Evening Star Newspaper, February 5, 1942, Page 13

Book ® Tell Of Prdude to Japans Blow Americar Says Dual Systm of DealingsWell Known By DAVIDLAWRENCE. Frederick Moge, the only Ameri- ean who was of the inside of the Japsnese Embasy and saw from that vantage pait how the United years he ha: David Lawrence. been employedby the Japanese government astn adviser and, of course, has bvn known to the American Govexment in that ca- pacity. On theday war broke out, his services wit the Japanese gov- ernment were fmally terminated. The interestig thing about Mr. Moore’s book ishat he plans to tell in detail of theonflict between the militarist elemnts in Japan and the peace elemnts. He states that Admiral Nomwa hoped to the last that twar woul not come and did his utmost toorevent it. He was an intimate frnd of the Japanese Ambassador ad spent many days & week in confence with him. Asked todaywhether he believed either Admira Nomura or Special Envoy Kurus knew of the im- pending brealwhen they were ne- gotiating withhe United States, he replied that 2 did not think so. In fact, he ddared that the Japa- nese Ambasssor was hopeful until the Americamote of November 26 and that aft' that he was afraid that war wa coming, but did not know when. Reply Reived December 6. Mr. Moorez2vealed that the Japa- nese Ambasidor received the for- mal reply t¢he American note of November 2 sometime during the night of Demnber 6 and asked for an engagemmt with the State De- partment : 10 o'clock Sunday morning asoon as it was decoded. His instrucdns had been to deliver the note abnce. Mr. Moore's im- pression ishat the Japanese gov- ernment ipnded to break off rela- tions durir the forenoon of Sun- day, Deceper 7, and attack imme- diately afrwards. The attack at Hawali cag about 1:55 p.m. Wash- ington tim and the Japanese Am- bassador s not received until 2:15 pm. at thState Department. The Roberts port says Japan planned to break :lations at 1 p.m. Wash- ington tis. During he 11' days immediately followinghe dispatch by our Gov- ernment I the November 26 note, Mr. Moc made no secret of his fears was coming. In fact, he l:w that opinion in a speech aa private luncheon of the HarvardClub of Washington on Monday f the week preceding the attack o Hawali. The viw of Mr. Moore is that the Japanes Ambassador and the spe- cial envr hoped for some concession from thUnited States which would enable aem to stem the tide of militarin in Japan. He says the Japane: militarists made good use inside .pan of the aid given China by theUnited States and of the econorr restrictions which had been placed igainst Japan by America. The mitarists used each step by Ameri to strengthen their case and the Amrican note of November 26 demaning in effect that Japan after four yars of war should surrender to Chia was the climax that gave the mitarists their clinching point in thenner souncils of the govern- ment.’ Alitarists Long in Saddle. Mr.doore declares that ever since 1936 1e militarists have had the uppemhand in Japan and that what they 1ay have been planning to do with aeir army and navy could very well ave been kept a secret, from the dblomats or the peace elements who vere trying to frustrate their plans He says this system of dual opersion has been s well-known fact 0 all who have studied Far Easten affairs in recent years and shoul not have been s surprise to Ameicans. M1 Moore never expected an at- tackby Japan on the United States, howwer. He did not think the mili- tarigs in Japan would go so far. He jelieved all along/ on the other hani, that American involvement woull possibly come:through Japa- nese invasion of Taailand, attacks on 3ritish forces rear the Burma road and interfereice with Ameri- can shipping. Mr.Moore thinks the Japinese militariss’ policy will be proved a major blnder and that the of the miltarists in attack- ing the United Stites will be duly demonstrated by he turn of the war in favor of theAllies. The importance )f these revela- ons will doubtless le apparent when the tide does turn for it has long been believed by exjerts in Far East- orn matters that Tapan is under- going a revolutiot internally and that the war willsettle once and for all whether libral elements and pire. (Reproduction Jghts Reserved.) String Quarte to Play Members of tN Budapest String Quartet will preent a program of classical and c porary music tomorrow nightiat Iglehart Hall, Bt. John'’s Col Annapolis. The concert, under ke sponsorship of the Klizabeth Coolidge Foundation of & Library of Con- gress and Bt. 