Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-07-10
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
PeeIer

In llS conclusion OH tno
Pearl Harbor investigation. the
Roberts committee reported.
Tho secretary of state full
filled his obligations by keeping
the war and navy departments
In close touch with the interna.
tional situation and fully advis-
ing them respecting the course
and probable termination Of ne
gotiations with Japan"
If that is so. did Mr.. Hull
notify Secretaries Knox and
Stimson that the United States
had decided to shoot on sight,
without warning in the Pacific,
if the Japs crossed an underlined
line, as Senator Pepper of Flor.
ida had announced two weeks
before Pearl Harbor?
IL Mr.. Hull did so notify Knox
and Stimson. there is nothing in
the Roberts report TO show that
the word was passed down the
line TO Adm. kimmel and Gen.
Short. who, up TO now, have
been the goats of the disaster.
To anticipate remarks that
the dead and wounded were the
goats, let us agree not TO bs
flippant. We are speaking of the
living.
TT IS possible that Pepper was
L merely sounding off in his
statement which the Associated
Press carried out Of Boston.
If so, then Pepper was guilty
Of a historic offense.
For, considering his prestige
as A member OF the foreign rela.
tons committee and as an inti-
mate and political protege Of
President Roosevelt. the Japs
might have regarded his re-
marks as an invitation TO use
the same method.
In the code of the old Ameri-
can West II one man announced
that he would shoot another one
on sight, the other man was jus
titled in shooting on sight, too.
Then. If the party OF the
second part was quicker on the
draw, the coroner always said
"self-defenSe."
But the Roberts COMMITTEES
makes no IN e n o n-nt the
Pepper announcement and ap-
parently never heard of il.
There is a temptation 10 dis,
count what Pepper said as an
irresponsible utterance by a
man who may have hoped that
his own peculiar reputation
among those who knew him
would reaSSure the laps that
he was just talking bombastic
nonsense.
Sill The possibility cannot he
dismissed that the laps we're
thus persuaded 10 hit first.
IF PEPPER lied and on his
L own responsibility. he should
have been disowned by Presi-
dent Roosevelt for his remarks
might have been partly or
wholly responsible for great.
historical disaster and the loss
OF thousands OF American lives.
II he told the truth. the guilt.
Of course. is higher up for Pep
per could not have made the
daCieiOD him Splf
But an important popularity
Of the committee authority
forbade II 10 inquire whether
statesmen or politicians IN
Washington were culpabls.
As the committee said in It's
report IN Mr.. Roosevelt. by
whose order II was created. IT'S
mission was 10 examine the con-
duct Of army and navy person
mel. not civilian officials.
Anyway, President Roosevelt
did not repudiate Pepper Far
from that. he gave HIM the
small machine support in the
Florida spring primary and. ri
the climax. Pepper received
most cynical demonstration Of
political favor.
II THAT campaign. down 70
the closing day. Pepper was
hard pressed and he went into
Pinellas County. which includes
Tampa. whore about * 900 war
workers are employed in the
shipyards, fighting for renomi-
nation.
On that day. in dramatic
fashion. The federal government
rushed 10 completion long legal
proceedings against the private
owners Of the great Candy
bridge and CauSeway. connects
ing Tampa with ST. Petersburg.
where many Of the war workers
live, and seized the bridge and
abolished the tolls.
The right and wrong Of this
action need not be argued here.
II may have been justified.
But the timing Of this great
boon TO the warworkers. and
indeed 10 all the wage earners
OF the region, was obviously
political
In an instant. popular fight
OF years was won and Pepper
reaped the benefit at the polls;
for he personified the admins-
tration which did the trick.
a New Deal editor in Tampa
writes that Pepper undoubtedly
got 10 the President AT his
South Carolina retreat during
Mr. RnnSnNelf's cnnNaleScencn