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Show Experts Fight on Over Question Of U. S. Defenses The battle over size and type of our national defenses rages on unabated. Each viewpoint has its champions cham-pions who are well supplied with facts and the means of getting them before the public. But no firm conclusions have been reached. In a recent dispatch from Washington Wash-ington Columnist Clinton Davidson Da-vidson noted: At a time when hopes are the highest in ten years for world peace, perhaps the most controversial contro-versial issue before Congress is the building of a strong national defense. Just where do we stand on national defense? Is Russian missile mis-sile superiority making the U.S. a second rate nation militarily? Is there real danger that World War III may soon come and that we might lose it? Those are questions this Congress Con-gress is debating and will continue con-tinue debating until it adjourns, probably about July 1. The debate de-bate unquestionably has political implications but sincere differences differ-ences do exist. that men of comparable military experience and stature firmly believe be-lieve that we cannot afford to, as they express it, "gamble with our existence as a nation." General Maxwell D. Taylor, who retired less than a year ago as Chief of Staff, is one of those who has expressed grave concern con-cern over our lag in military preparedness. He has little faith in Russia's expressions of peaceful peace-ful desires. "For if the trumpet give an uncertain un-certain sound, who shall prepare (himself for battle?" First Corinthians Co-rinthians 14:8. From that Gen. Taylor takes the title for a new book that thoughtful Americans will want to read. He calls it "The Uncertain Uncer-tain Trumpet." It should be kept in mind, however, that this is a military man writing and that his experience in diplomacy is limited. He presents only the military man's side of the argument. It should not, however, be ignored. There is cause for concern and we are sure that President Eisenhower Ei-senhower shares at least some of the concern. Gen. Taylor writes that "the nation will face a serious crisis beginning about 1961. For a President Eisenhower sincerely believes that we and our allies have sufficient strength to discourage dis-courage the communist nations from attacking us and that full military equality is not immediately immedi-ately imperative. The people of this country, as well as in the other Free World nations, have great faith in the President of the United Nations, both as a man of wide military experience and as a man dedicated dedi-cated to building a peaceful world. He recognizes both our lag in missiles and our hopes that peace can be secured at a series of summit sum-mit Conferences, the first to be held next May, as "calculated risks." Both as a military man and as a statesman dedicated to peace, he is accustomed to taking those risks. It is nevertheless disturbing period of years thereafter, the balance of military strength will tip dangerously in favor of the Communist bloc unless we take action now." Sen. Stuart Symington, former Secretary of the Air Force, fully shares of fears of Gen. Taylor. Sen. Symington is a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee Com-mittee and possible Democratic nominee for the presidency. Whether we go all-out now to overtake Russia in missiles, or wait and see if the Summit Conference Con-ference can make a start toward disarmament and peaceful coexistence co-existence may well be the most important decision America will make in 1960. All we can do is hope and pray that the decision, whatever it is, is the one that will preserve our nation and our world as a society of free men. |