Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-02
'S+artIing'W
Turn Seen
By johnson
Reveals Report That "
Plans Action in japan
BY HUGH s. JOHNSON

N
w badly because we do not
carry the fight TO the enemy.
In fact he says it "sickens' him.
But he doesn't say where we
are going to carry our forces;
how we are going to get them
there and supply them after
ward; what we are going to use
for weapons, or how it VIII az
feet our own plans against an
enemy offensive here and those
of our Allies elsewhere.
These questions all have to
be answered before we start an
overseas attack. / don't know
the answers 10 some OF them
but I'll bet l know more about
those answers than does Mr..
Willkie
The difference is that I have
no political opinion on the mat
ter and Mr.. Willkie is Jockey
ing for position as candidate OF
a great political party.
i do not mean that this would
consciously affect his Judgment
much. do believe that he is
not professionally equipped to
give a worthwhile opinion on
this vital question
NOBODY knows what the
~ year 1912 will bring forth.
1t is not likely 10 be good. But
good, bad or Indifferent. it just
isn't in the cards for us 10 UNI
dertake major offensive on
foreign shores during 1912. That
is the almost unanimous profess
sional opinion in our services.
That doesn't mean that there
Is not going to be plenty of
ton. 1t will be year of
cursions and alarums' - raD.s
and counter-raids - and these
may leave our relative position
in the sea and the air materially
improved-and il may not.
For example, there is per.
SiStent rumor with nothing SUBJ
Stantial that l can learn TO sup
port ii that We are going to give
the toy-house Japanese cities a
good churning over from the air.
That is why l thought the Presi-
dent wanted people 10 get out
their globes for his speech.
Maps on Mercator's projection
fool most people on distances.
But you can see on globe at n
glance that the longest distance
between two points on the
earth's surface is the arc OF
great circle-a circle that goes
around the earth at its greatest
diameter.
Thus. because Of the deception
OF maps and because we usually
go 10 Japan by way OF Hawaii.
most people think that is the
most direct way. But il you
look at A globe you can see that
going from Seattle by way of the
Aleutian Islands and down the
east coast of Asia the distance
TO Toxic is only two.thirds the
distance TO Manila.
MORE accurately. at about
A'1 two-thirds of the distance
from Seattle 10 Manila you pass
through Toxic.
Now the Russians have n good
air base at Vladivostok and
lesser ones Off Kamchatka only
a few miles from our shores.
If fewSquadrons of four-motor
bombers could use those bases.
they could do a lot of damage
10 Japan.
Hitler and the Sun EmpS
by sinking shipping off -
coasts and other antics like the
bombing of the oil base al Aruba
are obviously trying 10 keep our
air and naval forces close 10 our
coasts and the Panama Canal.
II by a sudden attack from
the north we gave the Japs
something very serious to think
about in the North Pacific. it
might be carrying their own
game back 10 them and weaken
them in the East Indies.
Perhaps the logic Of this is the
best source of this unconfrmed
rumor, but, whether that be 50
or not, military and naval WASH
ington is stirring with some kind
of hushed expectancy that usu-
ally precedes action which no
body can talk about.
Without pulling over details,
II is pretty good bet that Some-
thing startling may happen in
the next two or three weeks.
/ hope il unsickens Mr.. Will
kie. and l am sure it will be
much more likely 10 succeed
than some amateur shot in the
dark.
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