Evening star. [volume], January 30, 1942, Page A-11, Image 13

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Disaster Laid
In Part to
Secrecy
Contributing Cause
Seen in Keeping
Stern Note Quiet
By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Secret diplomacy and the sup
pression of vital news of what the
Japanese and American Govern
ments were doing may have been a
contributing
cause of the
Pearl Harbor
disaster.
Despite the
fact that the
American Gov
ernment tradl
tlonally has
been the cham
pion of open
diplomacy and
despite the
pledge publicly
given by Presi
dent Roosevelt
David Lawrcnet.
that he would keep the leaders of
both parties In Congress advised of
critical moves in the international
situation, It Is now possible to state
that no such communication was
made relative to the all-important
note of November 26 sent by the
United States to Japan.
Senator Connolly, chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Commit
tee, when asked whether he or any
other member of the committee
knew of the firm note of Novem
ber 26, stated to this correspondent
that he did not know about it till
he read it in the press just after
Pearl Harbor was attacked.
There is nothing to indicate that
the Senators would have disagreed
with the policy of firmness in deal
ing with Japan or that they would
have disapproved of the contents of
the note, but It Is interesting to
consider what would have been the
effect on the American people and
hence on the entire Army and Navy,
including those stationed at Hawaii
and the Philippines, if the document
had been given to the press Novem
ber 26.
Historians May Ponder.
Assuming that the Japanese ships
were out to sea and waiting for
orders to move closer to Pearl Har
bor. would not the American mili
tary and naval forces have realized
that America was on the verge of
war after reading the note of No
vember 26? This is the question
which historians may be asking and
which defenders of a policy of open
dealing with the people of a democ
racy through the press, as contrasted
with a hush-hush and suppression
policy, may exhibit as an example
of tragedy that came because the
facts were withheld.
What would have been the public
reaction If It had been revealed
that the United States Government
had formally demanded that Japan
withdraw from China and recognise
the Chungking government? This
demand is believed to have aggra
vated an already tense situation and
proof of this Is to be found in the
bitterly phrased note of the Jap
anese which was handed to the
American Government on the very
day of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Roberts report says the Jap
anese government planned to sever
diplomatic relations at 1 o'clock
Washington time and attack simul
taneously. The Japanese plan for
synchronizing the steps apparently
went wrong, but that Japan was
smarting under the American note
cannot be doubted from the follow
ing language of her reply:
"The proposal in question <Amer
ica's suggestion that Japan withdraw
from China and recognize the
Chungking government) ignores
Japan's sacrifices in the four years
of the China affair, menaces the
empire's existence and disparages
its honor and prestige.”
Could Have Alerted Command.
Anybody familiar with Far East
ern affairs must have known that
such a demand as America made
on November 26 would make the
Japanese angry. It will be argued
that they deserved such a blunt
statement but can it be argued that
when such a serious decision was
made it should have been kept
secret and not given to the United
State* armed forces and the Ameri
can people as well as the Japanese
people? The policy of suppression
played into the hands of the mili
taristic clique in Japan and deprived
the American Army and Navy
officers of information which would
have Impressed upon them the
necessity for being on the alert dur
ing the 11 days that elapsed between
November 26 and December 7.
It will be said that the note was
withheld for fear of offending
Japan. But the speeches made by
American official spokesmen which
were published in Japan during the
last week in October were not in
hibited by any such considerations
of international etiquette or diplo
matic restraint. The fact remains
that America drifted into war with
out the influential leaders of either
party In Congress or the American
people knowing the contents of a
On the Record
Morale of U. S. Troops Cited as One Reason
President Can Rejoice on His Birthday
By DOROTHY TH0MP80N.
There ere many things for
which the President can be
thankful on his 60th birthday,
today, In spite of the fact that
seven weeks
ago it looked
as though it
would be a very
bad one for
him.
C o nsidering
the disaster of
the initial blow
seven weeks
ago, occurring
when the pub
lio mind was
unprepared
and the Nation
divided; con
sidering the
Dcralfar Th»apa».
Immediate stupefying effect of
that blow, and the humiliation of
It, and the way in which It dissi
pated all calculations, America is
again showing her remarkable
recuperative power.
