The Wilmington morning star., 1943-10-05
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

h BY WESTBROOk PEGLER
| NEW YORK - The Newspaper Advisory
Committee of the Office of War Information
has decided that the American public is not
being informed adequately about the war AS
to military matters this committee obviously
is better qualified to pass judgment than any
layman, but any layman can see that adequate
information concerning Mrs. Eleanor Roose-
velts latest expedition has not been given.
The people have not been told who initiated
this personal junket or who paid for it, and it
| is perfectly plain that the proceeds of Mrs.
Roosevelt's newspaper column, a private en-
terprise, cannot pay the cost. She went in
great four-engined bomber, manned by two
captains three master sergeants and a staff
sergeant, who took $4,000 feet of film, and
was attended by George Durno, Washington
| Journalist who is now ma or of the air
transport command
| The salaries of these men would be con-
siderable item and the rental of the plane on
any reasonable basis, plus the gasoline, would
be an appalling obligation for even the rich
est colunnist. The public is completely unin-
formed as to these costs and vague state
nlent that Mrs. Roosevelt would repay the
American taxpayers by turning over the pro-
ceeds of her column to be divided between
|
ice committee belittles the intelligence of even
the blindest personal devotee of the tourist
Who this time, went far as to refer to
| herself as the wife of the ruler of the
United States.
The Red Cross and the American Friends
Service committee, whatever their worthness,
are not the United States Treasury which
paid the cost of the journey with money de-
rived from taxes paid by the sweat of every
| 1uh bonds sold Sh1v
to pay only legitimate and necessary costs
of the war. There is no obligation reduced
| to figures, but there is implied admission
in the fuzzy promise to pay couple of other
fellows that the junket was not undertaken in
the public interest.
No person who travels in the legitimate in
terest of the United States government is ex-
pected to pay his own costs.
| 1t would appear that Mrs. Roosevelt be-
came field service worker of the Red Cross
only for the purpose and duration of this trip
and, in that case. it would be the Red Cross
which conferred a favor on Mrs. Roosevelt
and at a sacrifice, incidentally, of degree
of public confidence in the organization I'M
der the management of the presidents politi-
cal house pet Norman H. Davis.
Inasmuch as Mrs. Roosevelt is an active
subtle and interchangeable politician and in view
of the delicate political situation surrounding
Gen. Douglas Macarthur the Red Cross by
the connivance at a pretext, has permitted
itself to be drawn into politics, and that is
bad not only for the Red Cross but for those
who in the end, look to the Red Cross for
| its services.
| In a speech few months ago. President
Roosevelt, counseling the people at home to
endure patiently the rationing OF gasoline, IL
Illustrated his plea with the information that
a Flying Fortress consumed ITO gallons of
| gasoline a bOnha rcnenf mission of about
700 miles from North Africa, the equivalent
OF about 375 ration units and enough to
drive your car five times across the CONT
nent." On this basis, Mrs. Roosevelt in a
flight of $4,000 miles, consumed 41,070 gal
Ions, representing 1907 A coupons, and 1876
trips IN your car across this continent. More
over, In the fragmentary developments of the
story, it has now been disclosed that the
plane had been remodeed inside and fitted
with seats and a bed
All this, too, is aside from the fact that
Mrs. Roosevelt Travelled by automobile in Aus
tralla and New Zealand, using fuel imported
every single drop over vast stretches of per-
llous ocean in tankers, and is always attend
ed on her journeys by other cars hauling the
official retinue and the sightseers. That hap
pened many times at home even when citizens
OF good conscience willingly denying
themselves all unnecessary mileage.
The interference with the work of the busy
generals, admlralS and other officers nghtlng
a war undoubtedly was real and seriously
detrimental, but, of course it is not measur-
able, and no officer could admit that his work
had been impeded without abandoning l
hopes of promotion.
Mention of the $4,000 feet of film suggests
that when the fourth term campaign really
warns up the American taxpayers and bond
buyers will discover that they have paid for
just that much political propaganda, fed to
them as tonic for their morale. A civilian
can't buy a 30-foot spool Of film these days.
Pat Robinson, the ms correspondent at
Guadalcanal, wrote that Mrs Roosevelt kissed
her radical political protege. the inveterate
professional youth of rising 80 summers, Joe
Lash, for whom strenuous efforts were made
to obtain free commission in the Navy, now
sergeant in the Army
Robinson also said he asked Private Martin
Bazar OF Providence, R. l., how he felt ABOUT
being visited by the presidents wife, and that
Bazaar replied, I'D rather be visited by my
own
couldn't count them, but it looked like
thousands to me. Every time they showed up
| ~ So1-o