Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-04
Silence
On Sinkings
Harmful
johnson Believes Public
Should Be Told
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

warships? They certainly have
been. having a lovely open sea-
son on our destroyers.
Our early official reports OF
some of these attacks certainly
wouldn't win any Sunday school
motto cards for honesty--as
later official utterances have
themselves confirmed.
The public has been fed its
information bit by bit and al
ways In such a way as at least,
at first. to create an impression
of unprovoked attack on inno-
Gently operating American naval
vessels.
Now we are told that reports
of American sinkings of Ger
man submarines are military
secrets. The idea advanced is
that the British. with all their
exper ence in antisubmarine
warfare, in war of nerves"
on the NaZis, never tell their
own people what has happened
to the subs. and therefore
neither should we.
I1TSNAY! or some other rude
" expletive. The British have
given plenty of reports of the
sinking and even capture of Ger
man submarines, complete with
photographs. They have an
nounced the deaths of the most
daring Nazi submarine COM
manders.
If this were a ban on the time
and location and circumstances
of such sinkings, il could be
understood. but in the war of
nerves" what gives more comfort
TO the enemy=a- constant sue
-cessieR of reports of American
losses of some splendid and some
less splendid ships, also some
times replete with photographs
and with all specifications of time
and circumstance, more or less
truthfully given, or a few indi-
cations Of what these ships of
ours are doing to any who chal-
lenge them?
There is such thing also as
conceding something TO the
pride or self respect OF the
American people.
THE effect IL not the purpose
Il of this furtive and wholly
indefensible policy OF silence.
If not deceit, at this time is 10
create an impression that
American armed ships are sail
ing submarine-infected seas with
some motto at their mast
heads as strike us on one cheek
and we will turn the other" 1t
Is curious also that this alb
surdity should be having its
active life while the neutrality
debate is active in Congress.
This column never espoused
the Neutrality Act as anything
more than an expedient for sur
render of traditional maritime
rights. 1t long ago argued that
after the passage of the lend
lease act il had become obso-
lete. but il never could and
never did hold with any such
finagling as this as way to get
il repealed.
If you haven't been told any,
thing in confidence and didn't
feel bound not only by that con-
fidence but by the administra-
tons own policy Of publicity
releases. and if. at the same
time. you had a pretty good idea
of the efficiency and hard-hit-
ting qualities of the United
States Navy. you would know
from conjecture merely that our
navy has done plenty 10 Mr..
Hitler's submarines and will do
plenty more.
WASHINGTON is humming
w with stories Of devastating
American naval action for which
il seems to be possible to get
no official confirmation. OF
course. some of them must be
exaggerated, but equally prob
ably, many OF them are true.
The only reasonable explana-
ton of this mumbo- jumbo is
certainly not the one given
that it excites Hitler's nerves.
II is that admission of attack by
us might drag Japan into her
anti-aggression obligation with
Hitler in case another power at
tacks him. But haven't we proof
enough that he has already at
tackled US? Let's have a few
facts.
Distributed by King Features synd.. Inc.
Reproduction in whole or m part