Show Bruckart's Bruckart s Washington Digest Official Washington Is Watching Europe Events With Uneasy Eye State Department Voices Disgust of American People 1 At Hitler's Dastardly Actions Our National ReA Resources Resources Re- Re A sources of War Materials Should Be Developed f i 1 By WILLIAM BRUCKART Service National Press Washington D. D C. C WASHINGTON Obviously official cial Washington as indeed the whole world has been watching what ha has been going on in Europe in the last las few weeks The They have been watching watching watch watch- ing with more uneasiness more genuine gen une fear how Hitler has been expanding ex cx- the Reich seizing crushing crushing crush crush- ing stealing new territory subjugating subjugating gating new peoples as his insane ambition leads him on and md on Those charged with official responsibility have watched because there can b be beno beno no mistake about the dangers in In- herent in this wild remaking of the map of the world Our government has had the courage courage cour cour- age to speak out through its department depart depart- ment of state It has said the Hitler action in overpowering the peoples of Europe the minority ra races es is isa isa isa a dastardly thing There was nothing nothing noth noth- ing else that could be done about it Secretary Hull and md Under Secretary S Welles of the department of state have left no doubt in the minds of ol other nations however that we as asa asa a 3 people are angry about what Hitler Hit Hit- ler has done But again we can do nothing more than protest because the United States has no business going to war over some other nations nations nation's nations nation's na na- na tion's troubles But while our state department has been getting on record with its disgust and there has been a great I to-do to about strengthening our national national na na- na defense just in case trouble would break out and involve us Washington bureaucrats and some selfish elements in congress have been foiling correction of our greatest greatest great great- est weakness President Roosevelt has used his most patriotic voice to force action by congress in development develop development ment of airplanes for defense in construction of new battle boats and has moved strongly for production of equipment guns arid and the like Strategic War Materials That Must Be Developed But with all of this hullabaloo we have not heard nor seen any plans plans- for or development of our national deposits deposits de de- de posits of raw materials which are used in the stock pile of war re re- re- re sources It might not be so important important tant were it not a fact that a score or more of these materials have to tobe tobe toe be e imported I regret the necessity for being so bold but it is proper to say that our war and navy departments departments departments de de- de- de have advanced not a single single sin sin- gle program or ev even n a thought as asto asto asto to how this nation could gain certain certain tam tain raw materials if we were to be involved in a war that would cut off importation of them The war department has prepared a list of some of these strategic war materials and it has listed some of the most important such as nickel tin manganese rubber etc That is as far as it has gone It is true and the swivel chair officers will stress the fact that congress congress con con- gress passed a law a few years back that was designed to encourage American production of these essen It was called popularly the buy-American buy act It even went so far as to afford authority for payment payment pay pay- ment of premiums up to 25 per percent percent percent cent above foreign quotations in order order or or- der that American capital would go goto goto goto to work here berc on those essentials But has anything resulted from it The e records answer noA no A congressional committee also alsoS S lately has answered no by drafting drafting drafting draft draft- ing another bill to encourage production production production pro pro- in the United States of these war essentials The house committee commit commit- tee on military affairs has bas reported a bill which Chairman May hopes bopes will do the work but even Chairman May Is doubtful of its success He HeIs Heis Heis is doubtful because as he said when the bureaucrats in the executive branch of the government do not want to encourage domestic production production tion lion they simply sit in their chairs and swing their feet back and forth Officials Unwilling to toLe Le Learn rn From Oth Other r Nations Those fellows in the executive departments departments departments de de- de- de apparently are unwilling to learn leam from irom other nations either S I came into possession of a document document document docu docu- ment for example that made a 3 confidential con con- report to the national emergency emer erner- gency council more than a year ago It told that the British government had stored in warehouses enough nickel and tin for a three years supply to be used by industries manufacturing manufacturing man man- war materials This was done by the British government notwithstanding notS notwithstanding not not- S with withstanding the fact that London is isS S the seat of the great International Nickel corporation which owns the largest nickel mines in the world S and does 88 per cent of the worlds world's trade in nickel The British thought It was wise to have bave the essential material material material