's College, THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1942. The Political Mill Even Adverse Reaction to Flynn's Speech Unlikely to Give Capitol Cantrol to G. O. P. By GOULD LINCOLN. Reaction to the plea of Chair- man Edward J. Flynn of the Democratic National Committee for the election of a Democratic Congress next November, on the ground that one of another po- litical make-up would be hostile to President Roosevelt and a detriment to American victory in the war, has not been favorable. In the first piace, it aroused re- sentment among Republicans, who felt that their patriotism had been challenged. Second, many persons, Democrats as well as Republicans, thought it was {ll-timed—when the demand has been for national unity. No one, of course, expecied Mr. Flynn to be complacent about s possible Republican victory at the polls next fall. But when he charged that the Republicans were more, anxious to win control of the House than they were to win the war against the Axis powers, he stepped out quite a bit. Generally speaking, the politi- cal leaders of the G. O. P. are delighted that Mr. Flynn made his demand for the election of & Democratic Congress in the terms that he did. They do not believe for & moment that Mr. Flynn can make the country be- lieve that Republicans in and out of Congress are not patriotic, or that they are indifferent or do- ing nothing about the war. Attack Astounds Martin. Chairman “Joe” Martin of the Republican National Committee, who is the Republican leader of the House, said he was astound- ed by the virulence of the Flynn attack on the Republicans, con- tained in his broadcast of Mon- day night. In Mr. Martin’s opin- fon, such an attack could only shake the national unity .for which the President has asked. “But I can say this,” added Mr. Martin, “the Republicans ‘will continue to support President Roosevelt 100 per cent in the ef- fort to win the war. We will not be diverted from that objec- tive, although it appears that Mr. Flynn is seeking to get us into a fight. It appears to me that Mr. Flynn is seeking to prevent all criticism, whether construc- tive or not, and that also he is trying to raise a fighting spirit among the Democrats, so that it will be easier for him to collect the $600,000 which he needs to pay off the deficit of the Demo- cratic National Committee, com-, ing over from the last campaign.” It's a far cry to the elections November 3. A lot of water will pass over the dam before then. Today, however, the chances ap- pear good for Republican gains in both the House and Senate. Whether the Republicans could upset the Democratic control of the House and win a majority of the seats in that chamber is an- other matter. In the first place, the Democrats have & lead of 100 over the Republicans in the House. They would have to win 51 seats held by the Democrats and hold all they now have. That's a job for any political party to tackle. Easier Job in 1918, Reference has been made in this column and elsewhere to the fact that in 1918. when this coun- try was at war, an appeal was made by President Wilson for the election of a Democratic Congress as requisite to victory abroad. The Republicans won, making big gains in both House and Senate. It must be remembered, however, that in 1918 the numbeér of Re- publicans in the House was ap- proximately the same as that of the Democrats, with a small ' group of third party members holding the balance of power. In- deed, in January, 1918, there were 209 Democrats and 212° Repub- licans, with six vacancies, most of them Democratic. The House election in 1916, when Woodrow Wilson won & second term in the ‘White House just by the skin of his teeth, gave the Democrats scarcely & margin of control—a margin they mnnuflned through support of some of the third party members, Relatively, there- fore, it was a much easier job for the Republicans to overthrow the Democratie majority than it would be today. The 1918 elec- tion resulted in giving the Re- publicans a lead of 40 over the Democrats in the House, and cut the Democratic lead of 10 votes in the Senate to nothing, and gave the Republicans a lead of one vote in that body. Mr. Martin addressed two Re- publican meetings in Ohio last week end. It is fair to quote the Cleveland Plain Dealer, an inde- pendent Democratic newspaper, on the subject of Mr. Martin's address delivered in Cleveland. “The Republican party’s war pro- gram as outlined by the party chairman, Congressman Joseph ‘W. Martin, jr, in his Cleveland address is one that will be-in- dorsed by every American who believes that the continuation of our way of life is worth fighting for, both on the foreign battle- field and in the home sector. The Republican party, says Chairman Martin, must support the admin- istration wholeheartedly in every measure designed to prevent a to- talitarian victory in the war. But it must also fight to arrest any march toward State socialism in America after