The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-07-23

The worst damage we could do. Hitler would be to let him go through with his threat to hold out on the Mutual radio chain. And all our broadcaSting facilities .. He needs our airwaves for his propagan da, and we don't need him any more than we need any recognized liar <. That was smart business of the 3l Coast stations to shut oil his Friday mania. The excuse, a good one, was that our U. S. facilities should not be used ito help him justify his crimes against ciyiliza- tion." We have pampered him long enough, giving him liberties for his campaign of terror that would land American speakers in jail :. To repeat, Hitler would be seriously hurt without 6 pipe line into the U. s. Let's give him his wish.
 The press should crack down on him, too. Impartial reporting, the American way, has been right up Germany's dirty alley .-. Hitler'S releases are respected (because he's news), cabled here and printed k. z. If Roosevelt and Willkie dared to use the U. s. press to plug their causes in the same way they'd have their ears pinned back by every edi- torialist in the business Since the beginning of the war, Berlin has always been first to claim victories. Eventually, most of these claims are nailed as lies, but too late. The word had reached the scared countries, and that made them riper for cap ture when his murderers came. Say it again: Help Hitler keep his mouth shut.
 Walter Duranty warned in Satur- days Times of the swell service the Ratzis are getting from U. s. cor- respondents abroad. The Huns are working Bucharest now There, says Duranty, they plant rumors of Soviet thievery in Rllmania; of 8 Soviet-Turkey row-anything that will work up trouble helpful to the Reich ''These reports" added Duranty, "are being freely sent from Bucharest by simple-minded cor respondents who fail to guess Ger many'S game" Unfortunately, some of the simple are over here-on the staffs of our dailies.
 The first job of the Fifth Column is to undermine the authority of the country under attack. And the best way of doing that is to imper- sonate its officials. This technique, so successful in Norway, Belgium, Holland and France, has made its first appearance in the United States.
 Imposters, representing them selves as Army and Naval Intelli- gence oficers-or G-men-are oper- ating among you. They will tell you they are hunting the Fifth Column, and they excuse their lack of cre- dentials by saying that they are un- dercover agents. This is to warn you all that no such assignment or job is possible in this democracy. It is not within the constitutional powers of the U. s. Government to employ an unidentified man for an. -un- specified task. It is not within the statutory powers of the departments to carry anonymous or unaccount- able employees. AS fixed policy, no G-man or worker in the Federal Bureau of Investigation operates without credentials or without the knowledge of his superior offlcer.
 In snort: Be sure and communi- cate at once with your local FBI before you agree to cooperate with any person who asks you to help protect your country. Don't let any, one mislead you. Check up on the man who wants you to help hunt the Fifth Colum He may be, the man he's pretending to hunt!