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Show Let's Stop These Republican Lullabies We have heard a great many lullabies during the last seven and a half years. We've been soothed by spokesmen who tell us, in bold type, Everything is All Right, the United States is More Popular Than Ever, our Defenses are Strong, the Government is Being Run Efficiently and Well and we mustn't worry. The fact is that we have been hibernating since January, 1953. When we went to sleep, we held world leadership. Economically and militarily we were the strongest nation in the world. We had a monopoly on the H Bomb; our prestige abroad was high. We have awakened or have we? to find ourselves facing (Coottoood on Ptge Four) Let's Stop These Republican Lullabies (Continued from Page 1) a startling prospect. We suddenly find ourselves confronted with the possibility that we are well on the way to becoming a second class power. That the'greatest country on this planet could allow this to happen in the short period of less than a decade is more than appalling. It is downright terrifying. The Russians, by some estimates, have a missile lead that is almost exactly equivalent in length of time to the tenure of the present Administration. According to President Eisenhower's budget message this week an attempt will be made to put a man in space within the next two years. But the Russians already are planning to test a 7,500 mile range missile and, in the opinion of many experts, will have a man in space before the year is out. They have reached the moon with a rocket and are already planning shots to other planets in our solar system. On the same day. that Premier Khrushchev announced that the Soviet Union had a new and "fantastic" weapon "in the hatching stage," an Administration source described his speech as "a major propaganda effort." Much the same position was taken when Russia announced it had mastered the mystery of the H bomb and the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, and had developed the capability of placing a satellite in orbit. We have learned from sad experience that the Soviet Union, disregarding its fondness for propaganda, in this respect has not been given to idle boasts. What does this meaq? It means we are so tar behind in the missile race and in the development of new weapons that it is a serious question whether we can ever catch up. It also means that the Russians, who can increase their labor force by cutting their army by almost one million men, are able to translate this economy into increased appropriations for capital development and economic warfare. In this sense, their heavy concentration on missiles has proved economical. While we race to catch up, they will be able to challenge up in yet another area. They will be free to use their lead to political advantage, both at the conference table and to threaten our potential allies. |