Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-28
Nazis Triple
Output Of
Small U-Boa+s
Killers clustering Taken
More Into Account
BY PAUL MALLON


WASHINGTON, Feb. 28.-Hit-
w Ter tried TO make the world
believe he and 'Mussolini had
prepared a vast new swarm of
submarines which would sur
round and defeat the British
apparently without necessity of
invasion.
Der Fuehrer is such a liar,
his utterances are usually
laughed out of the headlines,
but this time the chuckles
around here did not run very
deep. Added information of
what he is talking about has
reached the well-informed. They
do not believe it means what
Hitler prophesied for Britain,
but it will cause some difficult
ties.
Germany has perfected a plan
devised by Italians for the mass
production of subs only ITO feet
long, less than half the size of
the old German U-boat. 1t can
be manned by IS men, whereas
the old 233-foot U-boat required
a crew of 40, the sea-going
U-boat (206 feeO necessitated
crew of 35, and the old coastal
class 136 feeD needed % men.
Furthermore this new shorter
boat has four torpedo tubes,
whereas the coastal had three.
sea-going five, and the big
U-boat six.
TNHE Nazi production fanatics
L have tripled their capacity
to manufacture these boats by
their shipyard seizures in the
occupied areas. How many they
now have ready and coming out
is not definitely known, but
rather direct information indi-
Gated some weeks ago they were
completing one a day. Some
Nazi zealots have claimed these
ships can be turned out n three
months, but more likely fig
ure is six months, which is
short enough when you consider
our submarines like the old
u boats, required 16 to IL
months.
1t has been fairly well estab-
lished that Hitler now has far
more of even large type subma-
rines than the 70 to 100 attri-
buted to him when the war
started. A February check
showed 120 completed and $50
building.
From this revealing informa-
ton, the experts guess the Ger
mans may be able to put three
or more times their original war
strength into the waters by
Spring when the seas calm and
permit freer operation of the
shorter vessels. While their
radius is not great, they might
be able to surround the British
Isles and sensationally increase
earlier war records of sinkings.
Such a development would
start pressure for American con-
voying fast.
MIR. ROOSEVELTS Directing
1Vl toe kicked out the Hobbs
bill designed to let every gov
eminent official be a wire tap
per. The President pointed to
the need for some restrictive
authority even on the F'BI in
cases of sabotage, espionage,
kidnapping and eXtortion.
He thought Attorney General
Jackson's O. K. would be enough.
But there may be some question
whether Jackson's acquiescencc
guarantees a valid non-poiitical
use of this un-American device.
Congress may require confiden-
tial reports from the A. T. and
T. to some truly non-political
agency as to whose wires are
being tapped ana why.
WENDELL WILLKIE and
~ Senator Nye- occupied adj
joining news columns the same
day, Willkie asserting with the
utmost conviction that the sell
lend-l e a cor give-away bill
would save the country from
war, and Nye insisting just as
sincerely it will lead to war.
To help straighten out the con-
fusion of readers, the following
is offered as a fair judicial in
terpretation:,
The bill pledges this country
TO do whatever is necessary for
a British victory This is its
whole purpose. If war becomes
necessary. it will be war: if a
million planes become necessary
instead of few thousand, il will
mean a million planes.
The amount of money IL is to
cost or the consequences it is to
entail are incidental to its single
purpose-as- will become APP
parent as soon as it is enacted.
II you are going 10 commit your
self TO another nations victory.
you must do whatever is neces-
sary to assure that victory as
matter Of course.