Imperial Valley Press

D-Day
Is
Voted
Best '44
Story

NEW YORK, Dec. 16. (UP)—Because no military operation in history equaled it for boldness of conception or force of execution, the Allied invasion of France last June was the unanimous choice of the editors of the United Press as the outstanding news event of 1944.

Results of the annual poll to determine the 10 biggest news stories of the year were announced by Earl J. Johnson, UP's vice-president and general manager. He said the vote was also unanimous that President Roosevelt's election to a fourth term was the second biggest news story of the year.

On the other eight stories there was a division of opinion over the order in which they should be listed. Several developments such as the Dumbarton Oaks conference and the seizure of Montgomery Ward, which would have been top stories if they had happened in other years, were named but did not receive enough votes to qualify among the first 10 for 1944.

The selections:
1. D-Day.
2. Roosevelt's election to fourth term.
3. American invasion of the Philippines.
4. Allied sweep through France.
5. Red army's thrust into Baltic states and Balkans
6. B-29 raids on Tokyo.
7. Defeat of Japanese grand fleet by U. S. navy.
8. German robot-bomb and rocket campaign.
9. Assassination plot against Hitler and mystery of his decline.
10. Hartford circus fire.

Other stories nominated for the first 10 included: The internal crisis in Greece, the administration's anti-inflation campaign, including maintenance of the little steel formula, Allied setbacks in China, the conquest of the Marianas, the Cleveland gas explosion, reorganization of American state department, the trial of Charlie Chaplin on Mann act charges, the emergence of De Gaulle as French leader, and the withdrawal from GOP race and subsequent death of Wendell Willkie.