their governmental institutions. When the Marshall Plane came to the rescue in rebuilding Europe, the Soviets knew they were licked. This article reveals how totally bummed the Soviets were over the broad European acceptance of the Marshall plan. They hated it.

1948, Berlin Blockade, Pathfinder Magazine

One Month Into the Berlin Blockade
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1948)

By editor / July 10, 2019

The firm of Uncle Sam and John Bull flying grocers, kept the Western Allies in the Battle for Berlin last week… If the peace continues, the U.S. British estimated, by mid-July there will be enough food in Berlin’s stockpile to feed the 2 million Germans in western sectors of the capital until September 1… Supplying fuel and coal was another problem…

The article is accompanied by one cartoon from THE NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE.

1948, See Magazine, The Cold War

‘How Close are We to War with Russia?”
(See Magazine, 1948)

By editor / July 5, 2019

The article is illustrated with five black and white photos and answers thirty-four questions as to whether or not a war with the Soviet Union can be avoided.

When these columns first appeared on the newsstands Berlin was undergoing it’s third month of hardships as a result of a Soviet blockade (you can read about the Berlin Blockade here).

The Cold War began in 1945…

Norman Rockwell Americana Illustrator | Norman Rockwell Magazine Article Pageant Magazine 1947

1947, Americana, Pageant Magazine

America’s Favorite Illustrator
(Pageant Magazine, 1947)

By editor / July 5, 2019

Norman Rockwell (1894 – 1978) once remarked in an interview:

“The view of life I communicate in my pictures excludes the sordid and the ugly. I paint life as I would like it to be.”

– and his vision was shared with millions of Americans. He had a fondness for depicting everyday life in small town America, childhood friendships, family life, middle school sporting events and (as discussed in the attached article) the Boy Scouts. He knew who he was; he never referred to himself as an artist, he called himself an illustrator.

1940s Fashion, 1947, Pathfinder Magazine

Thoughts on Blouses
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1947)

By editor / July 4, 2019

By the time 1947 was coming to a close, an enormous shift in the fashion winds had taken place that altered the silhouette of the fashionable woman. Waists were narrow, hips were padded – and the hemline had dropped as much as twelve inches. The New Look out of Paris dictated the appearances of suits and evening wear, but blouses were left out of the revolution – everyone had to figure it out for themselves and hope that the couturiers from across the sea would come to the rescue the following season.

General Marshall

Demobilizing the American Army of World War Two

By editor / July 3, 2019

The demobilization of 7,730,000 U.S. military personnel must have been a daunting task, but the policy makers in Washington knew well the dangers of that new world and they had no intention of completely demobilizing as they had done after the First World War. General Marshall remarked in these short paragraphs that many men would be needed for occupation duty.

To read further about the demobilized military, click here

1945, Adolf Hitler, Newsweek

Hitler’s Other Address
(Newsweek Magazine, 1945)

By editor / June 29, 2019

American war correspondent John Terrell visited the rubble that was once Hitler’s headquarters/crash pad in central Germany and, with the aid of one of his former domestics, attempted to piece together what life was once like there.

1938, Benito Mussolini, Ken Magazine

Mussolini and the Italian Expatriots
(Ken Magazine, 1938)

By editor / June 28, 2019

In September, 1936, when the League of Nations refused to expel the African empire from its membership, Il Duce kept Italian representatives away from League halls. They have never set foot in them since. Last spring British envoys led a successful boycott against diplomatic attendance at a first anniversary celebration of Italy’s conquest. Ill Duce countered with a peeve so wrathful that Italian newspapers made no mention of Great Britain for two whole days.

1936, The Literary Digest

Danzig Nazis
(The Literary Digest, 1936)

By editor / June 27, 2019

The attached 1936 magazine article presents a picture of the Polish city of Danzig as it was during the mid-thirties. It was a city in which Danzig Nazis, like Arthur Karl Greiser, spoke of making that town a part of Germany once more (it was ordained a Polish city as a result of the Versailles Treaty) and Minister Joseph Beck who liked everything just the way it was, thank you very much.

NAZI PATIENCE: Neither Beck nor Hitler is anxious to come to a break over Danzig. Hitler, a sworn enemy of Soviet Russia, advises his Danzig Nazis to forbear from mentioning their intention of completely abandoning League control for secession to Germany…

Hitler’s troops invaded Poland on August 31, 1939.

1941, Pathfinder Magazine

America Prepares…
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1941)

By editor / June 27, 2019

By late November, 1941, only children and the clinically optimistic were of the mind that America would be able to keep out of a war – as you’ll be able to assume when you read the attached article that appeared on the newsstands just ten days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It extolls the industrial prowess of the United States as the country prepared for war:

• William S. Knudson (1879 – 1948), Director of the OPM, declared U.S. arms output will soon ‘assure Hitler’s defeat’. Proof of this claim was seen in the celebration in New Haven, Connecticut, of one company’s production of it’s 10,000th machine-gun within a year of the time the contract was signed to build a plant.

• The launching of the 35,000-ton battleship INDIANA at Newport News, Virginia, the third battleship to come off the ways this year, indicated the increased tempo of defense production, which Admiral Land, of the Maritime Commission, said neared ‘superhuman’.

Author name: editor