Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-17
Japs Believed
Too Smart to
Invade India
Subdue Nation,
MaIlon Declares
BY PAUL MALLON

NnclncI lHe JdpS VIII dC-
cept the invitation implied in
midas weakness is a matter for
reconsidered speculation.
From a political standpoint
they have about as much chance
of subduing the whole of India
as the ants have of reducing
the Rocky Mountains.
From a military standpoint
they could get temporary
measure of control by occupa-
ton of a few road entrances
leading into the endless interior.
Occupation of Calcutta, Mad
ras, Ceylon and Bombay would
give them at least a hold on the
pulses of the country.
If they tried 10 go into the
interior they would encounter
problems several times as eX-
tcnsive as those which they
have not yet conquered in China.
THEY can get the industry OF
the country by an even
simpler process of occupying
everything around Calcutta.
But they cannot get the people.
The Indians are great passive
resisters, the best in the world.
The resisting they have done to
the British will be nothing to
what they will do TO the Japs.
Their passivity can be ex-
pected to be even more de-
vastating against the kind of
oppression which the Japs will
bring them, than against hege-
mony which the British exer-.
cised.
Certainly one good thing the
Japs need now is TO be stuck on
two boundless flypapers, instead
of one as in China. That is
what they will get if they go in.
And the Japanese general staff
cannot be unaware of it.
THE sellout of Petain, which
L raises Laval to the active
dictatorship of what is left of
the French nation, was a typi-
cally unfathomable French po-
litical transaction to me.
If Petain had heard about -the
bad situation in India and had
been perturbed about the bomb
ings of Malta, he might have
dropped a word in official
sources to indicate his transfer
nation. He did not.
As * came. the news was an
utter shock TO Washington. They
had plenty of advance notice
that the French fleet might be
lost piece by piece in dribletS.
but they had no indication that
the ogre of the French people
might take over the destiny Of
France and of our diplomatic
detectives there.
What Laval will do can only
be judged by his acts. not by
the forecast of his ability. The
natural expectation is that he
will trade the French fleet over
to the Nazis. ship by ship. for
what he can get. That is his
way.
| AVAIL is first and last
IL French politician, In re-
cent years he has violently
hated the British. He is re-
ported 10 have said only few
months ago:
For my program to succeed,
the British must be crushed.
While he is anti-British. he is
not pro-anything except pro-
Laval Laval is his great love.
He realizes that TO push Laval
ahead now requires the help and
support of Hitler, and Laval
will do what is required TO get it.
If you try to catch Laval you
are catching a snake. and what
YOU need is a moose and no de-
auctions.
MR. ROOSEVELT really tore
4'I Jesse Jones apart. in an in
demonstrating executive order
last Tuesday. The announce
ment was so technical and COM
plicated. observers gave itup as a
too complicated job land not a
very important one either).
But Milo Perkins. Vice PreSi-
d cnt Wallace's executive in
charge of the Board OF Economic
Warfare interpreted il As giving
him such broad grants of power
he could hardly believe what the
order said He was left breath
less but important.
The order gave the Board OF
Economic Warfare authority To
prosecute the war in any way il
saw fit. and 10 Mr.. Perkins,
that meant me
The Board Of Economic War
n o. constantly nurScd 4 long
by Vice President Wallace. has
been growing unnotiCed. Its en-
Culiment Of the hitherto all
powerful Jesse Jones Thought
by wise observers TO be only the
start. Other agencies may soon
disappear into Mr.. Wallace's or
ganiZation.