Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-14
Truth on War
Brings Load
OfObiections
Ask More Victory News
but Maps Don't Lie
By HUGH =. JOHNSON

TO be making mountains out
of molehills" by talking too much
of two little Setbacks" at the be-
ginning of a long war-referring
10 our defeat at Hawaii and in
the Philippines and the British
disasters in the Far East.
The complaint in my fan mail
is that / talk too much Of these
and too little of our "triumphS'
like the Russian resistance and
the one in MacaSSar Straits and
in the battle of production on
the home front.
The truth is that I know
little about our "triumphs except
that part that is officially given
out. But / can look at a map
and in my earlier years, was
trained TO read one with special
emphasis on its military aspects.
We were all given to under
stand that we would follow Brit
ish strategy tho Far East. 1t
was easy 10 see that the whole
of that combined strategy was
based on holding the Japanese
in check by use of the naval and
supposed air supremacy we
thought we could pool and that
all that depended on vastly eX-
tending our lines of naval and
air action by use of the great
naval bases and depotS, particu-
larry al Singapore and Honolulu
and. 10 an extent. Manila.
is TT a little setback" TO
have The basis Of our whole
world-Strategy shot out from
under our feet in a few weeks
time2 Pearl Harbor is not
permanently impaired but our
losses there. combined with
British naval losses off Malaga
whl,tleS away our naval SUI
premacy and tho loss of SInga-
pore as base reduces the area
Of our naval effectiveness by
$500 miles
our supposed aerial Suprcm-
aCy Is proved 10 be something
in the future and. even then.
without sufficient bases. that
has yet 10 be proved
Like everyone else this writer
was thrilled Al the headlines Of
Nazi rcycrScs IN Russia but
when YOU look AZ the map you
see that the ground recovered *
about one->eventh OF the ground
lost.
While This includes some
highly important key-poIntS no
military student could look at
that map and sec much menace
10 the essential military posi-
ton OF the NaziS.
The British capture Of Ben
CaSl 10 which Mr. Churchill
pOlRIcd AZ his excuse for not
preparing dcfenScS of Singapore
and why We were not better
prepared in the Philippines and
Hawaii. isn't nice 10 talk about
any more II j. the Germans
who hold BenCaSi
British purpose 10 keep the
life line Of empire open isn't
TOO promising one prong Of II
ran through tho Mediterranean
and the other through MacaSSar
Straits. The former has been
too dangerous for years TO be
commercial life line and tho lat
ter is now Of about as much
value.
4 MOTHER looming danger j.
n what may happen IN China
# the Burma Road. now Sorcly
threatened is cut. One great
strength Of that resistance was
the faith Of Chang kal-Shck
and his people IN his white al
lies
10 American who has not
lived in the Orient can imagine
the value or face or strong
outward appearance 10 an Orr
entail Once that Is gone from
man or a people, there is A So
we're back-Sliding in the esteem
OF eastern peoples
We have recently lost II by
land slides. II certainly cant
help the logged defensive deter
Of the Chinese
Now the question Of this col
umn Is. should all this be CLOSED
over or withheld from this coun-
try? II II were nation dis 4
Couragcd and fighting IN the last
ditch perhaps yes. But u X a
nation that seems scarcely 10
realize that II is IN a war and
totally indifferent TO It's own
dangers and obligation.
Not one Of these things
sheHld be exaggerated bur II
never did any person or any
people harm TO tell them the
rough unvarniShed truth.
Distributed by King Features synd Inc.
Reproduction In whole or IN part
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