the war.” Fur- ther on, the editorial says, “The danger lies in the effort to use the war as an excuse to promote social revolution.” Rally Behind War, Since the war began December 7, with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Republicans in Congress have rallied to the support of every appropriation asked for the prosecution of the war. Since that time there have been. at least twe congressianal ~committée’ reports, dealing with the administration of the na- tional defense program — both critical, and both presented from committees having a Democratic majority. They wete the reports of the Truman Committee of the Senate, and the House Naval Af- fairs Committee. While the House Naval Affairs Committee repQrt was presented by its chair- man, Representative Vinson of Georgia, it was not signed by a majority of the Democrats—on the ground that it was too severe when it said that strikes of or- ganized labor in defense plants had been the most serious cause of delay in the defense program. 1t is going to take more than the distrTbution of money to win this coming election. The ad- ministration has got to show it- self proficient in handling the war eflfort. The American peo- ple hava too big s stake in that for it to be overshadowed by any- thing else. q"}fl Star’s effort to give all sides opinions of the writers on this page necessarily The Star's. Such opinions ar readers, although such opinions may be contradictory among themselves and directly opposed to The Star’s. ¢ their own, not ':{prumud in The of questions of interest to its, Russia Holds Key to Spring Eliot Sees German Striking Power Sharply Reduced if Soviet Presses Winter Advantage By MAJ. GEORGE FIELDING ELIOT. ‘There is one major question which all observers of the European theater of war would like to have answered, and upon which depends the course of the world 2 conflict during the coming year —what is the reserve striking power of Ger- many? To answer this § question, it § would be neces- sary to know a number of fac- tors which are not now accu- rately known to us. What were Geerse Fielding Eliot. the actual German losses in men and material in Russia? To what extent can these losses be made up from available German reserves of man power, and from German pro- duction? How much is the produc- tion of the captive countries aiding Germany? How much damage has been done to German industry by British bombing? What is the pres- | ent German situation regarding strategic raw materials, especially petroleum? We do not have exact answers to these questions. We have many estimates, some of which are weighted. Taking a rough mean of the most impartial and careful esti- mates, we may reason as follows: At the outset of the Russian cam- paign, Germany had about 300 di- visions of all types, and about 8,500 first line operating aircraft. Dur- ing the Russian campaign, approx- imately 50 divisions of all types have been completely smashed, to an ex- tent requiring complete reconstitu- tion with fresh personnel and equipment. This cannot be done in a few weeks. For the winter we may oount this number of divisions as of filling losses in existing units and police duties in occupied territories make heavy demands on man power, while a great proportion of the German war industry must be busy making replacements rather thap accumulating fresh reserves of ‘weapons. We will not be far afield if we estimate that as of April 1, the German high command may have in hand 60 to 80 divisions and 2,000 to 3,000 first-line aircraft for offensive operations, either to pass from the defensive to the offensive in Russia or to undertake a new offensive else- where. But even this modest esti- mate is subject to one factor ot variance, and that is the extent to which the exigencies of the Russian winter fighting may draw upon these German reserves. Situations Similar. In this regard the German situa- tion in Russia is very similar to that of the Allies in the Far East. In both cases the initiative is with the enemy and the defense must plan | to make the best use of its strength so that no vital advantage be lost | while it is gathering its power to | take the offensive, Thus we are now fighting hard to | hold Singapore, Manila Bay and Java. If we should lose these it would be far more difficult and costly for us to pass to the offensive at a later date. This was precisely the | German view when Marshal Tin:o- shenko's advance threatened the Crimea. Reinforcements had to be put in to prevent what might have proven irreparable disaster. The present stiffening German resistance in the Leningrad and Kharkov areas indicates a similar German reaction to Russian advances in those sectors. | The farther back the Germans must |80 and the