In Hitler's Shadow

PEOPLE

Cecylia Mikolajczyk, 42, wife of the former premier of the London Polish Government, rejoined her husband in London after nearly three years in Nazi prison camps. Tattooed on her left arm, for permanent remembrance, is her slave number: 64,023.

Inga Arvad, sightly Danish film writer, thought it over for two days, then broke her engagement to British M.P. (Conservative) Robert Boothby--because she felt that the stigma of having once been described by Adolf Hitler as "the perfect Nordic beauty" would hurt her M.P.'s career.

Prejudices & Propositions

Burton K. Wheeler, who fought hard against sending G.I.s overseas, doubted that his Senate investigating committee (now probing Army communications in Paris) would be sent to Berlin: "I can't say we were exactly refused permission. . . ."

Joseph Clark Baldwin, dapper socialite New York Congressman, made a straight-faced proposal that U.S. film actors be "lend-leased" to Europe to re-educate the enemy: "Overnight they would be able to do more good in inspiring confidence in the Nazi and Fascist-trained youth of Europe than all of the unknown professional educators we are now contemplating sending abroad."

Fiorello H. LaGuardia, New York's fractious, frabjous little Mayor, looked forward to a monthly radio broadcast over WJZ, and looked over his shoulder at one of his pet projects, the New York City Center of Music and Drama. Admitting that he had never attended a ballet performance there, he explained: "I'm so prejudiced against ballet. I can't be fair about it. It's the male ballet dancers I can't stand."

Mae West, always good for a quote or two, first told a Variety reporter that "a lot of loving is coming back from the war," then shook an admonishing finger at her sisters in arms: "Many wonderful men are already on the way home to their wives and sweethearts, and the lady who has been stepping out had best begin to polish off her low talk and shifty ways before he arrives."

Prince Carl Johan of Sweden took a firm step forward in the footprints of his cousin, the Duke of Windsor: the 28-year-old Prince was well aware that he could never ascend the Swedish throne if he carried out his vow to wed Kerstin Wijkmark, 35, a once-divorced commoner and editor of The Weekly Review, a publication specializing in cheesecake and syrup.

Tokens of Esteem

Brigadier General Frank A. ("Honk") Allen Jr., SHAEF's public-relations director, won the Army's Legion of Merit--but not for balling up the V-E day announcement. Said General Eisenhower: the "sound judgment constantly demonstrated by this officer reflected great credit upon the U.S. Army."

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose successes have not distorted his perspective, held up a restraining hand to 40,000 cheering, liberated American prisoners, and said: "Say, I'm just a G.I., not a movie star." (Ike's response to an ovation in a London theater: "I wonder if you people realize what it means to me to be back here among friends, among people whose language I can almost speak.")

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who will be commemorated with a Roosevelt dime and with Roosevelt stamps in 1-c-, 2-c-, 3-c-, 5-c- denominations, was honored by the anti-Roosevelt New York Daily News, which ran, in full color, Elizabeth Shoumatoff's unfinished portrait (see cut) on which she was working shortly before the President died.

Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin, commander of the Third Ukrainian Army, made a bear of a speech at a vodka-and-compliments party celebrating a Russian-American linkup. After praising American womanhood for its part in the war, he spied in a corner a uniformed American girl. The Marshal flamboyantly removed a ribbon from his tunic, pinned it on the American working girl. She was Doris Duke Cromwell.

Work in Progress

Clark Gable, major in the Army Air Forces until his discharge last June, finally went back to movie making. His first picture: This Strange Adventure. His role: merchant mariner. His leading lady: Greer Garson.

Dieudonne Costes, French flyer who made news in 1930 with a transatlantic flight, made it again in Manhattan by posing as a Nazi agent and capturing a real one (one Paul Jean Marie Cavaillez). Forced to join the German intelligence service in 1942, Costes went to Spain, told all to United Nations officials and went on from there.

Representative Wright Patman, ablaze with zeal to publicize his Lone Star State, brightened the week on Capitol Hill by giving away outsize match packets calculated to make moochers look before they lit up. The Patman specials produced: 1) 30 matches, 2) a map of Texas, 3) facts & figures about the state, 4) an outline of Patman's Congressional district.

George Albert Smith, 75, goateed Senior Member of his church's Council of the Twelve Apostles, became the eighth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). He inherits the mantle of all-powerful Prophet, Seer and Revelator of 954,000 Latter-day Saints.

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