1952

Articles from 1952

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.)

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…

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…

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.

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