News Headlines 1948 
A Bikernet Reader sent Bandit a pdf recently containing the entire Harley-Davidson accessory catalog from 1948, the year ol’ Bandit was born. There’s nothing better than the real deal, to bring the ’40s back to life. I believe our reader was Eric, and we are grateful for his efforts.
We kicked it around at a recent Bikernet Editorial board meeting, and since I’m the Bikernet old bike Guru, I was assigned the task of finding a story or some editorial to accompany the classic catalog. I scoured the H-D web site, but didn’t find much, then it dawned on me, Headlines from 1948. I danced from one historic bullshit web site to another until I discovered this one. It gave me several stunning examples of top headlines from every month during the year of the rat, 1948. Enjoy the catalog and the headlines.
–Wilburn Roach 
January 1948
1. Britain nationalizes railroads and other transportation
2. US gives Britain blanket authority to give Lend-Lease equipment to the Greeks
5. US and Britain create West Germany, to get around Soviet intransigence over reunification
8. US advisors sent to Greece
14. US officially says it will not leave Berlin 
China begins evacuating missionaries in the path of the Communist threat
15. Chinese Communists are making great gains in north China
16. Jews move into Haifa in a regular military assault 
19. Dutch and Indonesians reach agreement
20. Attempted grenade assassination of Gandhi
21. Gandhi shot to death 
February 1948
3Ceylon is independent of Britain today
6US finally gets a German V-2 rocket to work
13Soviets set up a German government of their own in the Soviet Zone
16North Korea proclaims an independent state
24Communist coup d’etat in Czechoslovakia 
25Czech President Benes assents to a Red Dictatorship under Premier Gottwald March 1948
10Foreign Minister and anti-Communist Jan Masyrk jumps from building to his death in Prague
11US pleads with Britain to postpone removing troops from Palestine.Brits say, “No!”
15Truman orders executive branch employees to ignore subpoenas from Congress on loyalty of workers
17Truman gives a speech painting a picture of Red aggression:Czechoslovakia, Poland, threats to Finland, Scandinavia and Italy 
19US now says to abandon the partition plan for Palestine.Now want the UN to run Palestine
23Jewish provisional government rejects US idea of UN rule.Will proceed according to old plan
26Both of FDR’s sons oppose Truman for President.Want to nominate Eisenhower
31Communists in Italy are outraged that Italian-Americans are writing anti-Communist letters to relatives in Italy.
Soviets are clamping down on travel in Berlin. 
April 1948
1Soviets have halted all rail and road traffic to Berlin from the French, US, and British zones.US is running supplies in by aircraft.Two million Germans and 10,000 troops need to be fed.Looks impossible.
4Arabs begin attacking Jewish zones in Palestine
5US announces that US fighter planes will escort all transport flights to Berlin after several Russian fighters harassed US planes
8Arabs have taken Kastel and cut off Jews in Jerusalem from those on the coast 
16Armageddon in Palestine.Arabs and Jews are locked in battle on the plains of Jesreel, the location of Armageddon.Large numbers of Arabs troops are coming in from Jordan 
21The Italians have voted, 66%-33%, for Christian Democrats over the Communists
22Jewish forces have taken Haifa in Northern Palestine
30Jews have won a major victory in Jerusalem 
May 1948
10South Korean elections succeed despite Communist violence and intimidation
Jerusalem is demilitarized and will become a Hospital Zone
14The Jewish State in Palestine is now in existence.The British are pulling out.Will the Muslim states only take Arab land in Palestine?Or will they try to destroy the infant Jewish state?
The US recognized the new Jewish state.It is to be called:Israel
18Arab troops have entered Jerusalem and are attacking the Jewish Quarter
19Arabs claim to be in control of Jerusalem
21Egyptian forces drive forty miles into Israel today 
Jews in Jerusalem are barely hanging on
26Arabs turned down a UN request for a cease-fire unless:1)The State of Israel be abolished2) No more Jewish immigration until matters are settled3) no more weapons may be imported 
27The Jews in Jerusalem are done for
The Nationalist Party surprisingly wins in South Africa.Will establish a new policy called Apartheid
28Jews in Jerusalem surrender 
June1948
3Eisenhower says he will never run as a Democrat because he is a Republican
7Benes quits because he is “disgusted” with the new Communist Constitution
9Truce in Palestine 
Truman is running hard against the Republican Congress–“The worst ever!”
10Jews are hostile toward the Truce.Say it favors the Arabs
24Republicans nominate Thomas Dewey
Soviets block all traffic into and out of Berlin.Only the aircraft keepWest Berlin alive
25Soviets call off their ban on land travel to Berlin.What game are they playing? 
