The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-06-23

Sol Bloom Seems
TO Understand
Axis Psychology
BY Charles p. Stewsr,

house or hepIeseuldLNth % t4sh
Relations Committee seems TO me
10 understand the European AXIS
powers as they are fully compre-
hended by no other statesman in
this country. Probably he has no
equal IN England. either. For that
matter. he is not ignorant OF the
- Jap angle OF the Axis triangle How
ever, his acquaintance with the
orient is not as intimate as his IA
miliarity with our Occidental foes.
He does not contend that Il is.
Sol is an outright mind-reader
among the Italians. though, as sim
ilarly he is a wizard in his reckon
iags as to the Germans and such
neighbors as may be more or less
affiliated with the latter.
The New York congressman. be
n understood, has been, FOR a long
time. a very rich man. He has had
the financial resources to do all the
overseas visiting he had a fancy
for. But he had not the inclination
10 do II on a "sassiety' basis. His
idea was 10 pay his fare and hotel
bills and get genuinely IN touch
with the folk he was calling on.
This Is a very different thing from
mixing with them 10 bathrooms and
al miscellaneous diplomatic gather
ings. Sol was not a plenipotentiary.
He was strictly unofficial and made
contacts Impossible TO an accreult-
ed government representative.
Once, be told me about a charac-
teristic incident
He has a daughter, Miss Vera
Bloom, who. just after World War
I. developed an ambition TO break
into the feature WHITING news
field. since she was young and jour
nalistically inexperienced, editors
were reluctant to bargain with her.
Still Vera persisted.
Finally, one Of the foature-news
agencies. long one Of her targets,
hit on the idea Of offering 10 Miss
Bloom an assignment that she
would recognize was too much for
her-and then the editor figured,
he would get some relief,
II was in the era Of Gabrielle d.
Annunzio, then ltaly's immediate
postwar big man" Gabrielle was
over on the eastern side OF the Adri-
atic-as inaccessible a man as ex'
listed on earth at that juncture.
Get an interview with him pro-
posed the editor, land we will rec
ognize you as a Yankee spokes-
woman in good faith
- cd l.
tor said "Goodby.'
Vera Immediately appealed to Pa
Bloom.
With no loss OF time, Sol estab-
lished touch with confidential Italy.
II was before Benito Mussolinl
was of any international conse-
quence. Nevertheless. Italians knew
him as locally outstanding news
paper publisher in Milan. Italian
economies were in bad shape and
Benito was doing his best 10 i'm
prove them, and to modicum OF
good effect.
Sol streaked il for Milan. He and
Benito became side-kicks. They
drank beer together, and were sure
enough chums, for the time being.
Tntroductions between Miss Vera
and the elusive d'Annunzio quickly
followed Was that editor back IN
the L. s. surprised!
D'Annunzio vanished presently
from the world scene.
The contact between Bloom and
Benito ended quickly when Benito
Mussolini hooked up with Fuehrer
Hitler. In the meantime. though,
Sol had learned a great deal about
Adolf He knows Der Fuehrer's psy-
Chology thoroughly.
Bloom has not a drop OF Axis SYM
patty, but the Axis is no mystery
10 him, Itaiianly or Germany speak
ing
Bloom estimates Herr Hitler az
essentially an international Grimm
al. He sizes Duce Mussolini as an
individual who might have been o.
X, If he had not gone down the
wrong AUTOMATICALLY. 10 be
sure. but as a matter OF bad judg-
ment, rather than OF native cussed.
ness.
Sol wants a world decker.
He is the best internationalist on
Capitol Hill
What he needs to begin with is a
strong conviction for inter-Ameri.
Canism.
To get the program going. the
first step is TO convert Vera Bloom
10 the Pan-Americsn program 100
per cent. She will attend TO the
"old man"