Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-01-29
Letters
TO THE EDITOR:

the effect that it is the govern
ment and not the people who
fail TO appreciate the threat
Japan is 10 this country. I
don't know whether this was a
local editorial, or syndicated in
all Hearst papers of that date.
You are definitely right in
stating that the government does
not seem to realize our danger.
1t doesn't now, and it never did
mot in Japans 80 years OF
plans to strike us.
The Congress refused to hear
Taussig, and he was cried down
as a war monger. They refused
TO hear Billy Mitchell. They
knew the people did not want
TO hear about war, and they
wanted to be elected again.
They refused 10 fortify Guam,
Alaska and Hawaii because they
knew their constituents would
not stand for such expenditures
of money.
No president, no Congress, no
Senate, no secretary of war in 80
years has evaluated Japan for
what il is worth, and | include
the present incumbents. A few
individuals did, but. by and large,
not the government.
Now, Mr.. Editor, you are
wrong on the other point
totally wrong. The peopie-don't
know what they are up against
either. don't know whose fault
il is that they don't know, but
I am inclined to think II is the
fault of our educational sys-
tenn which fails TO teach prac-
teal geography and practical
history that will serve a people
to good advantage in times like
these.
/ do not believe there is more
than one American Of all classes
in each $4,000 population that
knows Japan has never lost a
war, that II has had an unbroken
dynasty going back $500 years;
that il has a population of 100
100000 in its original empire
before Pearl Harbor) or ST of
our own population; that ii has
conquered in the space of a year
10 times its original area. of the
richest lands on earth, which
have furnished raw materials
that helped make our way of
life what il is today. and is now
engaged in consolidating these
gains, establishing its own none
tary system and government and
even changing the names of
islands and countries.
l will say that 1899 out of
every $4,000 Americans, claiming
10 be smart and astute, are SCOT
fers at the power of Japan, by
nature. They believe them to
be a clan of little brown men
off on some distant island" "
who never could be a threat TO
us.
They know not a thing about
the geography of the territory
the Japs have conquered--noth-
ing whatsoever OF distances and
directions, of the origin of
products Americans and their
forebearS have used for 100
years.
These men are not morons,
MIR. Editor. They just don't
know geography. All the danger
is vague and PARKWAY. They
believe 1t is only Us miles from
the Solomons 10 Sumatra. and
that Java is a coral reef. I
doubt they can ever learn or
appreciate the facts with less
than an actual invasion of our
continent by these Japs. IT is
depressing. / tried TO tell one
fellow of the vastness of the
Japanese conquests and he dis
missed it with this: "Oh, that's
government propaganda"
Mr.. Editor, our American
people don't know anything Of
the world at large, and now one
can see the palue of such knowi-
edge! This sort Of thing this
lack of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. not
exist. Do you have any sugges-
tons as to the remedy for such
a deplorable state Of ordinary
fundamental education and lack
OF common sense in a country
that calls itself enlightened?
r. NJ. COUNTS,
IL ykiIIis avenue