Who's Asleep?

Washington still thought the people were asleep. Many Government officials, newspaper and radio commentators mistook the strangling confusion of the wartime capital for the confusion of an entire nation. The President worried about "sixth columnists". Speakers at a dinner of the Overseas Writers even suggested seriously that the war could be won by jailing Colonel Robert ("Bertie") McCormick--whose Chicago Tribune's isolationism has become criticism of the war effort.

But even into Washington evidence had penetrated that the people knew they were at war, that they simply wanted to be told what they could do, that they wanted to do more than had been asked of them. Congressmen who had received a mere 500 letters a week now got as many as 20,000.

Columnist Arthur Krock of the New York Times made a quick trip to Chicago and came back amazed. Wrote he: "Neither indifference or complacency could be found, and such criticism as was expressed was that Washington has not yet realized how much it can ask and get from the people. . . ."

Dr. George Gallup put together his polls, added a fervent "Amen." He wrote that two-thirds of all full-time employed Americans would be willing to have 10% deducted each payday to buy defense bonds or stamps; that six months before Pearl Harbor a substantial majority was willing to pay two weeks' salary to the Government in addition to all taxes; that 64% of all U.S. workers were willing to accept the Government's right to dictate to them the kind of work, number of hours worked and amount of pay.

The people were not asleep. They were not only awake, not only aware, but angry at Washington sleepers who sadly wagged their heads over the "sleep" of the people.

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