| Show GENERAL HUGH S s. s JOHNSON J Jor c l. l rt MIlN AS TO SUGGESTION NEW YORK General YORK General Pershing says that we ought to sell 50 obsolete obsolete obsolete lete destroyers to England to save our own country from Germany On the same subject George Fielding Eliot says The question which we have to ask ourselves ourselveS' Is a plain one It ought not to be befuddled by such non essentials as whether the trans trans- transfer transfer transfer fer of destroyers to Great Britain I would or would not be an act of ot war It would be of ot course but that is only an academic question The legal definitions of ot international international conduct are now obsolete It seems that everything Is now obsolete as far as it suits the pur pur- purpose purpose purpose pose of ot those who are hell-bent hell on getting this country into a B war for Jor or which it is completely unprepared The destroyers arc are obsolete Our own engagements in treaties and conventions and the things we have always stood and sometimes fought for are in international law ob obsolete obsolete obsolete solete As to the thc destroyers being obsolete obsolete obsolete lete If they are how does docs it hap hap- happen happen happen I pen as men of ot this opinion intimate I or argue that the battle of Britain the fate of the worlds world's freedom and the safety of our own country de de- depend depend de- de depend pend upon sending them to Britain As an American officer said when it was being argued that we ought also to send over a million obsolete obsolete obsolete lete Springfield rifles rilles No rifle is obsolete that will kill a man with an aimed shot at 1500 yards yards yards-espe- espe especially when you have nothing with which to replace it I A ship doesn't necessarily become obsolete or surplus simply be be- because because because cause it is 16 years old Nobody has shown this more clearly and honestly than Major Eliot ElioL I dont don't know his qualifications qualifications as a naval expert but apply apply- applying applyIng applying ing well known shown published naval standards and opinions as to the proper ratio of ot destroyers to battle battle- battleships battleships battleships ships Major Eliot showed that practically practically practically none of these destroyers is surplus or can be taken without stripping our own navy They are ore areno oreno areno no more surplus than obsolete Just as a sidelight most of ot them are armed with inch four and three- three inch guns as well as with anti anti- antiaircraft antiaircraft antiaircraft aircraft guns Except for tor World war 75 mm artillery about three- three inch cannon of higher caliber and antIaircraft anti guns are what we do donot donot donot not have what we most need and what we have the least prospect of ot getting quickly In Mr Knudsens Knudsen's last progress report as published neck bottle items of procurement were dis dis- discussed discussed dis- dis discussed cussed as well as those in which there were no bottle bottlenecks But he didn't mention cannon He proba- proba probably probably bly ly didn't mention them because the trouble rouble there isn't just a bottleneck neck Its It's a needles needle's eye and a flock of ot camels Major Eliot is very frank and very ver accurate in calling the shipment of ot destroyers an act of ot war It is iswar Iswar iswar war itself But it is vicarious war war war- undercover war The kind of ot war war- warwe warwe we have always condemned and pledged ourselves not to wage The weakness of this position seems to tome me meto to 0 be this Our policy always has been not to be aggressors in any war We fight only when w we are attacked or threatened These war minded men are arc put in n the position of having to say and they hey do say that we are so threat threat- threatened threatened threatened ened now now to to the death If that is not true then we ought not to go to towar war war even even to this pig blind bootleg war If it is true then we ought to togo togo togo go to war tomorrow with tomorrow with every every- everything everything everything thing we have In a fight to a knockout you cant can't hit bit soft LINDBERGH AND PERSHING You can get a sample taste of what can happen here from the debate in the senate blasting Charles Lindbergh's speech Three New Deal senators than whom there are arc none whither danced around the torture stake Minton Minion Pepper and with and with deep blushes for my own home state of ot Oklahoma that Oklahoma that ineffable teacher ex-teacher of elocution and Josh Lee These gentlemen offered to dis dis- disembowel disembowel dis- dis disembowel Lindbergh for saying that if we are arc going to do business at atall atall atall all after this war is over we will have to do it with both victor and vanquished even if the victor is Ger Ger- Germany Germany Germany many that th lt we shall have to recon recon- reconcile reconcile cile ourselves to this idea and that it would be wise to try to intercede to stop this war before it destroys any more of civilization Some journals imply that Lind Lind- Lindbergh's Lindbergh's berghs bergh's speech had been writ ghost ghostwritten ten by Nazis and contrasted it with General Pershing's urging that we send part of our navy navy 50 50 destroy destroyers ers Into ers into this war by the subterfuge of selling I disagree with part of what Lind Lind- Lindbergh Lindbergh bergh said but the man who denies his right to say it as being un- un American convicts himself thereby th reby of an American un-American state of mind out- out Hitler Black Jack at 80 is still one of the worlds world's great soldiers but he knows as little naval strategy as I. I LGeorge George Eliot Ellot unconsciously his text at the tho moment of its utterance However it may later be dragooned drag by the apostate Knox I 1 happen to know that the navy doesn't agree with General Pershing |