more strategic lines of | communication and communicating | centers they lose the harder it will | be for them to regain the lost ground in the spring and the more losses they must expect before they get being out of action, but as con- | back to the position at which they stituting a possible reserve for oper- ations in the spring. Of the re- maining 250 divisions, at least 60 duties in Norway, Occupied France, Central Europe and the Balkans. | started their retirement. There is, therefore, a tendency | for the Germans to use up in drib- are required for garrison and police lets, here and there, in the manner of a man patching a leaking dam, those reserves which they are de- To reduce this figure would be to | pending on for their spring offen- invite uprisings by the captive peo- ples, and invasion from the sea by Anglo-American forces. 10 Left for Offensive. To maintain a defensive Russian front, not less than 125 divisions will be required for front-line serv- ice, which means that a total of about 180 divisions will be needed to provide the necessary local and general reserves. To use less is to invite disaster. This leaves 10 divi- sions in hand for offensive purposes elsewhere—eertainly -insufficient to strike &t Turkey, possibly even in- sufficient for s push through Spain. As to first-line aireraft, the Ger- man losses in Russia have probably been just about keeping pace with production, having regard to Ger- man losdes elsewhere. At the mo- ment, however, the wear and tear on operating units has been such that about one-third of these units | are reported refitting in Germany, another third are on the Russian front and the remainder divided between the western front and the Mediterranean. ‘The sources from which the Ger- mans may derive striking power for a spring offensive seem, therefore, to be these: Divisions and air units which have been completel; refitted and reconstituted in Germany dur- ing the winter, plus such additional A man finishes his first bottle of Ballantine . with but one regret . . . he wishes he’d sampled PURITY, BODY and FLAVOR sooner. Meet this matchless combination at 3.Ring Time today. Look for the 3 Rings; call for Ballantine Ale Ballantine Beer. On draught ; bottles and cans. units as may be wholly created. As to the latter it must be remembered that increased production, the need sive. It is all very well to say that the high command should be firm in refusal to reduce these reserves beyond a certain minimum, but it is difficult indeed for the high com- mand to continue to refuse the urgent demands of army command- | ers for help here and help there, especially when the army com- | manders can not only point out that }vlul strategic positions will other- | wise be lost, but also that the | morale of their troops is suffering | at being compelled to yleld ground | for which those troops have paid in blood and agony. Russians May Decide. The German striking power in the spring may very well depend, therefore, on the extent to which the Russians can keep their coun~ teroffensive going during the win- ter, capitalizing upon their superior mobility over snow-covered terrain, |and their superior adaptability to winter conditions, in which they | have such long experience. i One more peint Is worth men- tioning, and that is the probability of their panzer divisions out of probably reducing them somewh: in numbers as well as in the indi- vidual establishment of each divi- sion. When spring comes, it is quite possible that the initial striking power of the Germans in armored troops may be little less than it was that the Germans have pulled all| Russia and are rebullding them, | This Changing s A-11 World Stalin Declared Offended at U. S. Delay In-Sending New Envoy; By CONSTANTINE BROWN. Presideyt Roosevelt is being urged to hasten the choice of a new Ambassador to Russia. Pre- mier Stalin is reported to have shown some impatience at the delay of the American Govern- ment in replacing Ambassador Laurence A. Steinhardt, who returned from Kuibyshey last December. ‘The Soviet government is par- ticularly irked by the fact that we are represented in Russia now by only a Charge d’Affaires, while the Russians sent us one of their top-flight statesmen, Maxim Lit- vinoff, thus indicating the impor~ tance they attach to American- Soviet relations. In any country but the U. 8. 