If Pearl Harbor wrote a dis
graceful chapter of American
history, the investigation and the
publication of the report, openly,
for all the world to read, was an
act of civil courage that con
tributes more to the morale of a
free people than any whitewash
Job could ever do. At least, we
didn't hear that Gen. Short had
heart trouble or that Admiral
Kimmel had apoplexy.
If Pearl Harbor was a morale
debacle, representing all the
worst aspects of the American
mind — complacency, self-right
eousness, lack of the co-operative
spirit and of thoroughness, and
responsibility—the Philippine re
sistance will go down among the
great epics of American history.
MacArthur, Hart Praised.
There a great general, Douglas
MacArthur, and a fine admiral,
Thomas C. Hart, are encourag
ing brave men to stand where
hardly more than a delaying ac
tion can be hoped for; buying
with their heroism precious time
for others; displaying that effi
cient co-ordination, awift wary
energy and selfless devotion that
were lacking at Pearl Harbor,
and winning the eternal grati
tude of the American Nation.
And they keep the spirit and
tactics of the offensive, even
against overwhelming odds, for
wherever the enemy displays the
slightest weakness they attack at
that point.
There is the same co-ordina
tion, efficiency and heroism in
the Battle of the Macassar Strait.
Three cheers for the Dutch, Mr.
President, on your birthday. And
three cheers for our forces at the
strait.
There, by wonderful co-ordina
tion of the Dutch and American
forces, of air forces coming from
various bases, of fleet and air
craft. havoc has been wrought
against the Japanese. The larg
est convoy of troop transports
yet destroyed in this war has
been accomplished in a difficult
maneuver of timing and collabo
ration. This Battle of Macassar
Strait is restoring confidence in
the possibility of holding the
Dutch East Indies and is bucking
up Australia.
U. S. Flyers Aid China.
And the small, isolated volun
teer force of American flyers in
Rangoon, Burma, is nothing for
us to cry about. They are shoot
ing the Japs out of the sky, like
pigeons, and proving the im
measurable superiority of Amer
ican planes and pilots over the
Japs, given a vestige of a chance,
protecting the lifeline of China—
the Burma road—and giving the
people of China a foretaste of
what our help will be one of these
days.
The landing of troops in North
ern Ireland, with complete secrecy
and without a single loss in a
large convoy, is another evidence
that the spirit of the Maglnot
Line evaporated in Hawaii. The
accomplished fact, together with
the • President’s announcement
that we would send troops aU
over the world, Is a moral and
political victory that is making
a tremendous impression in
Europe.
The Germans are at pains to
make light of it; they emphasise
that in the last war American
troops could be landed on the
continent because there was a
western front.
Of course, in the lest war,
when American troops landed
there was no Eastern front; Rus
sia had been knocked out of the
war for keeps. Today there Is an
eastern front, an African front,
and a western front in the mak
ing. And, at any rate, this Isn’t
the last war—and this war has
Its own tricks, and all the tricks
are not In the minds of the Axis.
Tribute to Our Troops.
One thing stands out in all tha
accounts, even In the accounts of
Pearl Harbor—the unexampled
behavior of the American troops,
the common soldiers.
On Wake Island, in Hawaii, In
the Philippines, everywhere, they
have showed guts, resourcefulness,
superb bravery.
And nothing in any way Is as
important as this: The quality
of spirit and behavior among the
rank and file of the armed forces.
Everything else can be remedied
except the morale of armed forces
as a whole. For the bulk of the
army Is representative of the
nation and expresses the spirit of
the nation.
* The spirit of this Nation is all
right; all right in 1942 as it was
all right In 1917, in 1812, in 1776—
and as It will be all right In 1976
and 2076.
For America has Just begun to
fight, and America has Just begun
to live.
Happy birthday, Mr. President.
And may your next be lots hap
pier than this one.
(RsltessS by tha Ball BradleeW. las.)
Your Income Tax
No. 26—Deductions for Professional Expenses
A professional man may deduct all
necessary expenses incurred In the
pursuit of his profession. These in
clude the cost of supplies used in his
practice, office rent, cost of light,
water, fuel and telephone in his of
fice, the hire of office assistants, and
expenses paid in the operation and
repair of an automobile, based upon
the proportion of time it is used for
professional purposes.
