Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-06-18
Experts
CIamoring
For Action
What Do They Know
About Action Situation?
BY HUGH s. JOHNSON

is to come back to the East and,
by soaking in the recent writ
ing of editors and Commentators,
missed on the trip, learn Of the
extreme pressure on our At
lantic Seaboard for immediate
engagement in shooting war.
OF course you don't have to
cross the continent to get a
smell of that. There is hardly
regular radio commentator on
either commercial or sustaining
programs whose editorial asides
and coloring of the news have
not been in that direction
There is almost none whose
output has been in the other di-
rection.
ONE learns in very short so.
" journ in New York that
even our President and state
department. faced with the dan
gerouS puzzle of a two-ocean
war with a one-ocean navy, are
being prodded and criticized for
not rushing out TO bring on
flaming action at once.
What do most of these pundits
know about the actual, military.
naval. economic and even in
ternational political values in
volved and their bearing on the
fundamental welfare and Sc
curity of this country?
They can't possibly know a
fraction of what the government
knows.
That is no cause for jubilation.
1t is something TO be deplored.
The deeper we get into this mess
the less the people will know
about the truth of situations on
which dreadful decisions are
made.
THE average commentator
Il whether for War-like inter-
vention or against twill know
little more. Nobody can applaud
that gloomy prospect.
But, remembering that they
know so little about these fate
full values and apparently care
so little about the convictions
and sentiment for the country,
the astonishing thing, after a
short absence from the East. is
TO observe the length TO which
war-minded interpreters of news
/ have gone in so short time-so
long distance beyond the
American people and. appar-
emily. also, beyond the Ameri-
can government.
Certainly the politicians and
most of the commentators AS
sured our people that the lease
lend bill was a measure TO avoid
shooting war.
The President himself went
/ far TO create that impression
Most Americans might cross
their fingers at the assurances
of lesser politicos. or even of the
columnist priesthood. but they
couldn't and didn't believe that
the President was pitching them
a curve. In that confidence dhe
lease-lend bill was passed.
THE ink was hardly dry on
l. lis signature before tho war
riors were crying for an immc-
date cavalry charge in headlong
action whether or not the peo-
pie might. by that, be shocked
10 learn that they had been de-
ceived.
1t begins to Took as though
the administration, unde
heavier responsibility, with bet
ter information and, perhaps,
better feel of public opinion ha:
a greater respect. first for rs
own representation and seconc
for the heaviest of all of its re-
sponsibilities, the ultimate de
Tense of the security and vel
fare of the American people.
There is an old cynical 20
litical saying that the people
like to be deceived.
1t may be true that they ad
mire the work of clever po
litical tight-rope walkers ant
artists of the flying trapeze
But nobody likes TO be lied Il
and defrauded against his owl
interest by insincere promise
and assertions. That is the rea
Interpretation Of the Landslide
that swept Mr.. Roosevelt int
office in 1882.
WHILE I have sometime
w been Satisfyingly right il
Judging that elusive thing callet
popular opinion. / also hav'
been so superlatively wronl
that l get more gun-shy ever,
year.
Just the same, after this trip
I will hazard a guess that Their
is a widespread and growinl
feeling in this country that w
have been diddled. bamboozled
ballyhooed and deceived int
an unnecessarily dangerous pc
sition on the one hand, and no
sufficiently or promptly enoug
prepared for the real dangers o
our future, and deceived abou
that also.
If that is so, neither as al
editor, columnist nor politician
would like to answer in a da
of public reckoning for that.
distributed by King Features synd., 1
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