World War Chronicle: August 26, 1941
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On the bottom of today’s front page is a reference to Brig. Gen. John Magruder’s assignment to China. This would have been a couple months after William J. Donovan’s Office of the Coordinator of Information was formed, and Magruder is certainly going there on intelligence business. The Office of Strategic Services won’t be around until June of 1942, and Magruder will then serve as Donovan’s Deputy Director for Intelligence.
Magruder served in the Philippines prior to the World War, where he fought in the Battle of St. Mihiel as an officer in the 112th Field Artillery. Between wars he served in China as a military attaché as well as the Commandant of Cadets at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), having graduated at the top of his class back in 1909. After the war, OSS was disbanded and Magruder was selected to head the newly formed Strategic Service Unit until it was replaced by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947.
Incidentally, his father John W. Magruder was also cadet at VMI, but he was granted a furlough in September 1862 and never returned. During the Civil War he served as a courier for Gen. Robert E. Lee’s headquarters before joining the 7th Virginia Cavalry. Gen. Magruder’s sons both fought: Malcolm fought in Italy with the 10th Mountain Division, and Munro — commissioned a second lieutenant after graduating the U.S. Military Academy (Class of ’49) — was killed in action while serving with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in Korea…
Pictured on the front page, Prince George, Duke of Kent speaks to a crowd of American workers at the Glenn L. Martin plant and riding a jeep (story on page two). The duke is an air commodore in the Royal Air Force, the equivalent of a brigadier general. While he thanked the defense workers for the lives they were saving overseas the duke was accompanied by Glenn Martin. It is interesting that one of America’s first aviation pioneers is just 55 years old…
The American Football League’s New York Yankees have folded. This can be confusing as there are three American Football Leagues and several New York Yankees, spanning both baseball and football. To be clear, this is the third so-named (AFL III), and the club will operate under new ownership as the New York Americans. Jack McBride coached the Yankees last year and was the skipper back when there was a New York Yankees in the second AFL (AFL II). Since both clubs had different management and ownership they are two separate franchises. But the Yankees — soon to be renamed the Americans — already signed John Kimbrough, the second pick of this year’s NFL Draft, and will soon sign the number one pick, Tom Harmon…
Sports begin on page 12.
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 26 August 1941. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1941-08-26/ed-1/