Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-01-06
u. S..Warned
Of Inaccurate
War Reports
T ell Public The Truth,
Gen. johnson Urges
BY HUGH s. JOHNSON

BY HUGH =. JOHNSON ~
MO ONE disputes necessity for
~ absolute military secrecy on
position and movements OF ships
and troops. especially when they
are not known 10 the enemy. No
one will argue that military and
naval authorities must decide
suppression of news in their own
unlimited discretion.
But il is equally As important
that the civilian population have
complete confidence IN those au-
thoritlcs and that. while II is
necessary "a maiantaln such lack
Of information as might fool the
enemy, we must not give the inn
precision of trying TO fool our
people.
The early reluctance 10 give
out any information about the
? disaster at Pearl Harbor didn't
set we'll with press and public.
Even when il came. II didn't
even pretend 10 be complete II
never has been completed As 10
the extent Of airplane losses.
Furthermore. in appralSlng
both that catastrophe and lis
SequelS IN The Philippines. and
perhaps 10 the British battle
ships Prince Of Wales and Re-
pulse and tho threat 70 SinCa-
pore, the first two AT least have
been played down -
WE ARE being told that the
w Philippines couldn't he held
anyway and that our twin dis
aSterS in the Pacific are "JuSt
the usual losses Of democracieS'
Of the first battles OF a cam
paalgn.
They werc very much more
than thar There * every indi-
cation that up 10 Pearl Harbor.
tho Allies relied strongly on
great air fleet in Oahu 10 support
both Singapore and LuIon.
At least, and without warning
very drastic steps We're taken
Immediately after Pearl Harbor.
such as tho han on tho purchase
NJ automobile tires. Something
had happened that rendered our
supply of rubber far more doubt
full
A few days earlier il had been
announced that Macarthur would
command tho Far East Before
the news was cold tho yellow
hordcS We're Swarming over him
right on tho heels Of Pearl Har-
Dor, and no sufficient air force
came 10 his relief Also the feet
promptly disappeared and no
word of II has been heard
WITH Singapore bcloaCuered
w or taken our feet could
not possibly fight the japanese
feet of Japan II would have
no Far Eastern base and il Is
20 ho observed that even tho
British are not hotthng up any
more important ships IN SinCa-
pore
If. As * now said and has been
SAID IN this column for years the
Philippines could not be held
why did We risk sacrifice Of such
great soldiers as Macarthur and
Wainwright and thousands nf
Americans and loyal FilipinoS
and the city Of Manila hy de-
Struction?
We are told that when We
get INTO our stride We VIII take
them hack II is lot easier 20
lose a position aS strong as that
one by insufficient supply and
garrison than n Is 10 take II
back so far from home
Nv cry Informed observer
II knows that No have Suf-
fcred in the Pacific more than
the usual initial setback Of
domOcraCieS. We have lost the
iumpinG-od places on which our
strategy was based
Al is by no means lost In
the conquest Of Singapore and
The Dutch East Indies. the laps
have the toughest Job they have
yet undertaken II they don {
take them the brightest hope
in their dream Of empire Is gone
ON our side there are Stlll
chances pro and chances contra
But is u wise way 10 handle
the American public 20 empha-
size all the favorable chances
and Soft-pedal the doubtful
ones?
Our people can take il as we'll
as the British. who have re-
Celved far more accurate infor-
nation Of their disasters than
have we As long as Pearl
Harbor and tho Philippines are
described 10 them as serious but,
after all, nothing more than
little local disasters on the other
side Of the world, their outlook
is likely 10 he twisted and de-
signed TO produce complacency
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