Show DETROIT where auto plants make tanks where ford Would Make 1000 planes a da day y where Going Places rooms are at premium and with men wear caps and roads are cornelius plentiful and where the canadian vanderbilt border makes people war conscious S INTO DETROIT where automo tive live plants have been turning out tanks mechanized caissons chaissons cais sons infantry trucks and a dozen other things for the army at top speed tor for some time back in february when I 1 was last here some of the big factories were working on army trial orders ever even then their proving grounds were cluttered with weird objects bobbing around rolling over and over climbing steep banks and even fording rivers four years ago out in Manchu kuo I 1 saw japanese army tanks doing the same thing and that summer while crossing russia I 1 remember how amazed I 1 was near chita to see tanks swimming a river I 1 reported this to the U S army inte intelligence I 1 corps in washington upon my return and they pooh the ideal idea yet while covering the soviet army maneuvers near in siberia that same year I 1 had seen more than 4 men dropped out of airplanes by parachutes returning to detroit in the fau fail I 1 told bill stout about it stout is the father of henry fords stout metal plane and is the grandfather of all transport tran s ships in this country today stout said it could be done but he doubted the feasibility of this maneuver asked me how much vodka I 1 had been drinking when I 1 saw the teat THERE WAS an interesting article in the saturday evening post recently asking it if hitler had been training troops for mechanical warfare in russia tor for the past six years the article was well worth reading personally I 1 think he has moreover I 1 think during the recent winter months he has had his bis able technicians advising with the soviet and is being reinforced by the U S S R at this very moment thus henry fords stica tion the end of may that his company could turn out 1000 planes of one design a day it if needed is all the more interesting some will doubt fords ability to do this during the last war ford did however turn out one sub chaser a day and one eagle boat a day a then almost mos t inconceivable feat and he has turned out as many as of his bis cars daily so BO deemi seemingly angly nothing is impossible tor for the man last summer I 1 noted the german infantry was riding in ford touring cars five men to a car two in the front seat three in the rear they had their guns stacked behind the front seat every other car towed a field piece and many of these field pieces according to my notes were stamped made in USA also in case we forget too rapidly ford had bad assembly plants in the soviet in holland in germany German yand and in italy I 1 believe ACROSS THE RIVER from de troit lies windsor a semi sleepy canadian city here are miny many of the assembly plants of american manufacturers with goods to sellin tell in the dominion odd that within a mite mire everything should be so entirely different some say we are not close enough to a foreign border in the united states to realize what it must be to live in some of the european countries today if you yn live in detroit you ari are conscious of the war if you take an lout outing ingin in canada you are doubly so DETROIT IS AGAIN a busy metropolis the streets are filled with people shops crowded hotel lobbies overflowing its as difficult to get a room overnight to in detroit as it is in washington D C today of au all ot of our big industrial cities detroit and pittsburgh are the most foreign looking half closing my eyes I 1 can imagine myself in the german ruhr in the erstwhile belgian Ar dennes in the russian ukraine in the polish caucasians the men all wear caps they tell me there are more caps sold in these two cities than in all of the rest of the united states combined josf most of the women cover their heads with shawls or bandanas bagdanas ban danas during the recent recession these cities were the most morbid of the nation the largest government relief projects were in operation here but today the scene has changed completely boom times are back with a bang and it looks as it if they are here to stay for awhile MICHIGAN CITIES and towns along with probably a great many 0 others throughout the nation are now forming home guard outfits in great haste gun clubs are drilling once or twice weekly at skeet which is a mild form of parachutist interference practically every american in this region goes deer hunting once or twice a year therefore there are hundreds of thousands of good shots it is doubtful if hitler should invade this continent but it if he does michigan at least will not be caught unawares UP AT PONTIAC mien mich where many general motors products are produced the rumor is that gas masks are coming off the belts some wiseacres wise acres will tell you we will be able to supply half the nation with masks before 1941 yet if hitler is really using his paralysis gas as some foreign correspondents claim he is one wonders if our military masks will do the trick too THESE MICHIGAN industrial CITIES are connected by ribbons of cemen cement t in a veritable hub like fashion on them there is a constant flow of trucks cars p pedestrians edest rians tiny lakes honeycomb the countryside and are the mecca for fishermen near them bait 1 is sold by enterprising youngsters one section up here is undergoing a bait war for miles along each side of the highway signs read crawlers hoppers worms and gliders 2 bits bit a dozen TRAILERS house cars land yachts fid all the michigan camps for awhile the vogue of the rolling home went out of existence but it is back again with a bang many are homemade others are more fancy they sell all the way from to and are occupied b by y some of the most amazing people I 1 have ever had the good fortune for i time to meet for nine years now I 1 have been an ardent trail erite myself I 1 have twice encircled the world in iii my own land yacht and some of the most interesting days I 1 can remember have been consumed in cruising the highways and byways of the world thus in this country my yearly mileage mile go has been in excess of |