Evening star., 1942-10-06

country. AS you
know and Henry McLsmors.
probably have known for some time
the President of the United States
has been on a mystery tour of the
Nation. Nearly 5000 miles he went.
through "a States, and the trip was
shrouded in a fog of censorship so
thick that Paul Whiteman and
Oliver Hardy could have ice-skated
on it without breaking through.
But did this censorship prevent
millions of persons from knowing
that President Roosevelt was in their
State, in their city, and had in
spected their war industries? BY
the time he neared the end of his
swing, was it possible that there
were more Americans who knew
he was on a transcontinental jaunt
than Americans who didn't.
1t seemed to me that the only way
to find out was to make a mystery
swing of my own. I reasoned, and
sensibly, I believe, that If an ordi-
nary, garden variety citizen tried
to move around the country with
out any one knowing it, and his
difficulties were multiplied by two
or three million. then a rough esti-
mate Of the Presidents troubles
could be determined.
X X X X
I took my leave in the early hours
of the morning. My troubles started
right there. The dog barked at me
when I tried to slip out of the door.
This reused the family next door
and the man of the house stuck his
head into the hall in time to see
me, suitcase in hand, step into the
elevator. The elevator man, a sus-
picious Irishman, reused the build.
ing superintendent, who assured him
that I had paid my rent.
Add the ticket salesman at the
railroad station, the Red Cap, and
the conductor to those who had seen
me leave, and you have five or six
persons who knew I was on a trip
before was Is miles out of town.
So, it stands to reason that thou
sands of persons must have known
about the President leaving Wash
ington. He doesn't go day coach as
I did, and he doesn't start off with
just one suitcase and the comb and
brush he had forgotten to pack, in
his coat pocket.
I wasn't on the train Is minutes
before fellow knew came through
and waved at me. He was a canary
bird salesman, on the way to Syrac-
shhh-h I almost gave away my
route. The canary bird salesman
was quite a chirper. Where was I
going?
Cant tell you," answered.
He looked at my wrists to see If
happened to have handouts on.
I'm trouble?" he asked.
Nope, nope" 1 said.
We'll, where the devil are you
going then?"
He wouldn't take mo" for an
answer I had to tell him finally,
but only after making him swear to
keep 1t secret.
Everywhere went I ran into peo-
pie I knew. So what chance did the
President have of going unnoticed?
His face is pretty we'll known. 1t
has been in the papers, and on the
screen, for-heavens, how many
years has he been President? He
didn't wear disguise on this trip.
In fact. the chances are that out
OF habit he tipped his hat, waved his
arm and smiled at crowds. A man
who has been doing that sort of
thing as long as the President has,
just can't stop overnight. Too, Mrs.
Roosevelt was along on the trip.
Now, she must know just about
everybody in the country. An un-
Official survey made as long ago as
1910 showed that she has visited all
but two of the country's towns
tTy Ty, Ga. and Peeled Chestnut,
Tenn, were the ones she had over
looked, believe).
Another drawback to making a
secret trip is the necessity for writ
ing or calling home. The one I left
behind insisted that I drop her a
postal card, at least, from every
town I visited. Seems she is collect
ing them for an album. Silly hobby.
1 know, but her Niagara Falls COL
lection (as we'll as her Yellowstone
Park one) have drawn acclaim from
the foremost postalcardolopists as
they are known.
Tomorrow I reach Chi--g-. NV
trip will probably end there with
me convinced that for the President
to try to make secret trip is about
as impossible as it would be for a
chicken to visit fox farm and es-
cape unnoticed.
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