The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-04-24
. New York
Listening Post
French Fleet Como.
Help Hitler Much Nov
Part of Squadron |,
Bottled at Gibraltar
All Not Well for Allies
In Middle East Areas
Nv ALBERT y. LEMAN


vichy government A year ago
the French fleet might have
been transferred to Germany
with reasonable ease but today
that delivery may not be 90
simple New York aviators. who
have ferried planes across the
Atlantic from Brazil and other
points to Africa, give q tip on
obstacles unknown by the public
which may spoil the deal.
Part OF the squadron 10 bot
tied in the Mediterranean by
Gibraltar. Other units are
anchored in Casablanca and
Dakar in West Africa. Before
these can concentrate. they must
run the gauntlet OF land-based
planes. Even If they slipped
through = naval blockade they
would be at the mercy Of sky
hawks The Allies now have q
formidable string of sirfields
along the continental bulge with
planes manned by British and
American pilots. These forces
originally were placed to pro-
teet conveys headed for Cape
Town.
The waters were called the
black spot" for shipping. Sub
marines took such toll that the
shore line was Uttered with
~reeksge, smashed lifeboatx. and
other signs of tragedy. Malaria.
skin diseases. rainfall over eight
inches a day. and discomfortx
faced the first contingentx. Fuel
was so scarce that oil was ex-
tracted locally from ground nuts.
Natives pounded volcanic stone
to make runways. Now mod
srn centers not only supply the
coastal commands but U. s.
bombers that have lespfrogged
the ocean to stop off for gas on
their way to Egypt. II Vichy
tries any tricks this outfit may
d. worse to Dakar than ever
was done 10 Orsn.
The tip from vichy that Laval
might try to snatch Syria from
the Free French and the report
from Iran that the Japanese
embassy had been booted out are
omens that all Is not well for
our cause in the Middle East.
New York commercial firms
with clients in the Levant say
that the area is seething with
intrigue-not very welcome
prospect for the u. s. Army
now manning the Persian supply
routes To Russia.
The Nipponese minister was
staging ssturnslian parties at
which plenty Of bsksheesh found
It's way into the pockets Of his
guests. In Irsq the Axis stooge,
Raschid Ali, tried . rebellion
which Topped. He WAS con-
demned TO death. but since he
had escaped to Berlin the SEN
tence did not hurt his neck.
When this uprising failed, all the
Gestapo agents, fifth columnists
and peroxide blonde spies scooted
across the Iranian frontier.
There they plotted with Shah
Ria until the Allies sent him
into exile. So the Germans and
Italians again skipped in all
directions.
From safe spots they broad
esst radio hokum which the
sheiks believed. Schemers famed
unrest in Palestine. which the
eynics say is known to the Jews
ss the hslf-promised land and
IN the desert tribes as the twice
promised land" British recruit
Ing officers tried 10 enlist natives
with offers Of postwar indie
pendenee but their mullahs re-
called that this was the same
gag which roped them in before
and nothing had happened.
Naval officers on active duty
are unable TO express publicly
their opinions on the famous
1921 Washington Conference on
Limitation Of Armament but in
private the old salts use epithets
which would purple a gun deek-
They blame much Of our present
weakness on that altruistic curb.
British deep water specialists
share the same views and the
same mother tongue. After cen
sorinE out the sulphurous
phrases. their most recent ideas
boil down 70 this:
The Washington revision start
Cd the damage; the London
Naval Treaty in 1880 finished H.
This latter restriction forced the
Admiralty 70 scrap FIVE battle
ships - which would have re-
placed those sunk n this war
and allowed the AIpponess 70
build I'd 70 three-iIfths Of the
Empires whole strength The
US.A. ratified the agreement but
Italy ard France qsit the parisy
snd thus we're left free . en-
large their RAVES - : fact vDcn
ROW causes untold osn9sr % the
Allies Al that tine the sd-
nnirsis howied protests but the
dove Of peace drowned out the
watchdog warnings.
For SIX years the United King
dom had signed away her night
70 increase her forces TIE Lon
don slippers point out that TINS
policy cid far more harm tnsn
merely cutting down vessels sno