Show 1 NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS NE 1 Written for The h Telegram By Ray Tucker W WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The ASHINGTON The depart- depart of justice also the thein intelligence in in intelligence divisi divisions ms of th the state war and navy departments have uncovered startling evidence of fifth column activities in the United States Arrests have been quietly made in this particular case but there has been no mention of them in inthe inthe inthe the headlines Here is what happened happened happened hap hap- There lived a fine old German in a certain New ew England England England Eng Eng- land city he was loved and re respected respected respected re- re by everybody and they gave him a grand funeral His Hisson Hisson Hisson son also loved and trusted married married married mar mar- ried a home town girl and there was no question of his loyalty to the United States Recently however however however how how- ever his home was entered and the federal invaders found that he owned a 1200 radio set with which he sent nightly short wave messages to Berlin He also had detailed pictures of two plants plants- one turned out shell casings for forthe forthe forthe the allies and the American armies in the last war the other now makes one of the finest bombers in the world Obviously on the money he was making in this small New England city he could not afford afford afford af af- af- af ford a 1200 radio set The supposition supposition supposition sup sup- position is that certain German agents financed both his radio and his ultramodern camera The discovery explains why our government government government gov gov- is checking up on the activities of both the German and Italian diplomatic establishments in the United States The state department has quietly ordered a fine comb up check-up of American corporations corporations' corporations corporations' corporations corporations' corpora corpora- ownership of factories mines and plantations producing key materials in South America It reveals Washington's concern over the prospect of South American American American Amer Amer- ican disaffection or a prospective alliance between our hoped-for hoped good neighbors and the con all Hitler Secretary Hull cannot afford to publicize his worries but he has hassent hassent hassent sent illuminating questionnaires to t th e corporations He has asked them to identify their mines and factories their railroads railroads railroads rail rail- roads and their shipping ports and tell where they are located He has asked for figures on the amount of stuff they produce annually and the names of the countries to which they have shipped their products in the past He does not disclose his ultimate ultimate ultimate ulti ulti- mate purpose in these question question- Bui But it is obvious to the recipients that Washington is in ina a quiet sort of way preparing to mineral and industrial centers in South America Our navy experts at the request request request re re- re- re quest of White House and state department strategists figure that Uncle Sam can ship a powerful powerful powerful pow pow- erful portion of his Pacific fleet to the Atlantic ocean if the worst comes to the worst worst worst-if if Hitler for instance takes over both the French and the British fleets The United States has a five- five to-three to superiority over the Japanese fleet although secret construction by Tokyo may have unbalanced that ratio But in addition to our supposed superiority superiority superiority supe supe- in numbers and tonnage of ships our naval strategists hold the Japanese navy in the utmost contempt as to effective fighting power For some reason reason reason rea rea- son our people believe that the Japanese dont don't know how to handle handle han han- dle ships or guns Therefore I R they maintain that we could transfer third one-third of our Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- fleet to the Atlantic in an emergency But there is a dangerous dangerous dangerous dan dan- corollary to this ment The shipment of third one-third of our battleships cruisers destroyers destroyers destroyers de de- and submarines from the Pacific to the Atlantic would mean abandonment of the Philippines Philippines Philippines Phil Phil- and the Dutch East Indies Indies Indies In In- dies to Japan if she decides to take them over Our fleet stripped of third one-third or one- one half of its fighting units could not wage an offensive war miles from its major bases In Inthe Inthe Inthe the event Japan moved on the Philippines or the Dutch East Indies under these circumstances Washington would have to take that threat with a smile National National National Na honor is a luxury this country cannot indulge in at the present moment though few seem to realize it The proposal for an American international cartel involving the United States and the South American Americ n republics was the production production production pro pro- of state department the the- It rang no bells in the hearts of our more practical diplomats and economists The great countries of South America produce wheat beef cotton and corn We have a sickening sickening sickening sick sick- ening surplus' surplus of those materials therefore we cannot buy them and furnish the exchange with which they can purchase our manufactured articles Hitler needs their food and they can absorb all the cheaply made manufactured stuff he can send them So in the opinion of our more sophisticated diplomats and economists the American international international international inter inter- national cartel is just another pipe dream Copyright 1940 McClure Syndicate |