Evening star., 1938-02-14
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Japan's unwillingness to lay her bat
tleship cards on the table is water on
our naval expansion mill. Her refusal
comedies almost exactly. with proposals
to construct a so-called hemisphere
fleet" able to defend the United States
simultaneously on the Atlantic and Pa
cific. That project was Matched before
the japanese declined to spill the beans,
but Tokio's attitude is certain to mini
mize, If not kill, congressional opposi-
ton to two-ocean Navy. as planned by
the Vinson amendment to the pending
S8OO,OOO,000 program. II the new
scheme. which calls for the mightiest
naval establishment ever created by
single power, materializes, our isola-
tionists will not be blameless for the
billions of additional cost. Even though
the high-priest of the lone-hand school
Senator Hiram Johnson-is a big navyite,
the doctrine Of no truck or traffic with
foreign governments means that Uncle
Sam must be prepared to look after
himself. AS he can only do so world
tension being what 1t is, by possessing
a Navy strong enough to take on all
corners. singly or in combination, a
hemisphere fleet" is the inescapable
answer to the clamor for a United
States wholly disentangled-even from
its friends.
Speaking of entanglements, especially
with the British lion that is lurking in
ambush to claw the unsuspecting Anieri-
can eagle to pieces, have no fear that
our new Ambassador to London is going
to be played for a sucker by the design
ing denizens of Downing Street. There
was a little episode the other night
which proves that Kennedy is as canny
as that other cautious Yankee, Calvin
Coolidge. Once upon q time Cal auto
graphed q life-size charcoal drawing of
himself. Above his signature he boldly
scribbled: Without recourse" At a re-
cent dinner in the Bostonians honor,
Kennedy was asked by Oliver B. Lerch.
former White House correspondent and
now Washington lawyer, to inscribe a
souvenir menu. Kennedy went Coolidge
one better. He wrote: Without re-
course, in any event."
In his latest series of negative and
evasive answers to press conference
uuestions-a cumulative development
that's causing dismay, mystery and con-
Germ among Washington news hawks
President Roosevelt lodged all efforts to
elicit the special task assigned the new
Assistant Secretary Of State, Adolph A.
Berle, jr. F. D. R. couldn't be cajoled
Into saying a thing except that the
original New Deal brain-truster is "just
going to be an Assistant Secretary of
State" It isn't violating a depart
mental secret to divulge that Berle's ar
rival in the Hull camp hasn't caused any
hats to be thrown up over there. The
New Workers. intellectual talents are
conceded, but his experience in foreign
affairs is limited, while bestowal Of so
Juicy service plum on rank outsider
is not conducive to career" morale. On
the whole, the professional diplomats
have Jared well under the Roosevelt Hull
regime.
Will H. Hays, president Of the Motion
Picture Producers and Distributors Of
America, paints a graphic picture Of the
economic importance Of the movies. In
8 single decade" the czar of Hollywood
says, "this business waif from the side
streets has purchased q billion dollars
worth of steel, stone, cement and lumber.
It has become the biggest single Gus
toner Of the furniture, printing and
lithographing trades, and one Of the
heaviest taxpayers in the Nation. It
provides. steady employment to q popu-
lation greater than the number Of in
habitants of some of our States. Its
pay roll Is one Of the backlogs Of pros
perity. It buys nearly $100, 0,000, 900 worth
Of newspaper. magazine and billboard
advertising annually. With capital in
vestment Of approximately $4,000, ,000,- :
600. It uses the products of 270 different
industx1es, arts and profestons In the