8. R. the delay in appointing an Ambassador under present cir- cumstances would have been of secondary importance; it would have been realized that our war effort necessitates the employ- ment of our best men st home. Stalin, however, takes it as a per sonal affront and is reported to have hinted his astonishment af. the fact that in these difficult days we have no officer of am- bassadorial rank in Moscow. Special Ability Needed. Ever since it was decided that Mr. Steinhardt would be given another assignment, the White House and State Department have been looking for a man who would fit well into the Russian picture. They have not found one yet. Many qualifications are neces- sary for the Moscow post. The new envoy must be a man of position in this country and well known abroad. Stalin is very particular regarding the person- ality of the Ambassador who will represent the United States. Ac- cording to diplomatic reports, one of the minor contributing factors in the failure to achieve Franco- British-Russian understanding in 1939 was the fact that the Brit- ish sent to Moscow a man who lacked “rank,” while Prime Min- ister Chamberlain himself had . pald visits to Adolf Hitler in 1938, ‘The fact that the British rep- resentative at Moscow was a very able and intelligent man made no difference to Premier Stalin. In the eyes of the U. S. 8. R. he | was just an obscure official and | was treated as such. i Couldn’t Spare Harriman. At one time during Mr. Roose- velt's search it looked as if W. Averell Harriman, who is well known and liked in Russian offi- cial quarters, would be asked to accept the post. But subsequently it was considered that Mr. Har- riman was too essential in lease- lend co-ordination and he could not be spared from London. Hull Suggested ‘The usual socialite who was available for such jobs in peace- time would not be adequate for the job, even if he were well known as & rich man. In the pre-war days wealth and a love of art and music—especially the former—were essential for am- bassadorial service. President Roosevelt’s difficulty is, however, misunderstood in Moscow. Since Stalin was able to send a man like Mr. Litvinoff he fails to see why Mr. Roosc- velt cannot find the right type of Ambassador. He realizes that the United States is a great country which has produced many re- markable men and he imagines that all the President has to do is to offer the job to any such person. In some quarters it is suggested that the President might ask Sec- retary of State Hull to undertake the delicate and difficult position. His tact and gentle manner are regarded by many as great assets for what is now considered the number one diplomatic job of the United States. His tremendous prestige throughout the New ‘World and his influence over the people of the United States un- questionably would please the Russian Premier, Post Calls for Tact. Our relations with the U. B. 8. R. are extremely cordial at the present time, but the time may come when we will need a man of Mr. Hull's type to soothe the Russian leaders. Such a situa- tion may develop in the next few months if our war production does not step up sufficiently to enable us to deliver the huge quantities of material the Soviet armies are asking in order to meet what is expected to be a flerce German spring offensive. ‘The Russian general staff looks for it in May or June. Our calculations on war ma- terial production are based on the needs of our Allies and our- selves under certain circumstances and call for a huge number of planes and tanks. But if we or the British suffer greater losses than anticipated or other unexpected developments intervene it may be difficult to keep up the dispatch of supplies which have been promised to the U. 8. 8. R. for its armies. Unless we have at that time a brilliant and tactful Ambassa- dor in Moscow it may be hard for us to alibi ourselves out of a difficult situation. Mr. Hull's tactful firmness would be of in- valuable assistance. In certain quarters it is even suggested that he continue as Secretary of State while in Moscow and be sent as & special envoy with full cabinet rank. last June, though there will be less staying power and follow-through | behind the armored spearheads. | At the moment, the Germans | seem to be more anxious to hang |on in the south than they are in the center and north, and this may Parson’s FRESH NEW SMALL RED GREEN New PEAS Potatoes | AMMONIA s 19¢ |5 indicate that, realizing their re- duced effectiveness, they have de- cided for the spring on an opera- tion of limited objective—the Cau- | casus—with twin offensives through South Russia and Turkey. (Copyright, 1942, New York Tribune, Inc.) Yeliow Cling VENCHES | "orne. o] PEAS heavy -iuré (::h 31 Sévefi Juicy FLORIDA ORANGES 2~21° | 4~19° |23 DAIRY & CHEESE DEPT. CHEDDAR CHEESE IN PORT WINE ° ARGENTINE Crisp eelery and lettuce are specialtios this week. € | Ther're full of vitamins; soed for GORGONZOLA LEGS o MAINE LOBSTERS (BAKED) POUND LIVE OR COOKED McLemore— Plane Plans Creating New Youth Crop LOS ANGELES, Calif—I put on my “zoot” suit with a rear pleat, with & drape