Many physicians use their resi
dences both as their offices and their
homes. In such Instance the phy
sician may deduct as a business ex
pense the rental value of the rooms
occupied for office purposes if he ac
tually pays rent, and also the cost
of light and heat furnished these
rooms. Also, he may deduct a por
tion of the wages paid domestic serv-;
ants whose time is partly occupied in
caring for these rooms. Membership
dues in professional societies are de
ductible. Physicians and dentists
who keep in their waiting rooms
current magazines and newspapers
for the benefit of their patients may
deduct this item as a business ex
pense. The cost of professional
journals for the taxpayer’s own use
is also a deductible item.
The cost of technical books is not
a deductible item, being a capital
expenditure, but a proportionate
amount for each year's depreciation
of the books may be deducted. De
preciation may also be taken on
office furniture and equipment. In
surance premiums on office or other
professional equipment and liability
insurance may be deducted. A pre
mi u m paidforautomobileliability
decisive note until 11 days after
it had been sent and an open at
tack had been made on the United
States. The record of what hap- j
pened is important while the ir. 1
dents are fresh in the minds of
those familiar with the sequence.
As the events of war multiply, some
times incidents of this kind are for
gotten or lost in the confusion of
vague recollections.
(Reproduction Rights Reserved.)
Fine Footwear Since lt!5
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Expressing Dual Personality!
New straight tip, English pattern,
harness stitched thruout. Medium
tan Norwegian grain. A great
favorite with both military and
civilion groups.
Snyder®. Little
IMMNI4t|»
1229 G St. N.W.
Marshall
$I6°°
Insurance should be apportioned and
that part of the premium attribut
able to business may be deducted
as a business expense.
|
Crash Injuries Fatal
STAUNTON, Va„ Jan. 30 (it*).—
Injuries sustained Wednesday when
struck by an automobile near Qreen
vllle resulted In the death yesterday
in a hospital here of Miss Lula
Painter, 47, of Greenville.
era* opinions of the miters on this page are their own, not
* necessarily The Star's. Such opinions arq presented in The
Star’s effort to give all sides of questions of interest to its
readers, although such opinions may be contradictory among
themselves and directly opposed to The Star’s.
The Great Game of Politics
Signs Point to Policy That New Dealers Will
Lose Monopoly on Effort to Win the War
By FRANK B. KENT.
The great handicap to our war
production effort Is the lack of raw
materials. We talk a lot about the
inexhaustible wealth and Immense
resources of this
country Yet, be
side the rubber
shortage which
has paralyzed
our largest In
dustry, there is a
shortage of
aluminum, of
manganese, of
mica, of tung
sten, of tin and
of various other
commodities ab
solutely essen
tial to the manu
Frink B. Bint.
facture of war equipment.
It Is a very vital part of the Job of
Donald Nelson, head of the War
Production Board, to find substi
tutes for these things; or to de
velop their production here: or to
arrange, despite the difficulties, for
their importation. Clearly, he is not
going to be able to provide ade
quately for civilian as well as mili
tary needs. It will be a tremen
dous achievement If he succeeds In
supplying the latter. Of oourse, It
Is true that these shortages should
not exist. The reason they do exist
Is because until two weeks ago there
had been no real head to our pro
duction machinery.
Though w# were preparing for
war, there waa no competent direc
tion. In consequence, the business
of looking ahead was nobody’s busi
ness. In consequence, there was no
one to think of the future. In
consequence, there was no one com
bining authority with intelligence
to buy up and store these materials
for governmental need. In conse
quence, the warning voices of B. M.
Baruch and a few others, urging
that we profit by the experience of
the past, went unheeded. Inconse
quence, there were 33 months of
Incompetency and confusion, and
when the war finally came we were
caught off balance.
Nrisen Takes Hold.
But there Is no use dwelling on
these undeniable facts now. Not
withstanding lost time and present
handicaps the job has to be done
and it Is encouraging to report that
Mr. Nelson appears to be grappling
with It In an effective way. When
he first took hold, the background
of his selection and the character
of his associations created consider
able fear lest he lend himself too
completely to the advice and in
fluence of the little group of “In
side” New Dealers, sometimes
known as the palace guard, among
whom he had his strongest support.
