Week of February 15, 1950

President Truman urges a great moral crusade against crime in this country and

pledged his “wholehearted support” to an official drive to stamp out gambling and

vice.” “We have to work together to combat organized crime wherever it

appears.”

Soviet Russia and Red China sign a 30-year treaty of friendship, alliance and

mutual aid in Moscow. They said it was aimed particularly at any “rebirth of

Japanese imperialism.”

Winston Churchill calls for another talk with Soviet

Russia on the highest level” in a supreme attempt to

stop the atomic arms race and drift toward war. Churchill

implied the talk would bring together Premier Josef

Stalin, President Truman and himself, as the result of

the February 23, election. Even if such talk failed, he

urged, it could hardly make things worse.

A Long Island railroad train running a stop signal

crashes head on into another killing 22 or more

passengers. The scene of the wreck is on the south

shore of Long Island, about 30 miles east of Manhattan.

Winston Churchill says the Russians made probably the greatest blunder in

history when they failed to guard against Nazi Germany’s attack in 1941. “Error

and vanity… amazing ignorance.”… “War is mainly a catalogue of blunders, but it

may be doubted whether any mistake in history has equaled that of which Stalin

and the Communist chiefs were guilty when they supinely awaited the fearful

onslaught which impended on Russia. We have hitherto rated them as selfish

calculators. In this period they were proved simpletons as well. Stalin and his

commissars showed themselves at this moment the most completely outwitted

bunglers of the second World War.”

Moscow radio reports Prime Minister Stalin gives a dinner

in the Kremlin for the Chinese Communist leaders Mao Tze-

tung and Cho En-lai.

President Truman barks at reporters, after giving an

exclusive interview to Arthur Krock of the New York Times.

Reporters were trying to amplify some of the points in that

interview regarding dealings with Russia. The President

said that he is his own free agent, he will see whom he

Week of February 15, 1950

pleases, say what he pleases, and he isn’t going to be censored by anyone.

Meeting head-on, the new Republican slogan of “Liberty versus Socialism” at a

fundraiser dinner, President Truman hung a “cuttlefish” label on the Republican

Party. The President said the GOP reaction to every major new problem for 17

years has been another outburst of scare words “like a cuttlefish that squirts out

a cloud of black ink whenever its slumber is disturbed.”

Week of February 15, 1950

The Army says it’s getting rid of those tin helmets - for

lighter nylon ones. It is of compressed nylon fiber and

hard as metal. The Army also is experimenting with dyes

which could make clothing invisible to sensitive infrared

instruments, which enable snipers to pick off men in the

dark.

After running aground several weeks ago, The USS Missouri will be turned into a

school ship to train midshipmen and members of the Naval Reserve.

American businessman Robert Vogeler tells a people’s

court in Budapest he was a professional spy and asks

for a “mild sentence.” Vogeler, the v/p of International

Telephone and Telegraph Co, plead guilty on all counts.

“I used my business activities only as cover for my

espionage work.” He testified he had been instructed to

obtain special information about radar, rockets, uranium

and oil deposits and to contact experts on atomic energy

and help them escape from Hungary.

Defiant Pennsylvania striking coal miners say “We Won’t

Work” and locals in Illinois and New Mexico are taking

the same action.

Medical - Charles A. Lindbergh’s creation mechanical heart is being used in

research which may save the lives of thousands of pregnant women. The glass

heart is being used in a promising attack on the #1 problem of obstetrics, the

toxemias of pregnancy which are responsible for a quarter of all mother and baby

deaths. By keeping chunks of human placenta alive in the Lindbergh perfusion

pump for as long as a month, a poisonous substance, produced by the placenta,

has been discovered.

Hollywood news -

Hedda Hopper reports that Conrad (Nick) Hilton Jr . and

Elizabeth Taylor plan to wed on May 6.

Sports - Looks like Joe DiMaggio will be signed to an

exclusive radio and television contract by NBC. His first

assignment will be for radio, beginning March 18.

Week of February 15, 1950

Bing Crosby’s twin sons are set to go on the air with dad. It will be the first time

the twins, 14-year-old Philip and Dennis have aided Bing as a guest team.

They’ve recorded a broadcast for Bing’s CBS radio show, set for March 15.

Errol Flynn is back from India, where he was on location for an MGM picture.

Radio news - Sarah Churchill , daughter of Winston

Churchill, co-stars with Gene Kelly in “The Philadelphia

Story” heard Sunday at 6pm over CBS radio… She’ll also

be appearing as a guest on Jack Benny’s show over the

same network in March.

Television news -

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis are re-engaged by NBC for a new weekly television

series which is expected to begin in March. The Martin and Lewis radio show

was dropped by NBC last month following a year’s run. Sunday night on NBC

radio …..

Week of February 15, 1950

Another version of color-TV - Color Television Inc. of San Francisco gives the

first official showing of its system to the FCC. It is now competing with RCA and

CBS.

The two-year hunt for talent to play the various roles in the television version of

“Amos ‘n Andy is complete. A test kinescope recording soon will be made. The

show will have a cast of Negro players.

At the movies -

When Willie Comes marching Home - Dan Dailey, Corinne Calvet

Mrs. Mike - Dick Powell, Eveleyn Keyes

Stromboli - Ingrid Bergman

The Outlaw - Jane Russell