Army & Navy – Deflated Soldier

The well-paid U.S. soldier, who has found himself a rich man in most of the foreign cities he has visited, had a rude shock last week. He discovered that in both Paris and Brussels he was little better than a pauper.

In both cities, prices had skyrocketed so far under Nazi-managed inflation that the franc was worth something like 1/10 to 1/5¢; and G.I. Joe (by agreement of the U.S. with its Allies) draws his cash in francs at the rate of 2$ a franc.

The New York Herald Tribune’s John O’Reilly reported of Paris: “This correspondent was talking to some Americans the other day who went into a restaurant, had a few drinks and a mediocre meal and when the bill came it was $100 for four persons.

“If an American soldier were to come into town with a $10 bill he might buy two packages of cigarets or a couple of bottles of wine and he would be broke.”

TIME Correspondent William White reported from Brussels: “A luncheon for four cost us $45.”

Partly to save him from financial embarrassment, the U.S. Army denied G.I. Joe any leaves in Paris.