Show I Washington Round Merry-Go-Round Pearson By Drew I W N Admiral Husband E. E Kimmel ousted commander of Pearl Harbor is laying a hot potato on the step of Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and the president which will be hard to handle Admiral Kimmel has drafted a aletter aletter aletter letter to Secretary Knox demanding demanding demanding de de- de- de manding that he be allowed to take his case before a court- court martial now Previously Admiral Admiral Admiral Admi Admi- ral Kimmel had agreed that the martial court-martial be postponed until until until un un- un- un til after the end of the war and recently he waived expiration expiration expiration tion of the statute of limitations But now the admiral has completely completely completely com com- changed his position and put forward reasons which his friends in the navy navy believe are sound and will be hard for Knox and the ilie president to meet Furthermore it is s reported that Admiral Kimmel has re retained retained retained re- re as his lawyer Colonel Harry Leonard the U U. S. S marine marine marine ma ma- rine officer who defended the late General Smedley Butler in his martial court-martial row with Herbert Herbert Herbert Her Her- bert Hoover and Mussolini General General General Gen Gen- eral Butler who fought side sideby sideby sideby by side with Colonel Leonard Inthe in inthe inthe the Boxer rebellion where the latter lost his arm had told a lecture audience how Mussolini ran over a a achild child and did not let lethis lethis lethis his chauffeur stop the car Hoover ordered Butler court- court But Colonel Leonard handled the case with such skill that in the end the navy let et Leonard and Butler write out their own statement dropping the trial When the navys navy's new judge advocate general Admiral Tommy Tommy Tommy Tom Tom- my Gatch former commander of the U S S South Dakota heard that Leonard had been retained by Admiral Kimmel he remarked remarked remarked re re- re- re marked to friends Were in for a tough fight The letter drafted by Kimmel to Knox recalls that Knox had asked him on August 27 not to plead the statute of limitations when his martial court came up t after the war and that Kimmel had agreed Kimmel then reviewed his earlier earlie acquiescence to the argument argument ar ar- argument that it was not for the best interests of the country to press for trial until the end of the war even though his own public vindication might be prejudiced and even though the public considered him guilty The admiral added that his defense would necessarily be that higher authority shared in the tragic events vents and he did not want to air th these se facts during during during dur dur- ing the early stages of the war However Kimmel continued witnesses regarding the Pearl Harbor disaster and its responsibility responsibility responsibility are bound to die in fact one has died already Human memory may become obscure he also pointed out and this is isone isone isone one one reason why the statute of limitations was enacted into law Furthermore Kimmel argued we are no longer losing the war Therefore he said he felt he could no longer bear the burden of obloquy alone without trial which I herewith request In preparation for the trial Kimmel demanded that he and his attorney have access to the records of the Navy Department immediately in order to prepare his defense He pointed out that these records might be lost or misplaced and that he must have access to them Kimmel told Knox that he did not doubt his good faith in wanting to permit him a fair trial after the war but on theother the theother theother other hand he was not so sure about the interestedness of the secretary of the navy who might follow Knox Therefore he demanded demanded demanded de de- de- de a trial now Kimmel also demanded that I his letter to Knox be given the same publicity as the navy avy departments department's departments department's de del statement that Kimmel Kimmel Kimmel Kim Kim- mel had waived the statute of bf limitations Finally he told Knox that he would expect a reply Andrew J. J Higgins the New Orleans boat building wizard usually bowls over everyone he meets including his good friend President Roosevelt However it was the president who did the bowling over when Higgins called at the WhiteHouse White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House for a a. confidential chat on war shipping problems the other day Higgins presented the president president president dent with miniature models ofa ofa of ofa a foot 36 troop landing boat a foot 50 tank-carrying tank lighter and a foot 37 general utility patrol boat which he has been building for the government I 1 thought you would like to have these for your collection Mr President said Higgins wonderful Andy said the president as he examined examined examined ex ex- ex- ex each of the models care care- full fully Perfect in all details Then with a quizzical glance at Higgins he added But how about that new T P-T torpedo patrol boat youre you're turning out out Im I'm very anxious to get a model of that also Were making a model for you now replied Higgins have it within a month fine said Roosevelt You know Ive I've had occasion to look over the reports of the performance performance performance per per- of your T P-T boats in battle areas and I still cant can't understand how they can make an inboard turn considering how fast they travel Note Inboard turn is the nautical equivalent of a bank on a level area such as the sea With an automobile as with most boats this is impossible when traveling at a fast speed However Higgins' Higgins T P-T boats are especially constructed to defy the law of centrifugal force so that they can make a turn within with with- in two lengths at a speed of 50 miles an hour without upsetting or throwing the crew overboard over over- board Higgins usually has an answer answer answer an- an an an- for everything but this one stopped him Mr President you amaze me he said I 1 didn't think anyone outside of the shipbuilding ing trade would know what an inboard turn meant Only aman aman a aman man with a knowledge of seamanship seamanship sea sea- manship and naval engineering would ask a question like that Where did you find out about all these things Oh I 1 know a little bit about boats Andy replied Roosevelt with a grin and I think Ive I've got the design of your T P-T boat figured out But I still want to get a model amodel of it to be sure Im I'm right Copyright 1943 United Feature Syndicate Livestock production is a long- long term program Marvelously we have speeded up the building ofa ofa of ofa a ship But no man ever devised a method of speeding up the production production production pro pro- of a heifer Alf heifer Alf M. M Landon |