Detroit evening times., 1945-09-08
PAUL
MALLON
Behind
The News

WASHINGTON, Sept. THE
w Pearl Harbor matter has
devolved into a semi subtle
political maneuver Of the New
Dealers to prevent exposure OF
Mr.. Rooseyelt'S responsibility.
Their commentators and con-
gressmen, since the reports,
have daily raised the theme
that it would be useless 10 rake
those cooled Goals further and
sully proud official names
-lrarely mentioning Mr. Rnose-
velt's). Why not let by-gones
be by-gones and get on with
reconversion or whatever II is
we are doing?
Among themselves, they say:
"De Mortuis nil nisi. bonum," e."
(say nothing but good of the
dead) as if the worst OF all
blows 10 American arms was
now a matter of etiquette.
HENCE, also, Mr.. Truman did
IL what he could for his old
chief by blaming the public and
Congress for the disaster.
All this, of course, repre-
sented genuine inner fear of
what a full inquiry might do not
only to the President, but po-
litically to the part.
Seeing this. the Republicans
started championing in Con-
gress the cause of an investiga-
ton. They have insufficient
strength alone TO force one, but
they are getting quiet helping
hands from some non.New-
Dealing Democrats who want
justice done.
Mr.. Roosevelt, you will recall,
recognized his talent for naval
strategy, having once told a
friend Of mine before our war
he believed he could place the
fleet in certain positions around
the world and win the Euro
pean war.
LIE COT big appropriations
IL for his pet department and
is supposed to have been the
godfather of the fleet. 1t can
now be related a large part OF
the navy did not like this. He
ran things too much his own
way, which was not the way OF
those admirals who retained
independent minds.
He gave away the destroyers
to Britain, moved half the feet
into the Atlantic and left only
half of ii TO face Japan, thereby
opening the opportunity for the
Jap attack. These criticisms
have long been murmured Off
stage in Congress.
Lately there has been another
unconfrmed story in circulation
that Mr.. Roosevelt required the
half-fleet in the Pacific TO re-
main largely bottled up in Pearl
Harbor for fear of giving Japan
an opportunity to start shoot
ing.
Admiral Richardson is said to
have been relieved OF Pearl
Harbor because he refused tc
set the ships up at anchor In
that small space, without ma
neuverability, like ducks on a
pond.
A powerful segment within
the navy would like to have
these matters publicly explored
to clear its name, and is quietly
pushing the investigation idea
along.
TN THE face Of this phalanx,
l. the administration seems
coming around to the view that
there must be an investigation,
and intends to do the next best
thing about it - run 1t them
selves.
Signs are visible that they
intend to take the issue out OF
the hands of the Republicans
and carefully choose the inves-
tigating committee, not only to
protect the fair name of Mr..
Roosevelt but themselves politi-
cally.
The fair name of Mr.. RooSe-
welt in history will be whatever
IL Will be, whether the Pearl
Harbor facts reach full daylight
or not. His name is in no danger.
But the morale of the navy
and the army is in danger from
this situation.
A sickenino condition has been