The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-12-26

tOuQ uL1V SO Aol1g EdsOn that 1t got to be three times as tiresome as "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolff" after the first broadcast.
 Then came Pearl Harbor that you are admonished to remember, and Secretary of the Navy Knox's ad- mission that the fifth column work there was the most effective since Norway. That's what entities MT. Dies to his "ya ya' today.
 Congressman Dies is famed prin- cipaliy for his digs at the Commun- ists, and more recently for his ex- poses of NaSi activities. Most peo- pie won't recall that Dies ever raised much cain about the Japs and In that respect they'll be cor- rect, for the simple reason that the lid was put on the Dies Committee investigations of the Jap fifth col- umn in America before they had a chance to get started. The reasons for the putting on of the lid make interesting background in the light of recent developments.
 FBI TROUBLE
 The case goes back to some of the earlier Dies investigations. Some agencies of the government com plained that the committees open hearings were upsetting administra- tive applicants. Nearly all of the executive agencies bellyached at the accusations on Commlfhistic lean- ings of some of their employees, but the Department of Justice in par ticular, it seems, didn't like the way the Dies disclosures interfered with the work of the FBI. What the Justice boys claimed was that the open nature of the Dies activities iaterefered with the undercoyer work of the G-men.,
 According to Dies investigators, this complaint was carried to the White House and a deal was worked out. It was agreed that Dies would keep the White House informed of what he was up to. If for any req son 1t should seen advisable to put the shush on the committees do- ings, for fear of spelling something that the executive departments of the government knew about and were watching, then Dies would call oR his dogs and wait till the moon was right before taking up the hunt.
 Four months or 50 ago, the Dies investigators got interested in the activities Of the Japanese consuls and the Central Japanese Assocla- ton which seemed to be the prln- cipal organization of Japanese Americans in the United States. After getting a couple of Ale cabi- nets full of evidence and lining up some 50 witnesses to testify, Dies notified tho executive end of the government he would like to hold some hearings and show the coun- try what was going on.
 Back came word from Matthew F. McGuire, then acting attorney gen. cral, that approval could not be given to these hearings. The as- sumption was that 1t would interfere with the activities Of other depart- mentS of the government.
 Dies locked up his evidence and his Investigators told the witnesses to hold 1t for while.
 Time passed and nothing happen ed. A month or so ago, Dies called up the Departmnt of State and asked how about going ahead with the Jap investigation. The Nomura- Kurusu-H talks were in the offing then. Dies had to call of his hear ings again.
 ON THE OTHER HAND
 It is of course impossible to guess what might have happened if Dies had held his hearings on Japanese activities in America. Everyone might have yawned that Martin was at it again, and gone on dream ing. On the other hand, the hear ing might have had the good for- tune to wake everybody Up. Some of the Dies investigators evidence is rather sensational Japanese battle maps of the Pacific, U. s. fleet formations supposed to be sec cret, directories of every Jap in the United States, with his address and telephone number, handbooks Of diagrams and photographs of every ship in the U. s. Navy. All of this was material obtained from Japs resident on the west coast.
 Tn fairness, 1t should be made clear that the Dies Committee had nothing at all on Japanese activi- | tiaR fin Hawaii Their irVegkiRatorg weren't permitted to investigate there. But now that appeasing the Japanese no longer does any good, perhaps a more realistic attitude of the situation is permissible. If some of the Navy gold stripers had their way, the whole bunch of Japanese Americans would be rounded Up and put in concentra- ton camps. Such a proposal Sup- poSedly has been made to the White House.