Travels

Eleanor Roosevelt brought her column-readers up to date on Fala. He was about to move to her Manhattan apartment, where she feared he might feel a little cramped at first. Traveling was a problem; he was used to romping about the President's private car, would now have to travel in a dog satchel. The Manhattan salesman who sold her the satchel had some advice: Fala would not be so alarmed if she backed him into it. "I really think it would be simpler if I sat with him in the baggage car," wrote Mrs. Roosevelt.

William Beebe, 68, past master at best-selling exploration (Jungle Peace, Jungle Days), returned to Manhattan from yet another expedition, reported that he had done his latest wildlife-peeping from the cool veranda of an unused Venezuelan luxury hotel. He broke his leg and spent most of his five-month stay peering at the jungle through binoculars. He found the view so good that he now would like to build the place into a sort of scientists' center.

Ingrid Bergman returned from USOing in Germany with a warm memory of one histrionic balcony scene: she stood on a Berlin balcony Hitler had used and delivered the Gettysburg Address to G.I.s, Russians and Berliners in the square below--while Harmonicist Larry Adler stood by and rendered The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Roland J. Thomas, 45-year-old chief of the United Automobile Workers, thought better of his recent suit for divorce. Wife Mildred announced to the press that he was not only back home again but had even promised to take her along to the World Trade Union Congress in Paris next month.

Changed Signals

Admiral William F. Halsey introduced a wry note of sportsmanship in an order issued to the Third Fleet: "Cease firing, but if you see any enemy planes in the air, shoot them down in friendly fashion."

W. C. Handy, 71-year-old Negro composer of the St. Louis Blues, vigorously scotched recent reports that his life story was about to be put on the stage. "Anyone presuming to dramatize my life without permission," he announced indignantly, "will be haunted to the full extent of the law."

Yehudi Menuhin, given a 90-day draft deferment last May to play for troops in Europe, was finally ordered to report for induction. Before the onetime boy prodigy, now 29, finished packing his bags, he got new tidings: the Army had stopped inducting anybody over 26.

Johnny Weissmuller, 41, barrel-chesty onetime swimming champ, longtime movie Tarzan, onetime husband of Dancer Bobbe Arnst and of Actress Lupe Velez, was sued for divorce for the third time. Wife III charged extreme cruelty, asked $1,800-a-month support for herself and three children.

Unfinished Business

Franklin Delano Roosevelt had known just what he wanted to do after he left the White House, his longtime Press Secretary Steve Early told reporters last week. The President, who was perhaps the subject of more newspaper editorials than any other man in history, wanted to publish a tabloid sized newspaper without any editorial page. "He believed that if the people were given the facts," said Early, "they could draw their own conclusions."

Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, prewar armchair strategist (The Defence of Britain) who forecast a "very tame" war and believed in the Maginot Line, came out in the London Daily Mail with a tip on how to tell whether war or peace is in sight: if women's fashions favor wide hips and slender waists (as in the Nineties), everything is O.K. "Curves signify contentment," he said; "the vertical line expresses discontent." He found Paris' trend to high hats and short skirts "obviously danger signs."

Bernard Baruch, economic adviser to Presidents in two wars, faced peace again in an optimistic mood, declared: "We can have a prosperity that will startle the world if we use half the brains and brawn the good Lord gave us; even 47 1/2% will make for peace and high living standards."

Then he celebrated his birthday with Commander Bernard Jr., a few other relatives and friends, and a four-tier cake with 75 candles.

Rewards

Harry S. Truman was all set to be added to Mme. Tussaud's waxworks in London. All that was lacking was a suit of clothes, hinted clothes-couponless Mme. Tussaud's to the U.S. Embassy. Explained the waxworks management: "We cannot show them without clothes."

Lieut. John Roosevelt, 29, youngest of Franklin Roosevelt's four sons, received the Bronze Star for his logistics work with a carrier task group in the Pacific.

Senator Theodore G. ("The Man") Bilbo, lagging some five years behind Pittsburgh Industrialist Samuel Harden Church, proposed a million-dollar reward for the capture of Hitler, whose death he doubted. Church and some other well-heeled Pittsburghers had put up their own money; Bilbo had taxpayers' money in mind.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.