Where Are the Cigarets?

The gripes of cigaret-short U.S. civilians were tempered by the thought that at least the boys overseas were getting plenty. But that small comfort began to disappear fortnight ago when the weekly G.I. ration in London was cut from seven to five packs. Last week it vanished altogether when cigaret sales were stopped in all rear-area PXs in France and England, except at air combat stations, rest and replacement centers, and hospitals. Clamored the Army newspaper Stars & Stripes: "Where are the cigarets?"

No G.I. could give a complete answer. Speculation centered on 1) an astonishing growth in the black market, fed by nonsmoking G.I.s and G.I. hijackers (one officer estimated that 40% of the cigarets going into one big French port were being illicitly sidetracked), 2)priority of ammunition on shipping space, 3) distribution blunders.

Probably all these factors contributed to the shortage. But the cigarets still were not to be found. The Senate war investigating committee decided to make a survey. Secretary of War Stimson called it a problem of supply, promised that the situation would be corrected "as soon as possible." General Eisenhower ordered MPs to crack down harder than ever on the black market, ordered the court-martial of all G.I.s engaged in shady deals.

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