The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-04-17
. New York
Listening Post
Fear u. S. Has Pulled
Another Bener is India
Batting Average in Our
Sisieersfi Very Low
U-sosi Seemen Victim,
CIsmorine Tor Action
~ ALBERT y. LENA>


"shirt-slesvs diplomacy" IN
fndis has pulled another homer.
BY prematurely sticking HI,
fingers into something that was
not his business. Col. Louis
Johnson, our special envoy 10
New Delhi. rubbed the fur of
the Asistic cat the wrong way
and instead of settling a three
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS racial and re-
ligious problem between supper
and breakfast, we have riled
the sensitive followers Of both
Nehru and Jinnah and helped
torpedo Sir Stafford Grips in
dependence plan.
Wild Bill" Donovan butted
into Yugoslavis on the eve Of
German attack and then We left
that brave little nation holding
the bag while the Nszi jugger-
nsut ground IT into a bloody
shsmhles. We tried to bluff the
Miksdo's Michiavellis but they
called us We blew hot and cold
during tho Spanish civil war
with the result that we are now
sbhorred by the embittered, de-
fested Republicans and cordial
BY hated by the pro-Axis Franco.
Our batting average in state
craft would not rate ms a cell
lar position in a twilight bush
league. Woodrow Wilson was
ushed and hauled around Yer
ssilles so that when he quilted
Europe about all he had left
behind was a new insulting nick
name for Uncle Sam.
Prompted by highest motives
we junked our naval defense in
the Washington Conference of
Limitation Of Armament, which
action. in the light of Pearl Har-
Dor and its anteceoents. merited
the international BOBBY prize. We
might do well to dispense with
the palaver of Sumner Welles'
department for the duration and
leave our foreign policy to the
deeds of General Macarthur and
and Admiral King.
Several thousand New York
seamen-some still shsky from
exposure in Atlantic waters and
others bandsged for injuries re-
ceived in battles with U-bosts--
met in angry private session the
other night and sent resolutions
to President Roosevelt demand
ing the immediate opening of
western front against Hitler. For
the past two months they have
watched SIS American ships sent
to the bottom by bomb or tor
pedo-more than a vessel a day
and over 500 OF their fellow
sailors drowned, snot, or burn
ed to death.
Some of the crowd at the Ma
tional Maritime Union headquar-
ters have been ship-wrecked
twice. Many of them are citizens
of Scandinavian blood whose
families are being outraged by
axies occupation. Were fed up
with being pushed around by
Germany" they blurt out. The
only way for us to keep from
being killed is to go over and
clean out that rats nest Of
subs"
II their call is needed. these
grim salts. who man the con-
voys, will be the first TO be hit
by the enemy. Knowing it. yet
they yell for action. They claim
. European offensive will be ef-
fective because a trip to France
or Norway is shorter than one
10 Australia. One craft can car
~ in a year four or more times
as much cargo. Now freight is
ologging warehouses because of
the Pacific shipping space short
age. Initiate Russia. they sug-
gest, tear into the Nazis and
then this dock bottleneck will
vanish.
Undersurface feeling is grow
ing extremely rese1tful in Que
bee as Canada approaches
April 27th. the day the electo-
rate will vote on overseas con-
scription. Opposition 10 the draft
comes chiefly from the French
Canadians. who consider them
selves an independent nationality
and bslk AT an action which
would force their Young men IN
fight for the British Empire in
fsr-svsy Europe Africa, or
Asa
The most curious new dsvelp-
nsnt is that may provincial
spok.snen openly declsr. that
although their sons would re-
fuse 70 20 abroad under an Eng
lish general. they would De will
Ing 10 follow an American Ike
Macarthur anywhere. Minor out
bursts have occurred. Cool heads
fear that II the measure Is pass
ed an already threatened armed
revolt may explode A similar
compulsory act during the first
world war caused riots and Ut
terly wrecked the Canadian LIB
eraf Marty