Detroit evening times., 1945-08-21

calling ms commander IN chief
liar unless he can prove his
case
EOR more. than two years,V
L the navy and war depart
ments refused 10 Try these men,
the excuse being that such a
trial would hamper. IN the per-
formance or combat and admin
iStraiive duties. active officers
in the war against Japan whose
personal presence and testimony
would be required and that Sc
Cret information OF value 10 the
Japanese might be divulged 10
them.
Aeanwhtlr- Unable 10 stand
off the demand entirely. the de-
partments, by order of Congress.
hctd inquiries and INDICATED
kimmel and Short 10 the extent
OF saying that T.. they were
charged with no offenses which
would Justify trials by courts
martial
Nevertheless. the departments
suppressed the testimony.
These men, under American
law. are presumed TO be inno-
cent, but they were tried by a
kangaroo court named by Presi-
dent Roosevelt soon after Pearl
Harbor and that court. desig-
mated a committee, under the
presidency of Owen J. Roberts,
then a justice Of the Supreme
Court. since resigned. performed
a service OF great temporary
advantage 10 Mr.. Roosevelt,
who was lis client AZ well as It's
founder. and inflicted grievous
wrong on The two officers.
II convicted them Of "dere-
hctlon OF duty after assuring
iher that they were not on trial,
As OF course they could not he
IN that forum because II had no
more standing than so many
goSSipS IN a SALOON and no for
NAL charges had been filed TO
which they could make answer.
"DERELICTloN of duty'I
~ meant to the American
people, for a period of time. that
kImmel and Short were respon-
Sible for a disaster which cost
1900 immediately and God only
knows how many more lives in
the subsequent war TO drive the
JapS back from positions which
thlS preliminary stroke enabled
them 10 seize.
\ forgotten but extremely
important item IN this case IS A
press association dispatch from
Boston on Nov "a. 1911. 13 days
before Pearl Harbor in which
Senator Claude Pepper OF Flor
IDA, one OF the most influential
| political Serpeants of Mr.. Roose-
Nelt was quoted as saying
We are only waiting for
Japan 10 cross n line before We
start shooting. I do not know
exactly where that line IL and I
am not sure the president knows
where II II. But when they
cross II We will start shooting.
The actual declaration Of war
Is a legal technicality and such
technicalities are held In abey-
ance as long a. those brigands
continue In force"
IN VIEW Of the intimacy ne
tween the president and Pep
per at the time. the japanese
ambassador in WaSh Shington
would have been derelict in his
duty If he failed TO advise his
government that the United
States was planning 10 start
war with sneak punch. Kim
| mel and Short were not advised
OF any such intention and they
were restricted. down TO the
last hour, by orders forbidding
them TO. take any protective
and precautionary measures be-
yond those OF the No. alert.
which, in the words of the Rob-
eriS report, is a defense
against acts Of sabotage and
upriSings within the islands.
with no threats from without"
The final warning that a
break in relations with Japan
might occur almost Immediately
did not arrive until after the
attack.
President Truman has inhcr-
/ tied a DreyfuS case whose vic.