The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-10-15

cars were TANKS,
equipped to run on rails. Each
train carried with it a strong anti
aircraft battery. No lights were
shown. The conference took place
in Benito's private coach and diner.
It's windows were of bullet-proof
glass. The lines, in both direc-
tons. were formidably patrolled.
Now, for what reason or reasons
was such elaborate preparation
deemed essential?
The only possible answer seems
to be that Adolf and Benito were
afraid OF being bombed from over
head, dynamited from underneath
or shot at from alongside. either
going or coming from Brennero.
Yet Brennero, away inland,
would appear to be pretty remote
from any locality over which Brit
ish planes might be expected to be
soaring. Consequently. Washing
ton observers guessing is that
John Bulls aviators must have
Der Fuehrer and II Duce more
scared than they'd imagined preH-
ously.
Only Partially Explanatory
That would account for the boil
er plate aloft and the anti-aircraft
guns.
But It doesn't explain the Nazis'
and Fascists' evident anxiety lest
one or the other or both of the two
trains be blown up from below. or
that somebody take a pot shot
through a car window laterally.
Tracks couldn't be mined and
sniping from the ground level
wouldn't be practicable except by
local German or Italian) talent.
The conclusion is that Adolf and
Benito are nightly suspicious Of
elements hostile to them in their
own respective countries. They
may not be large elements, but
even an individuals act is liable TO
dispose Of dictator, If the individ-
ual is willing TO take the eonse-
quences.
And there are such individuals.
Benito was shot at once land hit,
though not fatality and. not so
long ago, Adolf narrowly missed
being blown up at Munich.
A goodly number OF Germans
additionally have a decidedly anti
autocratic streak and the German
Jews certainly must hate Adolf.
Benito also, when he was getting
his start, was exceedingly rough in
suppressing the opposition to him.
Maybe some OF the folk whom the
Fascists castor-oiled during their
initial activities are still on the
lookout for chance to liquidate
him.
It's to be borne in mind that we
Americans and British have hardly
an idea how much anti-Hitlerism
and anti-Mussolini-ism may pre-
vail today in Germany and Italy;
their censorships keep the news
bottled up too tightly.
Official washingtons notion is
that, perhaps, Adolf and Benito
are sitting on domestic powder
kegs that we don't realize. Those
Brennero precautions, however. are
seen as limiting at the possibility
that Adolf and Benito realize all
about IL
Even the Japs
For that matter, folk who know
Nippon also are aware that the
Japanese are not. in general, as
totalitarian as their government
indicates.
For a long. long while the Jap
masses have been revolutionarily
sizzling against the military class,
which bosses the Mikado and his
ministry. The war in China hasn't
been a bit popular.
II the militarists succeed speed
lily in making a success Of their
tie-up with Germany and Italy.
they probably will get away with
1t. But let Germany and Italy
show any signs Of webbing, and a
Jap governmental overturning is
good proposition to bet on. It's
overdue. by generation.
When l lived in Japan. years
ago. Jap newspapermen. with
whom l mainly associated. already
were surreptitiously boosting for 1t.
The nub is:
Are these totalitarians as strong
as they appear to be? In fact. do
they themselves think they are7