Union Struggles; Texan Rivals; Chinese Success

Rival union bosses John L. Lewis and William Green struggle to dominate the world of American organised labour, while rival Texas cities resort to lowest common denominator tactics to attract crowds to their centenary shows, as plans for art lectures give way to promises of ‘nude ranch shows’ and ‘sex lectures’. Meanwhile in China, the booming city of Shanghai, with its towering skyline and new industry gives Chiang Kai-shek a model for the future prosperity of his country.

Although the March of Time’s reputation for aggressive, fearless reporting was well-founded, an interesting exception to the series’ ‘anything goes’ philosophy was the Chinese leader Chiang kai-Shek, who is the subject of this issue’s third story. According to newsreel historian Raymond Fielding, Henry Luce, the chairman of the Time-Life magazine empire - and ultimate owner of The March of Time - regarded Chiang kai-Shek as off-limits as far as criticism went. Richard de Rochement recalls that ‘We felt we were on the side of the angels in most cases with the possible exception of Chiang kai-Shek, whom we regarded as a protege of Mr Luce, and who was the only sacred cow we admitted’.