The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-07-11
Fair Enough

Editors Note.-The Star and the News accept
responsibility for the rsona views of Mr. Pegler
and often disagree with them much 5 many OF
his readers. His articles serve the good purpose Of
making people think.
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
NEW YORK.-In it's "conclusion" on the
Pearl Harbor investigation the Roberts COM
mittee reported: The Secretary of State full
filled his obligations by keeping the War and
Navy departments in close touch with the in
ternational situation and fully advising them
respecting the course and probable ter1nina-
ton of negottions 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 tae Pacific, if the Japs crossed an undenti-
fled line, as Senator Pepper of Florida had
announced two weeks before Pearl Harbo- i?
If 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
Admiral Kimmel and General Short, WAC, up
to now, have been the goats of the disaster
To anticipate remarks that the a and
wounded were the goats, let us agree not to
be- flippant. We are speaking of the living.
1t is possible, OF course, that Pepper was
merely sounding off in ais statement which
the Associated Press carried out of Boston,
If SO, then Pepper was guilty Of an historic
offense. For, considering his prestige as a
member of the Foreign Relations Committee
and as an intimate and political protege of
President Roosevelt, the Japs might have re-
garded his remarks a warning by authority
and an invitation to the same method
In the code of the old American west, if one
man announced that he would shoot another
on sight, the other man was justified in shoot
ing 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 committee makes no men
ton of the Pepper announcement and appar-
emily never heard of it. There is tempta-
ton to discount what Pepper said an ir-
responsible utterance by man who may
have hoped that his own peculiar reputation
among those who knew aim would reassure
the Japs that he was just talking bombastic
nonsense. Still the possibility cannot be dis
missed that the Japs were thus persuaded
to hit first.
If Pepper lied and on his own responsibility,
he should have been disowned by President
Roosevelt for his remarks might have been
partly or wholly responsible for great, his
torical disaster and the loss of thousands Of
American lives. If he told the truth, the
guilt, of course, is higher up for Pepper could
not have made the decision himself
But an important peculiarly of the COM
mittee's authority forbade it to inquire wheth-
e. statesmen or politicians in Washington were
culpable. AS the committee said in Its report
to Mr.. Roosevelt, by whose order it was Gre
ated its mission was to examine the conduct
of Army and Navy personnel, not civilian Of
ficials
Anyway, President Roosevelt did not repudl-
ate Pepper. Far from that he gave him the
small machine support in the Florida spring
primary and, at the climax, Pepper received
most cynical demonstration of political IA
vor.
In the campaign, down to the closing day.
Pepper was hard pressed and ne went into
Pinellas county, which includes Tampa, Where
about $4,000 war workers are employed IN the
shipyards fighting for denomination On that
day in dramatic fashion, the federal govern
ment rushed to completion long legal proceed
ings against the private owners OF the great
Gandi bridge and causeWay, connecung lam
pa with St. Petersburg, where many OF 1he
war workers live, and seized the orloge ana
abolished the tolls. The rlglt and wrong OF
this action need not be argued mere. IL may
have been justified. But the timing OF this
great boon to the war workers, and indeed
to all t.ae wage-earners of the region was
obviously political. In an inst a popular popular
fight of years was won ana Pepper reapeo
the benefit at the polls for he personified
the administration which did the trick.
new deal editor in Tampa writes that
Pepper Undoubtedly got to the President at
his South Carolina retreat during Mr.. Roose-
velt's convalescence and urged him to sieze
the bridge and lift the tolls. And that the
now deal editor says '1aelped Pepper get the
narrow margin by which he escaped sec
ond primary, more anxiety and the possibility
of defeat"
The Roberts committee said that one of the
contributory causes of the Pearl Harbor dis
aster was Japan's disregard of international
law and custom relating to declaration OF war
and this country's adherence to such laws
and customs But its authority did not allow
# to consider whether, as Pepper had an
nounced, this country had decided to disre-
gard international law and custom and to
hold in allegiance the mere legal technically
! of declaration of war.