Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-09-13

A NNOUNCER-YeS now is the time to present
n Rupert Hughes, internationally famous
author historian soldier, American, Rupert
Hughes.
HUGHES-You have all seen what they call
bifds-eye views of things
But many years ago famous cartoonist, Hy
Mayer, grew so tired of bird's-eye views that he
put forth an antidote in series of drawings show
ing how things looked, not from overhead, but
underneath.
He called them worm's-eye views.
But what do birds care for the opinions of
worms? Worms furnish food for birds, not ideas.
Worms are not supposed to have any voice in
government Worms are not supposed to have
any voices at all.
Yet worms have their rights, or think they
have And worms can undermine great buildings.
Just now we worms are worried We are wrig-
Cling and whispering about how puzzled we are by
certain things the birds are doing-and leaving
undone We humble, "Why is it that, after nearly
three years. there has been nothing done about the
gold plumaged birds wh0 were in command at
Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese struck us so
frightful blOw?"
TT WAS the worst disaster in American history,
L perhaps in any history.
1t has been implied that the admiral in charge
of the navy and its air force and the general in
charge of the troops and their air force were so
negligent of their duties at critical time that
even speak to each other.
They were removed from command and even
tually a committee called the Roberts Commission
made an investigation under certain carefully re-
stricted instructions. But, the men charged with
the most atrocous guilt for the most appalling
disaster in our history, HAVE NEVER BEEN
BROUGHT TO TRIAL.
They haUe UiolenHy denied the charges
and PLEADED FOR TRIAL.
Many powerful groups haze tried to bring
about their trial, but haze failed utterly.
These groups haUe charged that the trial is
being suppressed for political purposes and they
point to the peculiar fact that the best they could
do Was to get a promise of public inquiry ONE
MONTH AFTER ELECTION.
MORE and more of us bewildered worms are
I1 mumblng "whys."
If they're guilty why are they asking for pun
ishment?
If they're guilty why aren't they getting pun
ishment and plenty of it?
Why has their trial been postponed so long
that special enactments have had to be made to
keep the charges from being outlawed?
The Bill of Rights says, I'm ALL CRIMINAL
PROSECUTIONS THE ACCUSED SHALL EN-
JOY THE RIGHT TO SPEEDY AND PUBLIC
TRIAL"
Military law is much the same as to prompt
ness of trial and publication of the findings.
But these officers can't get tried
People remember that Kimmel and Short
were personally selected and jumped over the
heads of great numbers Of officers senior to them
The .Uorn,s wondering ho.U the poWer that
lifted them out of the mob and hoisted them
high suddenly dropped them into the pit of
Oblivion and Wont eUen look at then, or listen to
their prayers.
Much the same thing was done to Henry Wal
lace, who was picked up for vice president in 1910
and thrown overheard in 1914 along with several
other Jonahs.
There are ugly and growing mumbngs among
the wormy citizens that we have another Dreyfus
case on our hands With the American habit of
doing things in big way, we have two Dreyfuses
II ININIEL and Short, we are told officially, threw
II away the first battle of the Pacific without a
struggle. If the japanese had followed up Pearl
Harbor by an attack on our Pacific Coast there is
simply no telling the devastation they could have
wrecked.
The mystery remains: Why under heaven was
such a great fleet crowded in such narrow
basin? Why on earth and in the air wasn't nor
NAL airplane patrol kept up?