Five Hills

Last year former President Pascual Ortiz Rubio ordered General Arturo Campillo Seyde to go up to Lower California and see what was going on. The General spent months pounding over dusty mountain trails from Tijuana to Cape San Lucas, visiting mining camps, Japanese fishing villages, straggling ranches. Last week he published his report.

Lower California's chief industry, said the General, is foreign military espionage, with the chief activity about equally divided between Japanese and U. S. agents. These scurrying sleuths are accompanied by attendant swarms of French and British spies to find out what the Japanese and U. S. spies are up to.

Cause of all this activity is the reported belief of both General Staffs that in case of a U. S.-Japanese war. Lower California will become another Belgium, invaded by both countries. Spies, wrote General Seyde. have decided among themselves that the opening battle of this hypothetical war will be fought about a district known as the Five Hills. The Five Hills overlook a natural undefended harbor. Held by U. S. artillery they would prevent the landing of Japanese troops. Held by Japan they would protect her base. The Five Hills are just far enough from the U. S. frontier to give Japan a fairly even break in a race from the sea.

Unexcitable Mexicans read the Seyde report, tossed it aside as propaganda in favor of selling Lower California to the U. S. Others pointed to a significant fact. Abelardo Rodriguez is still President of Mexico and General Lazardo Cardenas will probably be President next, but Mexico's Boss is square-jawed Plutarco Elias Calles. Last week General Calles was at Ensenada, Lower California..

Had General Calles been in Mexico City the ceiling of the night club L'Escargot would almost certainly have remained intact last week. Hard-working General Calles' son Alfredo, 24, mightily enjoys a good party. When sufficiently primed he has the urge to shoot off pistols. After a particularly brisk melee in the Hotel Regis, year ago. Father Calles is said to have banished Son Alfredo to a distant hacienda far from the sound of saxophones or popping of champagne. With papa away last week. Alfredo was on the town again, shot four holes in L'Escargot's ornate ceiling.

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