Lyric Wrath

For weeks, National Tory Leader John Bracken has charged that hundreds of home defense draftees threw their rifles into the ocean in protest against being sent overseas to fight. For weeks, Defense Minister Andrew G. L. McNaughton has denied the charge. Last week, after John Bracken had made his charge again, stern, scowling General McNaughton exploded with lyric wrath:

"John Bracken's gross exaggeration was quickly snatched up and re-exaggerated. The Germans used it ... and it was spread among our friends as well as among our enemies. The U.S. Senate was told that between 15,000 and 18,000 Canadian troops had thrown their rifles overboard. The damage was irreparable. We are doing what we can to offset it by repeating the denial and even releasing particulars of the one poor offender's court-martial and sentence, * but we cannot hope that this will counteract the further wanton damage done to our country."

* Defense Headquarters at Ottawa announced that Private W. H. Smith had been sentenced to 18 months' detention after confessing: "On Jan. 2, 1945, as I was crossing the gangplank, embarking on the ship for overseas, I deliberately threw my rifle and two kit bags overboard. I figured the military police would take me off the boat when I did this." The police did not.

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