Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-07
GiIded Stain
Still! a Liar
TO johnson
Warned Of Buying
a Pig in a Poke \
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON


~ 60 TO Moscow. are person
ally conducted about the an
cient city, finally wind up with
a graciously received visit by
the bloody Stain and come
away, almost invariably burst
ing with confidence about Rus
sian resistance and ultimate
victory. Then they come home
TO sell this country a bill of
goods.
1t all may be O. *, but ii
seems 10 me TO contain an ele-
ment of great gullibility and the
possibility of one of the great
est bookings one nation ever got
from its own representatives.
How can a rather naive young
man like Averell Hartman tell
what Russian powers of resist
ance are by listening through an
Interpreter 10 a man who, eX-
cepting only Adolf Hitler. has
proved himself the biggest liar
and double-croSser in our gen.
Grafton?
THIS is a strange war. There
i have been few others IN
which even neutral nations have
not had some military observers
with the field armies. and so far
as l know there have been none
where allied, or associated, or
friendly powers have not had
them.
Subjected 10 increasingly rigid
censorship and control. the press
of such countries also has fol-
lowed the armies. | may be
wrong. but | have not heard OF
any OF our missions (Which have
gone to Russia 10 determine
whether we should pass them
out a few billions in armament,
even in advance of our own ma
tlonal defenSe) being allowed TO
observe the armies and the
fighting in the field.
IF THAT isn't buying a pig in
L a poke, l don't know an ex-
ample.
/ keep asking myself. as /
look at the map OF Europe and
Asia, if we were planning this
war ourselves, would We be
sending vast quantities war
materials we so Sorely need our
selves through the three almost
abSurdly . impossible routes 10
Russia, without knowing more
of the military situation than
this?
On our lives We wouldn but
we are not conducting the STRAIT
egy OF ,thiS war.
Mr. Churchill is. and as for
his information derived from
the Beaverbrook mission -
know Lord Beaverbrook and |
wouldn't care any more for his
military conclusions got in this
way than / would for Mr.. Harri-
man's--and that isn't much.
ONE almost incredible aspect
~ Of these pro-consular re-
ports TO our republic is the OBJ
vlous effort TO sell" our people
the frankness. geniality. cordial
ity and general deslrability as
an associate like Stain
In war. YOU can't look ar the
piety Of the sources from which
help comes. You leave those
questions until LATER.
But that doesn't mean that
you have 10 fool yourself into a
sort OF Sloe-eyed innocent in
the meantime.
This half-savagc Georgian is
one of the bloodieSt. most cruel,
treacherous tyrantS and anti
religioniSts the world has ever
produced. His fingers drip with
the blood OF more of his own
countTymen IMAM any other
murderous despot.
The idea Of suddenly discover
ing IN him. on one visit TO Mos
COW, or pretending to the
American people 10 have dlscov-
cred acceptable qualities is nau-
seating, and the people who in
tttt1r1r- ZCdt no that SCCm 10 nave
lost all sense Of human values
and American principle and
precedent.
Maybe IL is necessary for us
10 60 wholly crazy and stop
thinking altogether in order 10
90 10 war, but you can be sure
that the cool. crafty brains Of
such men as Stain and Hitler
don't do that-or they do 1t in
avery different way.
Distributed by King Features synd. Inc.
Reproduction IN whole or IN part
strictly prohibited.
------a-------
To have a thing is nothing II
you've not the chance 10 show
il.