Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-03-15
! NEWS
BEHIND
The News
BY Paul
MaNon

trun-f--tS- het7-hrickbais and
,hlllelaghS generally start 10 fly,
but not this ti#e-at least not
As far as the United States is
This government belatedly
made public a note IT had de-
liyered TO Fire three weeks ago,
apparently only TO lend APP
preaching public pressure TO the
British position. Its actions
were mild and from the first
State Secretary Hull FASTENED
to make public a ssurances
against invasion.
No deviation from these
assurances seems possible in
s4a l4a= pest Afe lsl.4e44
Nations have Justly taken
against Hitler for his invasions
of neutral nations.
If THERE is any deeper
motive CSay a political ne)
than the public claim of Gen.
Eisenhower that the British
closure of the Irish border is
essential for military operations
all authorities here disclaim it.
A common suspicion has been
that London and Washington
were attempting 10 crowd Fire
into the war. That has been
ATTEMPTED on and off for two
years without much success,
There is no reason TO expect
greater success now.
The Irish are living with
lights on at night, with plenty
TO eat and plenty of money de-
rived from the war. Two-thirds
of the food production of that
almost wholly agricultural ma
ton is being sold to Britain.
The ban on travel will eimi-
nate their lucrative tourist buSi-
ness, hut the ban significantly
did not include commerce, and
VIII not as tong as the British
need food.
r ANY mte these factors are
"A enough to make DeNalera S
stand against involvement, very
popular among his people, even
If there were no other consid-
erations.
Two years ago when an at
tempt was made 10 bring the
Irish into full fight, DeValera
made a rather convincing argu-
ment cat least II succeeded
that involvement would cause
ms cftirS- te-he- bombed, his
transportation facilities to be
disrupted his food storehouSeS
destroyed He convinced every
one then he could better serve
the Allied cause out of the war.
Ills bases are not essential
II and perhaps not even i'm
portant 10 the coming EiSen-
hover invasion of Europe The
map will show YOU Fire is
farther from the French coast
than your recollection of geog-
raphy may have caused you 10
believe.
IT'S southern. shores have no
good ports tOrdinary trans
atlantic ships never were able
10 get into them BIB landings
had te- be f44ade-fFe-44 lighters ! o.
For these -easonS this govern
mcnt has not had much real
hePe- or expectation that pres
sure could draw Fire into the
conflict, or that il was essential.
TliIS latest move does. how
ever serve the purpose of
making DeValera tighten up his
restrictions on the Nazis in his
midst. Mr. Hull has inpiied
not much German spy activity
has been noticeable in the past.
IF ttrr'--As1t,.7.t s-t-tt.iti- iat,ti-eatast-
chutlStS who might get into
England and take them off in
small boats at night, but all Off
cial evidence here indicates De-
Valera has co-operated fully in
restraining this NaZi activity.
The British must have an ex-
cellent counter espionage active
there Indeed Hull said the
pressure was being applied not
so much for what spying had
been allowed IN the past as fol-
the future.
DIAN frr1pf1rdtTUr IF at ttfhr
evidence. therefore, is thai
the misnamed second front in.
vasion Of Europe Is nigh and
Eisenhower is tightening up al
the avenues and alleywayS. Nat
-urallu the signs -Mhon II aNill
come are conflicting and mus
be kopt that WAY