28Yugoslavia and Russia break over Tito’s refusal to toe Stalin’s line.Tito is turning to the West for help
Soviets have again blockaded Berlin
29Tito makes clear he will not back down to the Russians
30A gigantic airlift is underway to feed Berlin 
July 1948
1Arabs turn down the peace plan for Palestine
Russian end the four-power cooperation for Germany
5Eisenhower says no once, and for all, that he will not be a candidate this year 
US planes have flown 1,115 cargo flights in nine days
7Malaya has declared a total war against communist guerillas
9War is on again in Palestine
15Truman is ignoring threats from the Dixiecrats at the Convention and is focusing his fire on Republicans 
21Twelve people are arrested for leadership in communist activity
23Wallace’s Progressive Party began its convention today “It’s Wallace or War!” 
August 1948
3Time Magazine editor Whittaker Chambers tell the House Committee on Un-American Activities that he tried to war FDR about Communists in top government jobs.FDR did nothing.He even claims Alger Hiss, a poster boy for the New Deal and high official in the State Department, is a Communist
4More testimony in Congress on Communist spying in the US.
5Truman accuses the Republicans in Congress of using spy hunts to hide the fact that they are not doing any real work 
Alger Hiss says he doesn’t know Whittaker Chambers, “I’ve never laideyes on him.”
11The Dixiecrats who left the Democratic Party and have nominated Strom Thurmond of South Carolina
12US recognized South Korea as the legitimate government of Korea
13Lauchlin Currie, an aide to FDR at Yalta, denies he has ever given info to the Soviets or of tipping off spies in the US that we had broken a Soviet code. 
17Alger Hiss now admits he did know Whittaker Chambers
Harry Dexter White died of a sudden heart attack.He was named as a spy by Chambers and was the assistant Secretary of the Treasury
19Alger Hiss has refused to take a lie detector test 
September 1948
2The Democrats have read the Dixiecrats out of the party
3Benes has died of a heart attack in Prague
7Communists riot in Berlin.Look to set up a Communist city hall
9Sam Roper has said he will stop polling the American people on the Presidency.”Mr. Dewey is so far ahead that we might as well get ready to listen to his inaugural.” 
16Jerusalem is the scene of heavy fighting
17Jewish assassins murder Count Bernadotte who was the Chief Mediator for the UN in Palestine
20Reports from Korea say if US troops withdraw there is little to stop a Communist invasion
21The Government of Israel is hunting Bernadotte’s assassins.Hundreds of arrests
23Israel has offered a huge reward for info leading to the capture of Bernadotte’s assassins 
24Dewey hits Truman for non-cooperation in exposing Communists in the US Government 
October 1948
1The Soviets are hinting that they have an atomic bomb
12Soviet are going to practice “blind flying” right in the flight corridor into Berlin
14The UN has charged Israel with negligence for the assassination of Bernadotte
21Israelis have taken major towns in Southern Palestine 
25Russia has vetoed a security council plan to end the Berlin Blockade
100,000Frenchmen are now in Indochina fighting the Communist led Viet Minh 
26Israel says not one inch of territory will be given up
Nationalists in China are facing disaster
November 1948
1British newspapers have reported that Dewey is the certain winner in the US
3A miracle:Truman has defeated Dewey!
4The UN has ordered Israel to withdraw from territory it has captured from the Arabs
10Nationalists have placed all of China under martial law 
18Truman wants a bipartisan foreign policy
19Moscow calls for the US to destroy all its atomic bombs before disarmament talks can succeed 
22Foreign embassies are packing to leave China as the Communists roll on
23MacArthur has passed the death sentences for six Japanese war criminals 
December 1948
2Berlin is now ruled by the Western allies in their part and the Russians in theirs.Cooperation is over
3Whittaker Chambers has evidence of his spying days:In a pumpkin on his farm are secret documents of microfilm from the State Department.He says Alger Hiss gave them to him years ago when Chambers was a spy.
6Berliners voted overwhelmingly anti-Communist today 
Chambers has officially accused Hiss of stealing secret documents from the State Department and giving them to the top Soviet spy in the US
9Truman accuses Congress of trying to steal headlines over Communist spies in the government
Hiss has given up his job at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
14The new Crown Prince of England will be Christened tomorrow:Charles Phillip Arthur George 
15Alger Hiss has been indicted for perjury.The statute of limitations (3 years) has ran out for charges of espionage.For lying under oath to Congress when he said he had given no documents to Chambers
22The Dutch have launched a huge offensive in Indonesia.The US is very displeased
Japanese War criminals have been executed 
23Jews have renewed their offensive in Southern Palestine
28Communists in Hungary have charged a Roman Catholic Cardinal with treason
31Israel announces huge victories in Southern Palestine 
