Evening star., 1941-11-27

s3*sss"sSes's curing OF Group.
Henry McLemore. But today We
find ourselves agreeing with Burt
and Jerry, as they have never asked
us to call them. Speaking in the
calm, measured voices Of police
sirens (when We get Senator Wheel
er on the air we are never sure for
a moment whether We have dialed
in on a statesman or the latest
chapter of Gang Busters they have
come out against the Nays policy
of withholding information on the
sinking Of Axis raiders by American
warships.
The Navy, you know, announces
only one half of the score in the
Battle Of the Atlantic. We are event.
ually told what American ships are
hit or shot at by submarines, but
what happens to the enemy craft
Is kept secret. In announcing this
policy Of only giving so per cent of
the information the Navy said
something about this being a part
Of the war Of nerves" Evidently ths
Navy figures the strain placed on
Germany more than offsets the
strain placed on the curiosity Of the
American public.
Senator Nye Is agin' this So Is
Senator Wheeler who allows that it
displays a lack of confidence In
the people" We are inclined to
agree with them. Not so much on
the ground that the policy displays
lack Of confidence in Americans,
as on the ground that it displays
a lack of knowledge of the American
temperament.
Americans like to know what the
score is at all times. Perhaps the
"high-hush" business is all right for
Germans and Italians and other folk
who have been taught that CEN
sorship is lovely thing and that tho
best reading is that reading you
get between the lines, but it isn't
for this country. When one of our
ships bops an Axis fighter the best
thing to do is put it in the headlines.
It's all right to withhold the longi-
tude and latitude where the fight
took place, but let us have the de.
tails of the sinking.
If there is one characteristic
Americans have it is pride.
We are known from pole to pole
the best in everything. The average
American has never admitted to a
foreigner that this country couldn't
do anything better than any other
country, be it building bridges, pro.
ducing two-headed cows or brag-
g1ng.
For the Navy to announce only
the trouble that our ships get IN
is to fly in the face of this fine
American trait. Americans don't Like
to keep reading of how our boats
get banged about. They want to
know what happened to the fellow
who got fresh with us, what hap
pened to the gents who stuck their
chinS out and led at us with a
haymaker. Shucks, they want the
full details.
How cid our boats do against the
Axis boats? What kind of shooting
did they do? Did We answer the
challenge with a series OF rights
and lefts from all the guns? They
want to know how our sailors and
officers and boats and equipment
stack up against the enemy. II We
took care of the enemy let us have
the facts. Give us pictures showing
the enemy boats heading for the
bottom, and stories of the sailors Of
America throwing their Sunday
punches.
This country's pride In its Navy
wasn't built up by a concealing Of
the facts. 1t was built up by an
honest telling of what happened
and how the officers and men be-
haved under fire. If the present
Navy policy had been in fotse In
the past we nevers would have
known such spine -tingling battle
cries as Damn the torpedoesl" or
Don't give up the ship or, I'VE
have met the enemy and they are
ours" All We would have had would
be list of the casualties the enemy
inflicted.
It's all right to tell what the enemy
did. That's okay, because this hap
pens to country that can take it,
But it also happens to be a coun.
try that believes it can lick its
weight in dictators and wants to
know what our boys did when the
going got tough. 1t is pretty sure its
boys are doing all right and would,
like chance to say II told YOU So"
distributed by McNausht Syndicate, 1ncl
Wire Office InstuIIs