Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1942-12-10
Wendell Willkie
and GlObal Politics
BY Frank Ceruasi
(WNU Feature-Through special arrangement
with Golfers Weekly


the Middle East was the second of
two memorable events during the
last days of August and early Sep
TENDER. The first, of course, was the
defeat of Rommel's Afrika Korps.
This, among other things, caused
stocks to rise on the Cairo Bourse.
The victory over Rommel re-
moved an immediate threat to
Egypt and at least put our side in
a position to resume the initiative
as they say in treatises on war.
The enemy lost a considerable guam
tity of men and weapons. The myth
of RommeIs invincibility was de-
stroyed in a brief hot battle which
was over almost before anybody
knew it had begun. 1t was as brief
as it was hot and almost as destruc-
tive to the German war machine as
a short circuit in a generator.
There's no tendency here, how
ever, for the British to overestimate
the damage done to the Afrika Korps
or to underestimate Rommels abil-
ity to recuperate.
Two Events Collide.
The two events-the victorious
battle and Wilkes arrival-coincid-
ed so closely that they became con-
fused. The newspaper boys hardly
had time to cover the first event
before it telescoped into the second,
and they were very busy with the
second. The blitz visit was crammed
with statements, interviews, recep-
tons, appearances before still and
movie cameras, radio talks, calls
on diplomats and kings, conferences
with politicians, soldiers and more
diplomats.
Short as it was, the correspond
ents worked harder and longer dur
ing Wilkes visit than at any time
while away from the fighting front.
Willkie shook up their livers.
He sassed the censors, made for
NAL diplomatic calls in a lounge
suit instead of the sacred striped
pants and tail coat of tradition.
He managed to impart to nearly ev-
erything he did an atmosphere of
clambake. Censorship, motivated
by the sheer necessity for keeping
Berlin in the dark as to Wilkes
views about political and military af-
fairs in the Middle East, prevented
details of his visit from becoming
known. This article is an attempt
to supply some of those missing de-
tails.
In any other setting, the breezy
politician might have seemed a
heroic figure, remarkable for his
frankness and sincerity. In the Mid
die East, however, with its tradi-
tons of reticence, its computations
of secrecy in political and military
matters, Wilkes act didn't quite
come off. He was usually out of
character and seemed, most of the
time, a huge and handsome bull in
store full of porcelain images.
Every time he moved, you wanted
to warn him that he might break
something.
Willkie, Image Breaker.
He did some good but he also broke
few images. The damage oc-
Cured despite the presence in his
cruise crew of Joseph Barnes, soft
spoken former newspaper man who
now is an official in the Office of
War Information. Joe was the con-
science of the party, small voice
which kept saying: ''Be careful,
Wendell! Somebody might be try
ing to sell you bill of goods. Watch
what you say and remember this is
a British battlefield and they are the
bosses here"
Calls on King Farouk.
He didn't prevent Willkie, how
ever, from calling on His Majesty
King Farou., of Egypt in an ordinary
suit, or from having himself photo
graphed in sloppy bush shirt, bag
gy pants and an outsize sun helmet,
with German prisoners who stood
rigidly at attention and regarded
him with considerable GOODNESS.
Wilkes first plunge into Middle
East affairs happened in the
marbled hall of the impressive head
quarters of the United States forces
in North Africa, formerly the home
of wealthy Egyptian family. The
active and passive press, uniformed
and ununiformed, male and female,
American and foreign, were there
about seventy strong. Even the
Times of London came; so did Brit
ish and American censors.
Willkie, in summer-weight sin
gle-breasted suit, his pants belt tight
around his middle, his hair runpled,
and looking very much a man Of
the people in his white shirt and un-
remarkable necktie, sat on a chair
before table set on the first land
ing of staircase that swept upward
behind him. There was shaft of
light on his face from an open door.
He treasured us that the Yankees
were doing well.
Then he turned prophet. He an
nounced that, in his opinion, Hitler
was way out on limb and that the
tide had turned against the enemy