Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-12-09
Plan to Seize
French Bases
Hinted Here
Troops Now. Accessible
to Guiana. Martinique
BY PAUL MALLON

WASHINGTON. Dec. "a
w Roosev plan TO seize
French bases on this side of the
world has been simmering in the
martial machinery here for the
PAST few days.
Troops have been guardedly
shifted 10 points where they
could spring with ease upon
Martinique and French Guiana.
They were set in motion the
moment dispatches came out of
Vichy suggesting Petain might
weaken and let Hitler use
French bases in Africa.
The Vichy dispatches put
great emphasis upon Petain's
refusal to give up the French
fleet, but greater accent was
placed here on the suggested
b ase surrender. 1t implied
French bases in this hemisphere
might no longer be secure in
Petain's hands.
THE British are getting amply
l. reorganized to crush NaZi
General Rommel in Libya after
the initial discouraging results
of their hopeful campaign. Their
slogan is to give Rommel to
Churchill as Christmas pres
emit" AS the slogan implies,
they hope for decisive action
within the next two weeks.
Their new scheme contem-
plates the full help Of the navy,
in coordination with land at
tack. The Mediterranean fleet
is being thrown in fully upon
Rommels line of supplies along
coastal roads back to Bengal
and even Tripoli.
If the British get Rommel,
Hitler will feel decidedly I'M
comfortable in those French
African bases, protected largely
by alarmed natives and the
exceptionally speedy Italians.
ONE tax which possibly may
" not be collected is the levy
aimed at more American citi-
Zens than any other-the So
yearly use tax on autos. 1t
would hit 100000 car owners
lthree times as many people as
pay income taxes.)
The treasury has been scratch
ing its head, wondering how to
collect such a cumbersome levy.
1t has turned over to private
statistical organization the oner-
Gus duty of mailing out 10000
900 demands. and announced
that certified checks (no others)
will be accepted in payment,
although income taxes may be
paid with any kind of check
except a rubber one.
But the House deficiency sub
committee has been deliberately
looking the other way. every
time the treasury and the bud
get director has demanded a
S4500,000 appropriation to pay
the cost of collection. The bud
get request was sent up weeks
ago and no action has been
taken. Time is short. First
payments for five-twelfths OF
the year are due February l.
Meanwhile a repeal movement
has been started by Rep. Jed
Johnson Of Oklahoma. In both
the treasury and Congress, there
are apparently growing num-
Der of officials who think this
nuisance tax outstrips all other
now prevailing nuisances in an
noyance value.
HITLER will have more trou-
IL BILE getting those French
bases than he had in getting
the promise of them. The SUI
periority of the British fleet in
the Mediterranean means he
will have to fight his way
across to them, and then fight
to keep them. The British have
Stunned French North African
bases for diplomatic as well as
military reasons (the difficulty
of getting at them. But if they
pass to German hands, they will
become enemy territory.
Watch Spain for evidences OF
further Nazi diplomatic agrees
sion. 1t would be easier for
Hitler to maintain Mediter-
ranean naval bases there than
in French Africa, and the first
suggestions that he knows that
fact have been coming out Of
Spain in diplomatic pouches.
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