shape and a stuff cuff, and went to the Trianon to swing and sway the feet off at night. They wear Henry MeLemore. “zoot” suits, too, That's right, “zoot” suits, Il do my very best to describe & “z00t” suit to you. The male “zoot” suit is made of gray and white striped mattress ticking. From about & mile away, it looks like the stuff morning coats are made of. The cuff of the trousers is seven inches wide. At the knee the pants measure 30 inches. At the thigh they are 53 inches around. The threaten the wearer’s Adam’s apple. A coat goes with this. Quite s coat, too. It has the length, the cut, the drape, the piping and the accessories of & coat that a colored minister from Georgia would buy for the funeral of a top member of his congregation. A chauffeur, say, who always threw a buck in the plate on Sunday morning. *x % x There has been a song written about “zoot” suits. Ray Gilbert and Bob O'Brien did it. When they play this at the Trianon, and the “zoot” suiters start swinging—well, brothers, it's like Fourth of July in a zoo with the lion and the tiger as joint master of ceremonies. The girls wear “zoot” suits, too. Only they don't call them that. They call them “defense drapes” and “defense capes” They are made of the same material and allow full freedom for jitterbugging. The idea of going to a place like the Trianon came to me through an article in “Life” magazine. It told of the new crop of fun seekers from defense plants. I followed this lead and asked Bob Crosby, the band leader, about it. He said he played at the Trianon. He said the Trianon, a vast armory of a place, with acres of hardwood floor and miles of beer concessions, was the night and day rendezvous of the defense workers. So I went to the Trianon with Bob. I got me a “zoot” suit and cut loose. I'm a bit old for jitterbugging, and the creaking of my bones could be heard over the music of the orches- tra, but I stuck at it. I cut a rug with & Lockheed gal. I twisted an angle with a Douglas lassie, I sashayed with a Vegs lovely. I stomped and jumped and hopped and leaped with a Consolidated honey and a Boeing beauty. At 12:30 am. I was about dead, but out of devotion to my readers, you lovely people who make it pos- sible for me to earn bread and butter, I kept a-jumping. At 12:31 Bandleader Crosby hoisted his baton, waved it a few times, and sent his band into the Vultee swing. * ¥ x x The Vultee swing is a song written by Crosby for the boys and girls who work in the Vultee airplane plant from 4 in the afternoon until mid- night. They have to have some time to play, so they play at night. In they came, riveters, layout men, jigmakers, punch press operators, drop hammer operators, rougher op- erators, girls who inspected rivets, girls who sorted, checkers. There was Georgette de Mouline, There was Ray Dameron. There was Barney Jackson. There was Rhys James. There was Irene Loefller. Boys and girls. Working on bombers. Working on pursuits. Working on the things that finally will win this war for us. A new life for them. New hours. New entertainment. A new crop of Americans. F. Scott Fitzgerald could have taken them and brought them to life on the printed page. “Zoot” suits. Swing bands at those hours near dawn. No natural life, Girls, boys, thrown out of line by & Nation at war. But girls and boys accepting that fact and making the most of it. " Nice boys with kicky feet. Sweet girls with lovely smiles, although Just a little bit tired. A dollar to spend. A soft drink. A beer. A little favor. Some fuss about income tax. Uh, gonna cost us a lot of money. Some fuss about inconveniences. No tires, No silk. No this and no that. Let us fuss. Our fussing doesn't matter. Back of us, without a dime, with no luxuries to lose, no softness to trade on, stands and walks the youth of this country. As always, they’ll fight our battle. And always, they'll win it. And then—for their reward—they’ll be able to turn to the youth that will follow them. It's & vicious circle, yes, but & lovely one, too. (Distributed by McNaught Syndicate, Ine.) Capt. Henderson Returns To Duty With Navy Capt. Robert E. Hi president of the Southern Cali- fornia Newspaper Association, has returned to active duty in the in- dustrial incentive division of the Navy Department. Capt. Henderson retired volun- of active service. He is a native pointed to the Naval Academy from Massachusetts in 1898, graduating EACH 69° 65¢ FREE PARKING AT REAR OF STORE, 1139 18th ST. N.W. the World War he served executive officer of the U. 8. 8. as senior officer of the and as com- pants keep going on up until they - enderson, U. 8. N, retired, for 10 years vice Office of Public Relations in the . of New York State and was ap- © tarily 10 years ago after 30 years :