ma ma- available when and if needed and It had that conviction even with the largest nickel mine known now located on British territory at Suds Suds- worth Ontario Canada Further according to that report the British were unwilling to leave the main nickel refinery on United States soil It was moved to a Canadian Ca Ca- nadian spot where according to the report it would be out of ot distance dis dis- tance of any long range guns The British royal commission which made the the- study added that while they and the United States are arc friendly and none can see sec any reason rea rea- son sari for that friendship ever to be beI I disturbed no man can forecast the th future The shortage of nickel said the sufficient sufficient suf suf- report might be a 3 weakness to determine the issue of a war war warI S I discussed this question of war essentials with various members of ol the house Representative house Representative Murdock of ot Arizona Representative Francis Case of South Dakota Representative tive of Nevada among others To a 3 man they said that the will willo of congress was being thwarted by bureaucrats who are unwilling to encourage American industry Mr for instance a former governor of his state and a mining I man told how the bureau of mines had reported there was no worthwhile worthwhile worth worth- while nickel deposits in Alaska The I same agency has found no reason I Ito to encourage American capital to develop manganese deposits in the United States Mr Case has been trying to get congressional action on measures to get some use of the the metal deposits o of South Dakota but always alwa's selfish corporate interests seeing no further ahead than the point of f their red noses have stalled the programs Pleads for Money to Develop Mineral Resources Mr Murdock also a 3 mining man made a plea on the floor of the house the other day for congress to provide some money enabling realistic realistic real real- procedure with respect to our unknown and undeveloped metal resources resources so so that we would know knowin in case of war if Il for no other rea rca son son- Since my school boy days said Mr Murdock in house debate I 1 have been told that Alaska is a treasure house of natural wealth and economic resources I believe we have lave been and are overlooking that fact in our dealing with that far of off corner of our country I feel that we ought to develop those resources we ought to know more about them Mr Murdocks Murdock's statement causes me to ask the question since it is our national policy at present at least east to spend billions of dollars under the guise of making work why not designate some few of the millions millions mil mu- lions for worthwhile national development development development devel devel- Reference was wa made the other day dayto dayo to o testimony given two years ago before the senate finance commit- commit tee ee I looked it up and found that the late Francis P. P Garvan then president of the chemical foundation foundation tion ion had caused an Investigation tion to tobe tobe be DC made of Alaskan metal re re- re- re sources The report brought in hi by bya a Wisconsin university professor who did the searching and digging on the ground makes one wonder what undercurrent of influence has prevented the development of metal claims such as nickel and tin up there here Very few of the national leg leg- legislators knew of the testimony Buying for Reserves Would Start Brand New Industries In my conversations among Rocky Mountain congressmen I could not avoid the conclusion that capital funds held in the United States will not be put to work on such things without some encouragement from rom officials in Washington I know that some representatives and senators are of the opinion that the federal government ought to offer to buy these war essentials here and disregard gard ard foreign sources They believe that a commitment to buy for reserves reserves reserves re re- re- re serves if IL made by the federal government government gov gov- would start brand new in in- going in many many parts of the United States All of the while however we have the bureau of mines and the war department sitting sitting sitting sit sit- ting back and making it hard bard for Americans to develop America This whole situation would be hardy hardly hard- hard ly Jy y worth analyzing were it not for forthe forthe the he facts 1 The federal government governments is s spending billions for defense along with other billions that are being wasted and 2 It is a measure of safety to have all or as much muchas as possible of the things we would need in event of war where they can be handled by Americans for Americans And it is more important important tant Joo oo because numerous reports have lave reached Washington in the thelast thelast thelast last year to the that effect effect that German or ar Belgian or British capitalists have been making overtures to holders holders holders hold hold- ers of American mining claims for operating leases on properties that yield such things as essential war metals It is my belief that sooner or later congress will learn that the bureaucracy which It created has wasted too much time it will learn that foreigners own all of the metal resources here und here and we will be buyIng buy- buy buyIng buyIng Ing back the finished material at atthe the prices foreign monopoly cares to establish just establish just as we arc are now buying buy buy- ing nickel o Newspaper Union |