Show NA NATIONAL AFFAIRS Reviewed by CARTER FIELD Carter Field says that criticism of o f the President for f or the of o f the country is unfair un f air Rubber from Brazil be lw- becomes becomes comes a lively topic of in in- interest interest in- in interest terest in official circles Bell Ben Syndicate Syndicate Service President WASHINGTON W President Roose- Roose Roosevelt Roosevelt velt Is being vigorously attacked in inmany inmany inmany many quarters for lor the unprepared condition of national defense of the United States Some of this criticism criticIsm criticism cism is fair and some of it is not but it is astonishing to anyone who has watched the wheels go round for years that so little of it is ac accurate accurate ac curate The real criticism of the President dent dent criticism criticism which might be just lust though some would certainly have to tomake tomake y 14 make It with their 4 tongues in their r checks cheeks is is that he 1 s did not start alarming alarm alarm- alarms ing the country i about the condition of our army and navy at least four years ago The point is that I up until the Nazis Franklin demonstrated that that Roosevelt bravery is of no avail against superior or weapons it is highly doubtful if any President could have obtained larger appropriations for national defense than Roosevelt did In the first place despite our sup sup- supposedly supposedly supposedly efficient intelligence service service service ice he would have found a good many generals and admirals opposing opposIng opposing ing certain modernization plans which arc are now essential So that had the President chosen to go to the country with the idea of scaring our citizens into stirring up congress to huge national na defense appropriations he would not have had a united front with which to oppose the pacifists plus the little army and navy men CAME CAl DISILLUSIONMENT It must be remembered that up until the invasion of Denmark and Norway there was a very large cle ele- clement dement element ment not only through the country but butin In congress which believed that any nation that desired to do so could preserve its neutrality and that it did not need an efficient na na- national national na- na national defense for that purpose As for the generals and admirals who people are saying should have warned congress and the country there are plenty of answers In the first place some of them did But do you remember what happened to General William Mitchell He found that just saying the things he be be- believed and and which have since been to a large degree justified was not enough He had to say more than he believed in order to shock the country as he saw it it into a reali realI- realization realIzation realization of the necessities of the situa situa- tion That was why he used the word treason in his attacks on the senior officers he be regarded as ns re re- re- re Everybody knew the themen themen themen I men he attacked were not guilty of treason and there was not much sympathy for him when he was court m Roosevelt might easily have flopped had he tried to scare the country four years ago three years ago or even ven two months agol ago RUBBER LIVELY TOPIC Rubber from Brazil has become a much livelier topic of interest in inthe inthe inthe the administration since the possibility possibility possibility not only that the allies might lose the war but that the Dutch East Indies might eventually fall into other hands Of course after the war is over this country could always buy rub rub- rubber rubber ber ben from the islands which are now the Dutch East Indies Even if they belong to Germany or for that mat mate matter ter Japan though Japan though Cordell Hull has I certainly put his foot down do on any change in their national status But as officials here contemplate the various possibilities of a world with no British empire and par par- particularly particularly particularly a n world with no friendly British fleet the possibilities change considerably There would be no assurance In any future war that this country could maintain trade routes to the Dutch East Indies even if it had its own shipping It is still the notion despite various alarmist pre pre- predictions predictions predictions dictions as to what the Nazis would do in South America that this coun coun- country country country try could depend on a supply of rub rub- rubber rubber ber ben or anything else it might wish to buy from Brazil This view is held notwithstanding the fact that there are arc more rumors about a n Nazi inspired revolution in Brazil than any other country in in- included included included In hi the Pan American Union But that is only one side of the picture The other has been grow grow- growing growing growing ing in importance since the war In Europe cut off ot German exports to South America British and French exporters are able to sell South America all they can produce but our exporters while the South Americans are eager to buy find difficulty In getting payment The answer of course is that outside of coffee from Brazil and a afew afew afew few other things this country docs does not want to buy many South Amer Amer- American American Amerlean I ican lean products |