Se tar this fear has net been Justi
fied.
On the contrary. In the three
weeks since his appointment. Mr.
Nelson has demonstrated two things
—first, that he Is selecting his own
men: second, that he listens to
reason and Is anxious to profit by
the experience of the past. More
than that—he appreciated very
clearly that If. after that executive
order. In which the President gave
him complete power, he yielded an
inch he would be ruined. Failure,
even for a moment, to recognize that
hesitation about acting as he thinks
best, consulting Whom he pleases and
picking the men he wants, would be
fatal. So far ha has shown no such
hesitation. So far he has resisted
every effort to whittle him down and
the whlttlera appear somewhat dls
The Lewis & Thos. Saltz
1409 GStr**1, N.W.
SALE
OF FINE QUALITY CLOTHING
This is the Annual Sale which so many
men look fotward to each year. Since
we have only two price reductions
yearly, these savings represent extraor
dinary values, worthy of widespread atten
tion. This season, more so than ever be
fore, this Sale is significant. Firstly, be
cause prices on clothing are rising. Sec
ondly, because of the increasing difficulties
encountered in obtaining imported and the
finer domestic woolens. All merchandise
is from our regular stocks, exceptionally
fine in quality and character, at sale prices
that reflect very worthwhile savings. All
sizes and models.
SALES OF FINE HABERDASHERY
AND SHOES NOW IN PROGRESS
LEWIS & THOS. SALTZ
1409 G STREET N. W.
DISTRICT 3822
NOT COKNICTIP WITH SALTS »*OS. INC.
oouraged. At least, that Is the way
It seem* to those In best position to
judge.
Another encouraging sign of the
week was the appointment by the
President of Lewis W. Douglas as
assistant lease-lend administrator
in London. Mr. Douglas has not
been on friendly terms with Mr.
Roosevelt since he resigned In his
first term as budget director In
protest against the economic un
soundness of New Deal fiscal policy.
Although Mr. Douglas strongly
supported the Roosevelt foreign
policy from the start, he Is the first
man conspicuous In the campaign
against the third term whom Mr.
Roosevelt has named to any post
of Importance since the appointment
of his first defense organization. At
that time—and frequently since—he
appealed very strongly for non
partisanship and national unity.
Outsiders Being Called.
The point Is made, however, that
in the selection of key men for the
defense machinery many of the
ablest citizens in the country who
opposed his election have not been
called upon. It was said that what
amounted to a blacklist existed In
the White House and that the ad
ministration was determined to
manage the war effort without call
ing upon any of those whom the
President felt personally antagon
istic. This meant that some of the
most competent, qualified and ex
perienced of Americans were to be
kept permanently on the outside.
The Douglas appointment is an
indication that this policy is begin
ning to disintegrate. It was origin
ated and pressed upon the President
by some of the closest of his New
Deal aides and has been one of the
reasons for a great deal of discon
tent and resentment. Hope Is ex
pressed that he has become con
vinced that the Nation needs the
help of every man capable of making
a real contribution to the war effort,
regardless of his personal taste or
politics. There are some obvious
men still on the outside with whose
help he could replace incompetency
with competency. There is no surer
way to improve morale and to win
the war.
(Coprrlcht. 1941.)
T. Howard Duckett
To Give Lecture
T. Howard Duckett, past chair
man of the Washington Suburban
Sanitary commission, will be the
speaker at the next lecture In the
"Know Yota- County Government”
aeries, to be held st the Bladensburg
Fire Hall at I pa. Thursday.
Luis Granados, chairman of the
County Affairs Committee by which
the lectures are sponsored, said In
urging the public to attend that the
Suburban Sanitary Commission Is
the least understood of the bl
coimty commissions.
This Changing World
Japs Foret •Prisoners of United Nations to Lose
Face in Orient by Humiliating Work
By CONSTANTINE BIOWN.
The topuieu ire fighting the
United Nations In the Pacific
with their whole military power.
But that Is not all; they are also
endeavoring to expel the entire
white race from Asia with typical
Oriental methods.
