Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-10-25
BEHIND
The News
MaIlon

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25-A
w search for nuggets of fact
in this campaign is like trying
10 catch raindrops with a cup in
a hurricane.
Mr.. Roosevelt's basic story
(foreign policy speech is that
he knew the country was going
TO war and tried to get military
preparedness, but was prevented
by isolationist Republican con-
gressmen.
But, Mr. Roosevelt could not
have known we were 10 become
engaged, for he definitely prom
ised parents none of their sons
would be sent into foreign wars.
How could he have said that as
late as the fall of 1910 if he
knew we were going into the
foreign wars then raging both
in Europe and the Far East?
From his words, he did not
know. His actions verify this
conclusion. because he did moth
ing decisive for war.
DUT one Republican congress
ID man claims TO have infor-
nation that the White House
had six weeks of advance warn
ing about Pearl Harbor. A
Democratic congressman in au-
thority says he understands
there was a warning of three
weeks, and Mrs. Roosevelt was
recently quoted in a newspaper
interview as saying the Pearl
Harbor attack was not much of
a surprise as they had some
M-Day warnings before.
This is all incredible.
How could this worst defeat
In all American history have
occurred if any one had any
warning?
How could all those ships
have been set up like ducks on
a pond for the Japs in tight
harbor if any one had the slight
est inkling for an hour neces-
sary TO send them to sea for
dispersal?
Obviously they did not, for no
decisive action was taken.
But the President says the
isolationist Republican congress
men voted against him on the
neutrality act repeater, selective
service and even the world court.
Those were Democratic con-
crosses. The majority in Con-
gresS is still Democratic, has
been for the II Roosevelt years.
IF ANY one was responsible for
i staying the Presidents hand
for a war he did not know we
would become involved in, ii was
his own party.
The neutrality repeal failed
In 1888 because too many Demo-
cratic congressman were down.
town on a party drinking beer
and did not vote. 1t failed in
the Senate foreign relations
committee because the Demo-
cratic majority opposed it. Re-
publican iSolationists controlled
nothing.
1t is often said officially the
President wanted TO fortify
Guam and the Congress pre-
vented him. But the proposed
appropriation for Guam was
not enough to do anything more
than provide small deep anchor
ages. It was insufficient TO
make Guam one-hundredth as
strong as Singapore and Singa-
pore fell easily TO the JapS.
If billions then had been APP
propriated for Guam, they would
have been spent for the JapS.
Our official strategy called for
retirement from the Philippines
and every place in the far Pa
cifc to a line of Alaska-Hawali-
Panama Canal in case of attack.
The westward ocean was de-
clared indefensible under our
war plans.
So also with foreign policy as
a whole. Mr.. Roosevelt's Hull
has achieved unity with the Re-
publicans on this issue. There
is no discernible issue yet drawn.
60 MR.. ROOSEVELT ignores
- the Republican leadership.
10 assume himself as running
against few names he men,
toned from Congress. Hi john
son whom he supported for re-
election) and Nye, and against
the most incredible ogre of all
what he calls the Mccormick
Hearst Patterson Gannett"
press.
Any one slightly acquainted
with the newspaper business
knows these papers are the most
ardent if not the bitterest Of
competitors.
There is no semblance of CO.
heSion among them, nothing
that could Justify their hyphena-
ton. But Dewey is backed also
by leading international journals
of the nation such as the New
York Herald Tribune the Bos-
ton Herald, Cleveland Plain
Dealer. and the Baltimore Sun,
never mentioned by Mr.. Roose-
welt.
TRUTH of all these synthetic
l. confuslons, think is simply
this:
Mr.. Roosevelt did not know
more definite than