Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-03
Army Silence
On u. S. Raid
Explained
Offic ers Can't Talk
on Military Subjects
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

COME aspects Of this war are
~ so plainly fantastic that
they make you rub your eyes
TO be sure that you are reading
print correctly.
Take the mystical flight of
planes over Los Angeles at
which anti-aircraft batteries
launched such a barrage that
pursuit planes couldn't fol-
low it,"
Secretary Knox said il was
false alarm. Secretary Stimson
said il was flight of Is or is
unidentified commercial planes
flying in formation.
Who ever heard Of that many
commercial planes flying in for
nation, or of such a state of
affairs in the air that pursuit
planes weren't warned through
listening devices and could have
permitted such an appearance,
demonstration and vanishing
act?
If it were not for the hysteria
OF war that alone was enough
10 cause the country to rock
with homeric laughter. am
not speaking of the false
alarm" They will happen.
| am thinking of the absurd
official explanation of it, seri-
ously and deliberately given out,
the generous omission of much
newspaper comment on such
cock-and-bull story. the tight
Tipped silence of army officers
and the scarcely suppressed
glee of the navy.
THE silence of the army Is
Il easily understood. AT about
this time each one received by
mail a personal order not to
discuss military subjects unoffi-
cially. We are rapidly approach
ing condition in which our
people will know as little about
what is going on as the Germans.
The contradictory statements
OF the two service secretaries
surely indicates that they did
not discuss with each other so
serious report as that of
strange planes over one of our
greatest cities. That in turn
makes us wonder if the failure
OF the high command of both
services TO consult at Honolulu
didn't stem back TO practice or
a feeling in much higher quar-
ters. Why haven't the high
commands at Los Angeles
spoken?
Under our law an officer Off
cially accused Of a serious der
ELECTION OF duty is entitled. at
his request. 10 a court martial
or court Of inquiry. About the
only important difference is that
a court Of inquiry has no power
10 assess a sentence. This is not
a matter Of favor. II is a matter
Of right.
Information as 10 whether
General Short and Admiral
Kimmel - or either of them -
requested a court is being with
held. 1t is announced that they
will be court-martialled when
the public interest" permits.
WHY doesn't the public inter-
w est permit il now? Pre-
sumably because it might reveal
the degree of damage. The Rob-
ertS commission omitted that
question too.
But why is II not in the public
interest for our people to know
the extent Of our defeats? Be-
cause the enemy might know it
too?
Does anybody who has fol-
lowed the course of this story,
with its elaborate fifth column
trimmings, suppose the enemy
doesn't know as much about that
as we do and perhaps more !?
HorSefeathers!
The other more plausible rea-
son for no court-martial now is
that the blame didn't all rest in
II n ! u u-that kimmel and
Short are the goats Of this fiaSco.
There is a nice question of
military law as to whether the
permission to these two men TO
retire with the retired pay of
their grades and without a court
martial doesn't act as a con-
structive pardon and that they
could not be legally tried by
court-martial now-or ever.
Certainly that, coupled with
too much elapsed time before
they are tried, would make a
very strong case for a plea in
bar of trial.
Some things here suggest some
kind Of a bargain with the ac-
cused commanders by which they
voluntarily retired to save their
hides and the faces of some
superiors.
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