Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-04-30
DOROTHY
THOMPSON
Tells Why:
Rio Gronde's Other Side
Texans Chief Worry

III PASo. Tex. April 3o-out
- here on the Mexican border
people are worrying less about
Greece. the Balkans, North Africa,
and even the Atlantic. and more
Of what Is gong on just over
and sometimes across =r'le Rio
Grande. Is all part Of HItler's
Vaccinations, however.
Local and federal authorities
are looking for some Germans who
have beer shopping IN Texas for
queer things that innocent or IN
patriotic Americans might he
willing 10 sell them. Parachute
six for instance
Apart from such little incidents.
there Is continual evidence that
re Nazls are working overtime n
NeNco ana from Mexico as Il
tsSs are establishing contacts WITH
-sS Ss~tS G Texas. Through them
E-ss- 6es, - N5Zl propaganda
>ss -s-st-a.eS Texas itself. ard
s--,-s S-rsL minority Hitler : {
~ a. ,-.s--st.o1sl character.
-sNE-s W.. -sSs.s ycG WITH story
1--s- So Eec-- tire nee little
l-s-E- kcss--eSS. :o- instance
nc AS So ,sye, wHo spent
- - sEca;lc-S - Mexico and
t-Evs-ss - e-is. visit q Ger
-,s-y - l-NG-1' li-er = : cabin
"a wo1,6 have cosi halt 4 year
ssls-I, When She came home she
vas plached by the FBI.
l. would be an eNaggeration 10
say that Texas residents are hyS-
terically nervous. but they are
soberly concerned. and the most
intelligent of them have no illu-
sions whatsoever that this is
European struggle" or that the
Western Hemisphere is in no way
involved
On the other hand. they take
comfort in the presence of the
----soCs Texas army camps.
&-e-e 8 remarkably husky and
psryorz-.s mass CO selected serv-
- Ter are beng trained for
K-a-svs- --Ett happen Fort
5-ss. a. z paso. IS a city with
ECO -ec-1its. Barracks. tent
res. --esS -alIs are already built.
I'D I hostess house and recrea-
r11 center are going up. Every
c-.rg Is very handsome, spotless,
solid ard imposing The papers
thls morning carry pictures OF the
rev light tanks recently arrived.
DY UNIVERSAL agreement, the
~ morale of the men in the Fort
Bliss encanpment is extraordi-
narily high. Most of them come
from the Southwest area, and
they are as handsome and healthy
a crowd of men as l have ever
seen. 1t seemed to me that the
average. height was 6 feet. and
remembering the Poilus and the
Tommies Thad seen in France last
year, whose bodies, bones and
teeth contrasted disadvantage
ously with the Nazi soldiers, all of
whom looked in the pink. it was a
comfort to see some soldiers for
Democracy that look as though
they could lick anything alive.
When ! asked one OF the Off
GERS About morale. he said you
cCsud always judge that by the
number of men in the guard house.
It turned out that out OF 21.000
men exactly so were in the guard
house yesterday, and for minor
misdemeanors.
GENERAL SWIFT allowed me
VI TO participate in a problem"
which involved the capture of a
well-the source of water for a
battalion. The well was, theo-
retically, guarded by a few men
with machine guns, and we-who
were the enemy-were to capture
them. It was desert warfare with
a vengeance involving a lightly
armored scout car that ploughed
across the desert over and around
hummocks-they call them bond
boxes out hereof mesquite and
greasewood, and before il was
over l was full Of sympathy for
Anzacs fighting in Lydia, and con-
siderably black and blue.
/ discovered that the horse is
not outlawed by modern mechan-
lied warfare. Armed horsenen
tore across the desert al 80 miles
an hour. while our car shook the
dayllghts out Of US al four or five
miles.
SOLDIERS. eating a meal in the
~ desert. cooked over folding
stoves and wood fires. were faring
eXcellently-corned beef hash.
stewed tomatoes. beans. bread and
jam, coffee and canned apricots.
all transported on horseback. The
men seemed 10 me 10 be ENJOYING
& rather serious picnic.
And the camp has furnished a
lot Of activity for the women of