Detroit evening times., 1945-09-04
PAUL
IMALLON
Behind
The News

reports but yet nothing which
would establish clear public
understanding Of what hap
pened.
This is because the reports
themselves are incredible.
The facts offered are gen.
orally true and full. put they
have been presented as If 25
lawyers and clients were shout
ing all at once their individual
accusations and defenses in a
mass trial.
For instance, War Secretary
Stimson generously covers Mr..
Roosevelt from blame, with
evidence that The late preSi-
dent predicted what happened
IL and again IL days in ad-
vance.
II never entered Mr.. Slim
sons mind that if Mr.. Roose-
welt had such information or
belief, and did not advise Gen.
Marshall and Adm. Stark, he
was culpable beyond their
guilt.
What is the all-too-apparent
fact OF the matter?
Mr.. Roose evelt expressed
many lunches and beliefs at
many times, and this happened
10 have been one expressed
twice, upon which neither he
nor anyone else acted.
Now This double-Scintilla Of
evidence is magnitied TO create
a picture which is not accurate.
-
VNHE report is all like that,
L Mr.. Stimson says army
intelligence had inside informa-
tion Nov. II the Japs were 10
attack five days later, and he
congratulates that service on
this correct information,
which, having proved false at
the time. may have led the
army chieftainS to be suspicious
of that source and relax vigi-
lance Of any,
The navy blames State Secre-
tary Hull, claiming his ulti-
matum TO the Japs Nov. 26
provoked the attack, whereas
the army and navy had advised
the government two weeks
earlier il was not ready yet for
war, as the Japs were superior.
This seems 10 be the common
service conviction. and is in
accord with the theme of all
the reports in which every one
involved blames every other
one except himself.
What are the known land
omitted) facts about that?
Usually in these matters, |
would grapple with the 100000
words OF the documents, and
then set out to find the answers
but this time il would be a
waste of eyesight and foot
leather.
THE Jap attack on Pearl Har'
Il Dor, any military man viii
tell, could not have been or
ganized in less than three
months.
The whole Jap campaign OF
war, as it skillfully developed
against us. with perfect timing
of the seizure of Guam, in
vasion of Malaga, conquest oI
Singapore and invasion of the
Philippines took six months tC
organize and II months 10 plan
No American official men
toned or unmentioned knew
about this, or did anything
about it.
All offcialdom failed.
The nation was caught Nat
footed. And now in reports al
officialdom is trying TO say
1T was not | who failed, it wa
the other official"
In my opinion, the Japs hat
been planning this war for Y
years, and the attack activel!
for a year. and seized the mo
ment when we were gettlnl
deeper and deeper involved II
Europe TO stab us in the back
They chose the momen
when our European commit
mentS had reached such proper
tions we could not handle then
and reached for the knife they
had been whetting so long t
jdst the precise point.
This. ] am sure, will be the
Judgment of cool history
Yet in one election campaign
the responsibility for Pear
Harbor was successfully laic
by the Rooseveltian Democrats
upon those who had a few years
earlier voted in CongreS
against an appropriation fol
Guam. Such is politics.
THE report makes at least one
Il thing clear. Any observer
reading of the superficial stories
must now know why Kimme
and Short were not court-mar'
tailed and tried.
They had the goods on higher
ups in Washington, and tria'
would have given them the op-
portunity 10 present IL,
There is no particularly
inside story being handed
around here on the matter, eX-
cept that Mr.. Truman was ad.
viSed 10 delay the reports until
the japanese occupation quieted
down.
Congressman told him 10 hold
il until occupation was com.
plete. or publication could serve
some purpose.
He does not seem TO be "the