According to reliable reports
which ire filtering into Waahing
ton, American and British offi
cers and men captured at Hong
Kong, Wake Island, Malaya and
those points In China from which
American garrisons were not
evacuated are being subjected to
many humiliations which cannot
be described exactly as cruelties
but are intended to make the
whites lose face with the natives.
The treatment of American
and British soldiers on the
Asiatic mainland contrasts with
that accorded prisoners in Ja
pan. At Shanghai, Tientsin and
other places in China, American
and British prisoners, regardless
of whether they have commis
sioned rank, are forced to pull
rickshaws, do road work, and
clean streets and barracks under
the eyes of the Chinese, who
have been accustomed for dec
ades to look up to these men In
British and American uniforms.
Worse Than Death.
It must be singularly Impres
sive for the Chinese to see
American and British officers
whom they respected and knew
well now pulling rickshaws
alongside the poorest eoolies. In
those vehicles sit Japanese of
ficers and privates. American
missionaries, who over a long pe
riod of time had gained the
highest respect of the Chinese,
are compelled now to do menial
work always performed by na
tive servants.
Losing face In the Orient is
worse than being killed. And
the Japanese high command ob
viously Is trying to undermine
the prestige of the whites with
the hundreds of millions of Ori
entals. News of the defeats of
the British and Americans at
the hands of the Japs is often
discounted by the Chinese who
live under Japanese domination.
Furthermore, the natives do not
consider military setbacks as par
ticularly shameful; they are Just
the fortunes of war, which
change from day to day. Losing
face is far worse than losing a
battle.
The Japanese initiated such a
policy as this as early as 1939,
when they compelled British
men and women living In Tient
sin to undergo humiliating
searches at the hands of Japa
nese sentries. Both men and
women were undressed each time
they moved from the British
settlement Into the native city,
which the Jape had Just taken
over. Americans escaped many
auch humiliations at that time.
Now the Japanese hope to
break the confidence of Orientals
in the prestige of the white race
by treating white soldiers in the
same way as—and sometimes
worse than—they and the Chi
nese treat coolies.
Treated Fairly in Japan.
The reports of Swiss diplo
matic and consular representa
tives that American prisoners are
treated fairly are correct as far
as the Japanese islands is con
cerned. There they are kept in
prison camps and enjoy the
treatment agreed on by all na
tions in the Hague convention.
But the Swiss have little oppor
tunity to witness what happens
to Americans and British outside
Japan.
According to still unconfirmed
reports, some American and Brit
ish officers who distinguished
themselves against the Japs have
met with “accidental death.”
The Japanese are not worried
about what happens to their own
men after they surrender. Ac
cording to the Japanese code of
honor, a soldier of the Emperor
must not allow himself to be
taken prisoner; he must die on
the battlefield, regardless of con
ditions or circumstances.
Displeasing to Germans.
The majority of Japanese
fighters are peasants or lowly
city workers who for centuries
have been used to all kinds of
humiliation from the upper
classes. Ordinary treatment of
war prisoners by western Nations
means luxury for the ordinary
Jap soldier.
The Germans are reported to
be none too happy about the
humiliations Imposed on British
and American prisoners. They
see the writing on the wall.
When this war is over, if the
Japanese are not utterly defeated,
Asia will be no place for either
Germans or Italians.
German offlcera attached to
Japanese forces—and there are
a number of such men with every
Japanese unit—have attempted
to interfere. They do this not
because of sympathy for Allied
prisoners, but because they realize
that the slapping of American
and British faces now fore
shadows the twilight of white
Influence in Asia.
The Germans know the Japan
ese are mistreating their prison
ers became it is the policy of the
Tokio government so to do. The
influence of the Germans with
Tokio, however. Is limited to war
plans and synchronization of
strategies.
I ^v,;' >
verlasting
SYMBOLS
The lasting brilliance of a CERTIFIED
PERFECT DIAMOND is the undying symbol
of an undying love. On the occasion of your
engagement and your wedding your CERTI
FIED PERFECT DIAMOND becomes the
contract of love, devotion and companion*,
ship, never to be forsaken.
Open a
v Convenient Budget Account
McLemore—
Hollywood Unshokon
By'Victory Suit'
Bf HENBT MtUMOU.
