Show Merry Merry-G Round Merry By Drew Pearson and Robert S. S Allen AHen WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Assistant Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy leaned across the dinner table to vivacious Mrs William Denman wife of San Francisco's distinguished federal judge and said banteringly Youre going to be bombed And you think we Californians dont don't know it shot back Mrs Denman why were we're here What Mrs Denman meant was that her husband husband husband hus hus- band had been pounding on capital doors for three weeks trying to get better protection for forthe forthe forthe the Pacific coast In fact whatever protection the west coast gets added to that of the army and navy will be due in a large measure to the efforts of Judge Denman plus Chester Rowell of the San Francisco Chronicle and behind the scenes another judge Justice judge Justice William O. O Douglas Douglas Douglas Doug Doug- las of the supreme court Reason for Judge Denmans Denman's worry is that every year from May to July a bank of fog covers a strip of the Pacific about 40 miles mUes wide from San Francisco to Los Angeles This strip of fog Denman declares is just what the Japanese need to screen their airplane carriers They know all about this fogbank have studied it for years And if they sacrifice the planes planes planes-as as we know they have been willing willingto to do they do-they they could dump tons and tons of incendiary incendiary incendiary diary bombs on San Francisco which by the way is rated by insurance companies next to Tokyo as the second greatest fire risk in the world Judge Denman also has pounded home to the war and navy something else which the Japanese know about that about that protection of vital public utilities utilities utilities ties on the west coast is complicated by overlapping overlapping overlapping over over- lapping jurisdictions First Trial of Alleged Agents On Monday in Washington before able Judge T. T Alan Goldsborough the first U. U S. S trial of alleged Jap agents will begin T There ere will be two defendants defendants David David W. W Ryder and Frederick V. V Williams of San Francisco Originally there were six all indicted on the same charge of failing to state material facts in registering with the state department under the foreign agents registration act Of the four who wont won't go on trial Monday one Ralph Townsend Lake Geneva Wis has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentence Townsend Townsend Townsend Town- Town send was connected with the rabidly isolationist Scribners Commentator Another Tautomu Obana a Jap alien also has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sent sentence nce Two others K Takahashi and S. S fled to Japan Prosecutors in the trial will be Albert E. E Arent and Arthur B. B Caldwell special assistants to the attorney general and veterans in enemy alien cases Arent has handled more of these cases than any other government attorney and never has lost one Specifically Ryder is charged with acting as press agent of a Jap propaganda organization in San Francisco th that t posed as a trade and information information information mation agency The escaped Takahashi and set up this outfit of which Obana was secretary Williams is accused of distributing Jap propaganda while operating as the correspondent correspondent correspondent corre corre- of an English language newspaper published published published pub pub- in Tokyo Inside word is that during the trial the government government gov gov- eminent will spring several sensations Involving headline figures Another off Brush-off for II n Duce Confidential diplomatic dispatches from Rome report that Hitler gave Mussolini another brushoff brushoff brushoff brush- brush off on his standing long-standing demand for French Tunisia Nice and Corsica Hope of grabbing these three possessions was one of the chief reasons reasons rea rca sons why Mussolini stabbed France in the back But despite their repeated oft-repeated vows of mutual devotion Hitler didn't let his black pal get away with the swag Two years have passed and Mussolini now Is apparently further from his prize than before Note Strongly corroborating this report are several Rome radio broadcasts since Mussolini's return denouncing French treatment of Tunis residents Delivered in Arabic the broadcasts charged France with persecuting J the natives jailing their leaders and deliberately withholding food and medical supplies Copyright 1942 by United Feature S Syndicate dic te |