The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-23
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

by WG01DhOOA ILOAIR
NEW YORK-John Edgar Hoover of the FBI1
has written a piece in which he splatters him
self all over with new-mown gardenias for thel
wonderful work his bureau did in holding in
check any disagreeable intentions of the Japa-
nese spies and saboteur after Pearl Harbor.
Yeah, after Pearl Harbor
But what about before Pearl Harbor and upI
to 7:55 am. Honolulu time, Sunday, Dec. Z,
1941?
| 1 mention this because the Democratic
partys presidential nominee has just visited
Honolulu in the role of Commander in Chief,
although the responsibility and blame for the
disaster may yet be shown to belong in con-
siderable part to him, and because here we
find Hoover, very good hand at praising
his own works, taking bows right and left In
acknowledgement of his own applause.
The two service officers, admiral Kimmel
and General Short, who have been found guilty
without trial by the Roberts committee aren't
allowed to say word on their own behalf.
That would be unbecoming. That would
prejudice their chances in the court-martial
yet to be held
What says the Roberts report about the work
of John Edgar Hoover before P. H!
Well, it says that up to inspected time
the Army Intelligence looked after matters
pertaining to Army personnel and property
and the Navy did the same in its own particu-
lar field and in addition Investigated enemy
activities amongst the civil population.
What the Roberts committee means by
enemy activities at time when we had
no enemies you can go ahead and guess.
While you are guessing, I am going to be
thinking that 1t seems pretty peculiar that if
we did have enemies at that time, the
Commander in Chief didn't let Kimmel and
Short in the secret
All right, so on certain date, not mentioned
in the report the FBI established an office in
Hawaii and became primarily responsible for
investigation of matters connected with the
civil population"
There were, prior to Dec. T. 1AA. 5apa-
nese spies on the island Of Fahu," the report
says. Some were Japanese consular agents,
and other persons having open relation
with the Japanese foreign service. These spies
collected and, through various channels trans
mitted information to the Japanese empire re-
speeding the military and naval establishments
and dispositions on the islands"
Well, so the FBI made "efforts'' to uncover
espionage but because we were "at peace" in
the committees words, with nation which
| it has just referred to the enemy, the FBI
couldn't resort to certain methods of obtain
/ ing the content of messages transmitted by
radio over the commercial lines between Oahu
and Japan"
You know what the certain methods are.
Tapping wires, copying down radiograms,
proving wastebaskets and brbing household
help, delivery boys and all such as that The
kind of thing that the FBI and all smart cops
do all the time in routine police work among
the civilians at home
THE bureau FBD and the local intelligence
chiefs were unable, prior to Dec. 7, to obtain
significant information respecting Japanese
plans and fleet movements in the direction of
Hawaii, the report says. And there were 200
Jap consular agents; and the Navy Intelligence
wondered if they shouldn't be pinched for fail
ing to register as foreign agents. General
Short thought not however, at least until
they had been put on warning and given a
chance to register That looks pretty dumb
of Short, but then you have to remember that
such a roundup would have raised an awful
row and that both he and Kimmel had been
ordered to do nothing that would cause unneces-
sary publicity and alarm There is no state
ment to whether the FBI under similar
orders of restraint but anyway Shorts mere
objections were not binding on the FBl And
the 200 spies were not moleSted.
THE Japanese consul sent to, and received
from Toxic many messages on commercial
radio circuits" the report continues. this &C.
tivity greatly increased toward Dec. 7. The
content of these messages might nave FURNISH
ed valuable information
I'm view of the peaceful relations with ia
, pan and consequent restrictions on the actlvi-
ties of the investigating agencies they were
unable prior to Dec. 7, to obtain messages
transmitted through commercial channels
by the Japanese consul or by persons acting
for him.
Who put those restrictions on the FBI, then?
Well, Francis Biddle, the Attorney General, is
John Edgar Hoovers boss; and the only man
with authority to give such orders to Biddle
is President Roosevelt.
i Does this mean and is anyone naive enough
to believe. that we aren't watching the Argen-
tines in Washington these days, or the Span
iards. even though we do enjoy peaceful
relations" with them?
; Maybe we aren't After reading this portion
=, of the Roberts thing you are willing to believe
almost anything.
guess YOU can't come right out and blame
: John Edgar for not tapping wires and grab
t hing those radio messages out of the air con-
sidering the "restrictions.' But if you had been
the head cop, don't you think you might have
had a social friend in the cable office who
: might gossip and blab little over a bottle
i of beer at night? And wouldn't you have had
+ some friend who was an amateur radio nut
with an amusing habit of writing down what
he heard going and coming between Japan
u and Honolulu?