Detroit evening times., 1945-09-29
PAUL
MALLON
Behind
The News

W Maj. zen. Wllu Bill Dono-
van bowed out of the first real
American intelligence service
tOSS) with a somewhat cool
sounding response from Presi-
dent Truman to his -idea-e de-
veloping his line of effort fur
ther for peace.
MIR. Truman cut up OSS. send
ing part TO the war department,
but most 10 state.
The Donovan notion of hiring
some one like Sumner Welles,
the eX-diplomat, 10 keep inti-
mate and Independent watch on
the inner international world,
was left hanging in air-some-
what foggy air.
Gen. Donovan has never been
a glamour boy. He is a rather
crusty soldier-lawyer Those
who know what he did in the
confidential special agent part
OF the war say his work in the
Balkans particularly was excel
lent and could have been done
by no cone else as well,
Into his organization. how
ever, crept number of per-
sons who did not fit the best
nature of the endeavor and gave
it distaste with Congress.
| think this fairly sums up
OSS. 1t did great work, but
was not popular. II can never
learn what accomplishes popu-
larity in this era when bank
robber can possibly attain it
by merely being for the 30-hour
week or some such social in
novation.)
IN THE wake of this peculiar
i condition. congressman are
arising to shout there will be
no American Gestapo," and l
asst m also they mean no
OGPU or NkND. Indeed there
will not.
But there is a grave danger
that the first vital necessity for
a secure postwar world will be
ignored and shunted aside by
muddle-headed political think
ing about it.
If you thought Pearl Harbor
surprise and blitz warfare
sudden as lightning, you are al
ready old-fashioned and obsolete
in your thinking.
The next war will start like
a flash-the brilliant binding
flash of the atomic bomb If our
defenses were archaic last time,
they will be pitiful next time
unless our officials know every
thing going on in this world.
Not the fascists or the COM
muniSt nations, but the British,
democratic nation. have the
best world intelligence. 1t was
built up through generations.
IT CANNOT be an army enter
Il prise because the army covers
only one phase of world facts
influencing peace and security.
1t cannot be navy. marine corps,
or merely all three together
because diplomacy must be
founded upon such information
Cthe British even move COM
mercially from such realistic
ground newsD 1t cannot be
split, or you will have each de-
partment performing again the
coordination they showed about
Pearl Harbor-namely none.
Consequently il must be an
independent bureau covering at
least these government elements
and probably more tjustice de-
partment and FBIO
Furthermore, the head must
be a man whose character and
personality guarantee full pur-
suit of the business TO be done,
and a complete disavowal of any
political implications in the
work.
He must not be leftlSt or
right or even professional
Democrat or Republican.
That service must lean over
backward to keep itself politi-
cally inviolable. and beyond
even the faintest suspicion of
political use. The British know
how 10 do it)
The only limit on its appro-
priationS should be our need Of
information. If we need the in
formation-get IL.
If il is found countereSpionage
in this country requires action,
no political Softpeddaling con-
SiderationS shoul dbe allowed
to stand in the way of getting it.
THIS may sound 10 you AS If
L l am editorializing. You
would be mistaken If you drew
that assumption too fully.
Mr.. Truman, in his letter To
Donovan, said his reasSignment
and breakup of OSS represent
the beginning of a co-ordinated
system of foreign intelligence
within the permanent frame
work Of the government" and
he indicated other government
bureaus would be brought in.
Stronger and faster action is
needed, and will have TO be
taken. l can report there is A
good chance this nations direc-
tors, in the future. may know
fully what is going on in this
world in which we live.
If Wa do nn will neNnr again