The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-01-26

Since the U. s. buys about 30 per cent of all Japan's products, including 90 per cent of her silk, this country is in position to deal Japan a terrific economic blow.
 However, the secret strategy of the State Department is to keep Japan guessing. They want to continue to drape the question mark over Japanese American re- lations.
 The last thing they want is the Pittman bill, which would embargo Japanese products. The senator from Nevada Is all ready to push this legislation through Congress and probably has the ability to do so. The State Department fears this will only bring a crisis in the Far East and win the United States nothing.
 If, on the other hand, the fear of such an embargo is kept dang ling over Japan's head, our Far Eastern experts figure they may eventually squeeze the Japanese military, and help the more mod- crate civilian and naval factins in Japan to form a government which will bring peace in- China.
 DETROIT CLEANUP
 The next big city cleanup to be started by the Justice Department will be in Detroit. It will get un- der way shortly after the Chris tian Front trials are finished in New York.
 Behind he-scenes fact is that Frank Murphy, while attorney general, hesitated about turning the crime spotlight on his old city because such a move might be interpreted as backslap at some of the city bosses who
 helped defeat him for governor of Michigan.
 However, when a Detroit woman killed herself and her child in the Detroit underworld, Murphy fin ally decided to move in. He had the G-men in Detroit several months before he stepped out of the Justice Department, and Bob Jackson his successor, is carry ing. on the cleanup preliminaries. CAPITAL CHAFF
 Wedding bells are expected to ring soon for Colonel Pink" Har- rington, WPA administrator, and brunette widow, Mrs. Frances Pearsons Rust. :. Frank Hook, the scrappy Michigan congressman who pointed to Martin Dies affili- ation with a fellow-traveler of the Christian Front, is a World War veteran and member of the Amer ican Legion. He is also a former Michigan municipal judge Most interesting Birthday Ball to be held on January 30 will be the Birthday Bawl' given by one- year old Alice Birney Robert daughter of Chip Robert, secretary of the Democratic National Com mittee. She was born on the same day as the President :. Star feature of the Presidents Birthday Ball will be a song by Walter O'Koofe on the third term. It is called "I Just Can't Smile for Four Years More"
 BALONEY ECONOMY
 Don't be fooled by the grandiose talk emanating from the House Naval Affairs Committee about a $500, 100000 cut in the new navy program. That's just baloney economy.
 The committee made the cut. all right, but it doesn't mean any, thing. It was just paper reduc- ton. Actually the navy hasn't used up its money voted last year. Here is what happened:
 The Naval Affairs Committee does not pass on naval appropria- tions. These are handled by the Appropriations Committee. Naval Affairs merely considers construc- ton plans. or as they are known technically, authorization meas ures". Before the Appropriations committee will recommend an ex- penditur, Congress must first pass the bill approving, or authoriz- ing the purpose for which the money is to be spent.
 There have been plenty of
 such authorizations which later
 were ditched by not granting
 funds. But an authorization Is
 a powerful weapon to wangle
 appropriations, and it's an old
 departmental strategy to put
 one through and then demand
 funds on the ground that Con-