The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-11-17

and aWOke the
next morning to tackle the job of
staving off popular over-optimism.
The administration obviously
seeks to give the impression that II
picked its time for launching our
northwesterly African invasion
well in advance Of the actual be-
ginning Of the offensive and sprung
it precisely at the selected moment
have my personal doubts OF
the accuracy OF this version.
The administration folk knew. to
a datehne. just when they had a
congressional election coming on.
Naturally they likewise knew to a
certainty that If. as the November
3 polling places were in the very
act Of opening, the voters had been
informed Of our new African oper-
alton. they'd have registered an abb
solutely unprecedented victory.
Instead the African performance.
though literally already in its in
cipiency still was a secret, from
the administration itself. I'd guess.
and the party got a kick in the
stats that was a record-breaker.
Military Decision
Now. it's all very well to con-
tend that our administration is toe
high-minded to let little matter
like a congressional majority figure
in its reasonings relative to war
strategy: only I'm betting that a
trifing question of November ., 3
or wouldn't have Influenced that
African announcement, II WASH
ington had had 1t available on cleo
ton eve. Instead. the disclosure
would have been militarily advan-
tageous to us. from the legislative
standpoint
No. our sea, aviation and poten-
tial land invasion commands clear
ly discerned the democracies' pos
sibilities Of huge gain against the
Axis by an instant swipe at the
enemy and took a crack at It on
their own responsibility.
Right now beaten candidates at
the last congressional election are
complaining that they were licked
because Uncle Sam was so slow in
breaking into offensive belliger-
ency. And. at the very time that
these speeches were being written.
he was landing in northwestern
Africa-but the speeches authors
didn't know II.
Administration spokesman aren't
afraid even yet badly enough in re-
verse to make a speedy democratic
victory over the Axis a practical
ity.
They're not afraid that we won't
win. but that we won't win fast
enough
It's interesting to note that our
Latin American neighbors are lin
ing up with US more and more SOL
idly. Argentina as we know. has
been a little balky. but northwest
ern Africa is a closer associate Of
the Argentine Republic than we
are. II we're going to dominate
that bulge" it'll pay the Argen-
tinos to get in cahoots with us
Along the South American east
coast they speak OF "Africanos-"
They consider the white folk
there as part Of themselves-which
they are. indeed.
Frances Hold Insecure
And Spain figures in it.
Spanish Dictator Franco is to-
talitarian. but his country is prin-
cipally democratic. as know from
former residence there. He licked
his democracy in a hard civil war.
However, he doesn't hold it very
vigorously Herr Hitler himself
has served notice that he doesn't
intend TO interfere there.
1t all mixes into Africa mate
rally.
Brazil "a traditional friend Of
this country and the northwest
ern African continent are very
closely tied together. with the
u. SsDA- ---- -