1952

Articles from 1952

‘This I Saw In Korea”
(Collier’s Magazine, 1952)

Those darn misogynists in Washington fell asleep at the switch again when they appointed a woman to fill the number two spot at the Department of Defense. The woman in question was Anna Rosenberg (1902 – 1983), an experienced and well-respected hand in the Nation’s Capital who served in that post between 1950 and 1953. During the middle of the war she paid a visit to the American military installations in Korea and wrote warmly about all that she had seen.

Vera Maxwell and Claire McCardell
(Quick Magazine, 1952)

From the Great Minds Think Alike Department came this small piece about two American sportswear designers, Claire McCardell and Vera Maxwell and their admirable approach in creating a light weather coat that served to both keep women warm in springtime gales, yet accommodate the full, billowing skirts that complemented their feminine forms (as well as the hip padding that accompanied many skirts of the Fifties).

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Eisenhower Goes to Korea
(Quick Magazine, 1952)

After trouncing Adlai Stevenson in the November Election, President-Elect Eisenhower made good on the vow he had made earlier and packed his bag for a fact-finding trip to the stagnant front lines on the Korean Peninsula.

No abrupt change in Korea is likely to follow Ike’s visit. He doesn’t plan to negotiate with the Reds there. He is interested in training, equipping and preparing South Koreans to defend themselves… The South Korean’s morale is good. About 400,000 of them are mobilized.

The Showmanship of Babe Ruth
(Gentry Magazine, 1952)

The attached notice recalled one of the grandest moments in baseball history when Babe Ruth played it up to his fans:

Then like an actor who, having played a part so often, knows it by heart, Ruth majestically waved toward the right center field wall. A moment later the Babe’s pantomimed prediction was a reality. As the crowd, sensing the finale of the drama, rose to its feet, Ruth slammed a homer almost exactly where he had pointed.

The Showmanship of Babe Ruth
(Gentry Magazine, 1952)

The attached notice recalled one of the grandest moments in baseball history when Babe Ruth played it up to his fans:

Then like an actor who, having played a part so often, knows it by heart, Ruth majestically waved toward the right center field wall. A moment later the Babe’s pantomimed prediction was a reality. As the crowd, sensing the finale of the drama, rose to its feet, Ruth slammed a homer almost exactly where he had pointed.

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Funny Wills…
(Coronet Magazine, 1952)

There just aren’t that many funny wills around that are devised with the intention of rendering the last word in a bad marriage or to dispense petty revenge on those who remained above-ground – that is why we found these two columns so amusing.

The Basket Bags
(Quick Magazines, 1952)

They clogged the shelves of every thrift shop, church bazaar and Goodwill outlet throughout all of the 70s and 80s – and during that same period costume designers used them to signify how detached and estranged a feminine antagonist was in dozens of movies and TV productions. We are referring, of course, to the basket bags of the early fifties and their heavy presence in the bric-a-brac shoppes of yore only serve to testify as to how remarkably popular they were as fashion accessories in the land of the free and home of the brave. The attached article from 1952 is illustrated with six images of the various swells of old Palm Beach clinging proudly to their wicker trophies.


(We were delighted to see that basket bags enjoyed a small come-back in the fashion world during the summer of 2017.)

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He was a Dirty Campaigner…
(Collier’s Magazine, 1952)

FDR’s predecessor, Herbert Hoover, wrote a series of articles concerning his own presidency that appeared on the pages of COLLIER’S MAGAZINE throughout the spring of 1952. The sixth installment was devoted to his 1932 reelection bid against FDR and the Roosevelt Hoover remembered was an under-handed campaigner who surrounded himself with liars and all sorts of other aids and speechwriters who took liberties with the truth in all matter’s involving the record of Hoover’s administration.


CLICK HERE to read about President Hoover and the Bonus Army…

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The Red Spies in Washington
(Coronet Magazine, 1952)

Stalin’s deep fear of traitors and moles was not simply confined to the Soviet Union – it spread throughout every branch of his embassies as well. This article pertains to the Soviet spies who worked in Washington – the ones who spied on the Soviet diplomatic corps:

When a new [diplomat arrives from Moscow] he soon learns that the Ambassador is not the real boss. One outside diplomat who has contacts with the Embassy declares: ‘Always, there is someone in the Embassy whom the others fear. They live in terror of him, for he is the real leader… I have seen Soviet officials actually tremble when he comes into the room.’


A 1951 article about the young CIA can be read by clicking here…

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The Reformed South Korean Military
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1952)

By the close of 1952 it became evident to anyone who followed the events in Asia that the army of the Republic of Korea (ROK) had evolved into a competent and reliable fighting force; highly disciplined and well-lead, it was finally able to both take and hold ground while simultaneously inflicting heavy casualties on their the enemies. Gone from the mind was that South Korean army of 1950: that retreating mob that quickly surrendered their nation’s capital to the on-rushing Communists just three days into the war, leaving in their wake a trail of badly needed equipment.


After a year and a half of the most vicious combat, the ROK Army put in place the badly needed reforms that were demanded if the war was to be won. Relying on their own combat veterans as well as their United Nation’s allies, recruits were clearly schooled in what was required to survive in battle. As relieved as the many Western commanders were to see how effectively the South Koreans were able to create such a force, the liabilities of this army were still genuine and they are listed in this article as well.

The Look for Autumn
(Quick Magazine, 1952)

The ‘costume look’ has developed into a strong fashion idea for fall and winter. The news is in the mis-mated fabrics and colors used in this year’s go-togethers. Highly-textured (and often noisily patterned) coats and jackets are sold frankly as suits with solid color dresses or skirts… Mismatched colors as well as mixed fabrics were used by Vera Maxwell in her coat and dress team [pictured]… Ben Zuckerman offered another example of fashion’s new doubling-up with black hip-length coat over a two-piece red wool jersey dress [pictured].

The 1952 Election and the War in Korea
(Quick Magazine, 1952)

By the time November of 1952 rolled around the Korean War was in stalemate; this made the 1952 election one that was about progress as the American voters looked for a candidate who could make sound decisions and offer a leadership that would take the country (and the war) in a better direction. Neither candidate was looking for a victory in Korea, both campaigned on finding a peace. When President Truman taunted Eisenhower to come forward with any plan he had for peace in Korea it resulted in the retired general standing before the microphones and uttering pensively: I will go to Korea. The electorate was at once reminded as to how trusted he had been in the past and Eisenhower was elected, carrying 41 states and receiving nearly 58 percent of the popular vote.


More on the 1952 presidential election can be read here…

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