Evening star., 1945-09-24

story is that
during the cam Frank r. Kent.
paign Gov. Dewey obtained informa-
ton that the Army had cracked
the japanese secret code and as
a result, sufficiently before Pearl
Harbor to have given ample warn
ing, Mr.. Roosevelt definitely knew
that Japan would attack us. Yet.
he withheld the warning.
Armed with this information, Mr..
Dewey could have made terrific
attack, buttressed with facts, on Mr..
Roosevelt, charging him with full
responsibility for Pearl Harbor. He
refrained because Gen. Marshall
urged that to make that charge
would hurt morale and cost Amer
lean lives. AS a sheer matter OF
patriotism, Gov. Dewey refrained
though Mr.. Chamberlain feels that
had he made the attack the cleo
ton result might have been differ
ent.
This Chamberlain charge that Mr.
Roosevelt had full knowledge long
before Pearl Harbor that Japan
would attack is essentially the
charge made a few weeks ago by
Mr.. John T. Flynn. Undoubtedly
the congressional committee about
to start its Pearl Harbor probe will
call before it Gen. Marshall, Gov.
Dewey, Mr.. Flynn and Mr.. Cham
berlain for interrogation concerning
aol Tho yohor1oir1 nhQ
Little Result Expected.
What they will get from them
remains to be seen. Gov. Dewey
already has refused to give out Gen.
Marshall's letter on the ground that
it was confidential. Inasmuch as
neither Mr.. Chamberlain nor Mr..
Flynn revealed the source of their
information in their articles, 1t is
not improbable they will decline to
reveal their source to the commit
tee.
In that event. the hope of getting
the full facts will rest in Gen. Mar
shall. 1t is reasonable to expect
that with the war over, Gen. Mar
shall will realize that the Amer
ican people are entitled to the full
est possible information concerning
the greatest tragedy in our national
history.
If the general takes that atti-
tude, the real truth will be known
If he does not, then the chances
are great it never will be known
and the investigation will degen-
crate into a long, unedifying and
entirely futile affair with the poll
ticians on one side offsetting the
politicians on the other.
At any rate, the Chamberlain ac-
count adds to the weight of the
charges that Mr.. Roosevelt had ad-
vance knowledge of the attack and
thus had, at least, share in Pearl
Harbor responsibility. But the point
made by Mr.. Chamberlain and Mr..
Brownell, that had MI. Dewey
chosen to use his information he
might have been elected does not
seem sound. One need not question
the patriotism of Mr.. Dewey in re-
fusing to use his information after
Gen. Marshall had written that the
Japs did not then know we knew
their code and that to SO inform
them might cost many American
lives, in order to disagree with the
idea that this cost him the election.
1t is very doubtful if the charge
would have lost Mr.. Roosevelt any
votes at all. Made in the midst of
a campaign, charges, even when
fully sustained, are never really
effective. This charge, Of course
would have been denied or "ex-
planned" by Mr.. Roosevelt and the
whole power of the Democratic
publicity machine would have beer
used in denouncing Mr.. Dewey fol
a dastardly political attack.
Gen. Marshall would have been ir
no position to back him up, and tht
Republican candidate would have
found himself hard pressed not tt
be put on the defensive. Those who
were against Mr.. Roosevelt woule
have believed the charges, but mos
of those for him would have dis.
believed them, or If they had be.
lieved, would still have voted fol
him.
Always an Answer.
Mr.. Dewey deserves full credit
for resisting what must have been q
temptation, but it is highly improb-
able that he sacrificed the presi-
dency. The truth is that charges
change very few votes. No matter
what they are, there is always an
answer, explanation and counter
charge. And in hot fight they
are always discounted
The Chamberlain story recalls
other charges that were made OF
could have been. One of the latter
occurred in 1910 when Mr.. Henry
Wallace was the Roosevelt running
mate.
During that campaign the Repub-
licans had learned that Mr.. Wallacs
was in the habit of consulting som.
crystal gaZer or fortune teller ir
New York and had gotten hold o.