LOS ANOILE& - This movie
capital took the new* of the "vic
tory suit" with admirable calm.
There waa little or no hyiterla
wnen word came
In from New
York that the
tailors of the
Nation have de
signed a stream
lined, wartime,
cloth-saving suit
which will be
minus vest, trou
ser miffs, pleats,
belt loops, or
suspender b u t -
tons.
Male movie
stars, whose
wardrobes are so extensive that
hound’s-tooth checks have to bark
to get worn more than once a year,
took the news without a murmur.
Even those who are accustomed to
dressing like pages 33 to 46, in
clusive, of Esquire Magazine, and
who make a fashion plate look like a
tramp in a dust storm, were not
shaken.
When news of the “victory auit”
reached Hollywood, I was playing
golf at the Lakeside Golf Club with
Bing Crosby and Johnny Weismul
ler. Instead of being depressed over
the thought of having to sing a love
song in a vestless cult, or climbing
a tree in a cufflesa pair of pants,
Bing and Johnny were elated.
Of course. I didn’t take their re
actions as typical of all Hollywood,
because Bing and Johnny are not
noted as dressers. It is a known fact
that Crosby has only four suits, all
of which were given to him by his
grandfather when he (Bing, not
granpa) left home to seek his fame
and fortune. He has never added
to his wardrobe, although it is gen
erally believed that he could easily
do so by watching his pennies for a
month or two.
Weismuller’s Plight Worm.
Weismuller isn’t as well off as
Bing, sartorially speaking, his
grandfather having given him only
three suits, and Johnny is rougher
on clothes than Bing. It is much
easier on the clothes to sing "Pen
nies from Heaven” than It Is to
throw a monkey on the ground and
wrestle with him.
As soon as we finished the round,
I hot-footed to the clubhouse to
study the reactions of other stars to
the coming of the "victory suit.”
There is no better place in Holly
wood to study the stars than at
Lakeside. Scores of them belong to
the club.
I was particularly anxious to see
how Adolf Menjou reacted to the
possibility of having to wear a "vic
tory suit.” Mr. Menjou is not only
the best-dressed man in the world
but also has a first-10 rating on
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. The
sightseeing buses that pull to a stop
along the first fairway at Lakeside,
In order to give the tourists an eye
full of the cinema celebrities, are
equipped with smoked glasses to
protect the eyes of the customers
when Mr. Menjou strolls along the
greensward, Intent upon breaking
100. He looks like a rainbow with
a poor backswing, the aurora borealis
with a shaky putting stroke.
Menjou was not shaken by the an
nouncement of the "victory suit.”
Standing before his lockers (he
doesn't Just have a locker, he has
one for caps, of which there are two
types, back nine and front nine
caps; one for sweaters, one for shirts,
one for scarfs, one for belts, etc.,
etc.), he patriotically said he would
be glad to go vestless If it would
help lick the Jap6 and Nazis.
Noble in Renunciation.
"I have hundreds of cuffs and
vests to give my country,” he said,
"and will even give my shirt if that
will help.”
Guy Kibbee was delighted to hear
of the "victory suit.” The man who
plays “Scatergod Baines” says that
he figures he has wasted 10,000 man
hours buttoning vests and that with
the "victory suit” he will have just
that much more time being lazy. He
did regret the coming of the cuffless
trousers, however, saying that the
cuff has long been the best ash tray
ever invented by man.
I didn't get to poll Errol Flynn. I
was sorry about this, because I
wanted to find out if Errol thought
he could possibly be as brave wear
ing pants without suspenders as he
has been in the past. More on this
later.
(Distributed by McNauaht Syndicate, Inc.)
FQHJDEFENSE
BUY
UNITED
STATES
SAVINGS
fBONDS
AND STAMPS
It will cost money to defeat
the Axis. Your Government
calls on you to help now.
Buy Defense bonds or stamps
today. Buy them every day,
if you can. But buy them on
a regular basis.
IJpnds cost as little as $18.75,
stamps come as low as 10
cents. Defense bonds and
stamps can be bought at all
banks and post offices, and
stamps can also be purchased
at retail stores and from your
newspaper carrier boy.
Support your Government
with your dollars.