Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-04-19
Food ParIey
Secrecy Apt
foHurt II
Roosevelt S Ban PeriIs
Success Of Meeting
BY PAUL MALL0N

WASHINGTON. April 10
w Some highly placed men
IN The state department have
expressed 10 senators their per-
SOnai dISapproNal OF Mr. RooSe-
Nclt'S wish TO bar congressman
and limit the press al the inter-
national food and refugee con-
fercnCcS.
They say they would have
opened up both meetings. but
Mr.. Roosevelt personally made
the decision against that cousc.
Thus. already there has been
created here situation dan
gerouS 10 the success Of these
meetings.
The decision made by both
conferences will have TO be APP
proved by public opinion, or the
conferences might as we'll have
never been held.
II the developments Of the
conferences were fully reported
IN the daily press. the public
mind might be prepared TO ac-
cept the decisions favorably.
FURTHERMORE, both confer
Il enceS will no doubt require
congressional legislation and APP
preparations 10 fulfill their rec
concentrations. But. with no
congressman present at either
gathering. enthusiastic congress
Sional championship of the plans
to he adopted, is hardly TO be
expected.
No doubt the President has in
mind the theory that If the press
reports daily squabbleS in the
meetings, and the congressman
know about these. they can be
used by some individual groups
10 promote political opposition
10 the majority decisions of the
meetings.
-ObNiouSlN- he-daeS- net-uaf,t
the press or Congress TO influ-
ence The decisions of the meet
ingS by comments while they are
going on.
But the way he did il. he pro-
noted probably more opposition
than would otherwise have been
forthcoming as both gatherings
are technical and likely to be of
little sustained news value.
CEN. MacARTHUR'S solemn
" public warning about the
danger Of his air situation i'm the
South Pacific was obviously de-
signed Ia pry more fighting air
craft out Of reluctant Washing
ton. but il also has bestirred
general overall decision of war
strategy.
The debaters are discussing
technicalities such as the num-
her Of troops. planes and ships
here and there while neglecting
10 stress the primary defect Of
our position In the South Pacific
and I'm Europe.
Look at the map of MacAr-
thurs position. He has strug-
gled successfully for months TO
gain a fOothold on New Guinea.
mainly 10 protect Australia.
Our navy, marine and army
forces have fought desperately
also To maintain their vital de-
fensive position on little Qua
daIcanal. But all north Of these
two small points, for thousands
Of miles. the JapS hold thousands
Of jungled islands practically UNI
molested.
II Macarthur got enough
planes To win back half Of these,
ar even Java and the Philippines,
no one suggests that the war,
would he over. The seat Of
Japanese power. which is the
Japanese mainland, would still
be unbroken.
HE japanese aggressorS, like
the NaziS, have been able In
fight their war on fronts far
from the real roots Of their war
power. If we capture Tunisia,
and even Itajv in the European
theater. the heart of NaZi fight
ing strength the war heart
from which troops. planes and
manufactured munitions flow
would still be beyond our reach.
II