Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-30
Officials
Expect Less
Than War
'MelIoo Says II Depends
on RooseveIt's Acts
BY PAUL MALLON

constitutes 0eCldTdtlOn Oh UNI
| limited naval warfare against
Germany. a war that can be
carried right up to Nazi shores
il the President wants.
First, at the start of this war,
Mr.. Roosevelt was only scouting
our offshore territorial waters.
Next he extended his defense
patrol 10 an indefinite zone
further out.
Then he acquired the bases
from Britain and moved his
fighting zone out near the mid
Atlantic under a hemisphere de-
Tense theory.
Lastly, he pushed upward into
Iceland. Now the Senate repeal
proposes 10 take off all the linn
its and let him 60 as far as he
likes.
While this must plainly mean
war. unlimited naval and air war
in the Atlantic. to every con-
Scious man in the street, Off
cialdom here expects il TO be
something considerably less. OF
course il will depend upon what
Mr.. Roosevelt chooses 10 do.
OFF-THE-RECORD officials
" suggest all the President
wants now is to convoy Ameri-
can merchant ships right up to
British ports. Their safely
while loading and unloading, is
supposedly TO be left TO British
aircraft.
In fact. they say, most Amer
lean merchant ships are too busy
in Latin America and the far
eastern trade TO be spared for
this work. Consequently they
reason that the psychological eff
feet of the new program will be
greater than the practical effect.
Their expectations are further
strengthened by the fact that
British ship sinkings were lower
in August and September than
in any two previous months of
the war. Obviously the British
did not require this step. Indeed.
no practical necessity for it has
been offered in any of the de-
bates.
Nevertheless. the legal extern
sion of our defense zone to the
shores of Britain and beyond.
entails the responsibility of
fighting in that new area-the
extent of fighting being re-
stricted only by the remaining
law against another AEF going
out of this hemisphere. and the
Presidents undisclosed naval
and air intentions. ------
GONE mighty choice names are
~ on that Dies m m e
list of supposedly subversive
government officials which is
being guarded more closely than
Mr.. Morgenthau's gold pile. To
give you an idea, those who have
had a quick glance at it, have
noticed the mention OF no less
personages than:
. Robert M. Lovett, secretary
of the Virgin Islands.
. Louis Bloch. member, mari
time labor board.
. Paul Appleby. under-secre-
tary of agriculture.
The machinery of the govern
ment is apparently grinding TO
/ get out all against whom SUBJ
versive activities can be proved.
but it may grind exceedingly
slow. Rumors and counter
rumors that many have already
been required TO walk the plank
are in circulation. but the
situation is far from that.
The Dies list of 1.124 federal
employees has been turned over
10 the FBI for investigation.
The FBI has reports from other
quarters mentioning many other
employees and these are being
investigated.
The Dies list is not considered
official proof upon which 10 act
IL names oniy-thoSe-ceHAccrpd
with Communist front organiza-
tons, often masked as innocent
peace outfits. When the FBI
finds better proof. il will submit
an official black list TO depart
ment directors for action. This
will take long time.
THE only honest, objective dis
Il closure of the trade secrets
OF Washington reporting and
censorship that l have ever read
is Delbert Clark's new book,
Washington Dateline."
Others have tried the subject
but always with pre-conceived
notions Of what they wanted 10
prove. AS a result they pro-
duced the distorted picture they
sought.
Here is a New York Times
deskman (they are always more
objective than reporters) who
has seen the game of news and
censorship played every night
for 20 years.
He knows all the tricks and
tricksters, and he exposes then
with a devastating factual sin,
cerity and deep love for the
good of the game.
His work will become the