Show grassroots demonstration of U US S air power will ease unrest anres f by wright A patterson ALL THE PEOPLE EOPLE P of COULD C this country have hate the tha privilege I 1 1 had that of seeing one of the riat nations ions great air fields on which are based americas mighty bombing planes and of meeting many of the personnel of that field it would remove from their minds as it did from mine much of the tear fear of the red army not only was it my privilege to see the number and an d size of the nations great war birds but I 1 also had tile the opportunity of 0 meeting and knowing in an intimate way many of the young men who composed their crews the alio personnel that can and will provide protection for the amerlean american people from any attack a red enemy may malic make it was the personnel of those crews that constituted the basis of my confidence in our safety that removed the fear of tiny any attack on the part of stalin arid and his red forces what that acquaintance did for or me it would do for the vast majority of the american people could they have the same opportunity r I 1 had it was an inspiring experience it was not that I 1 was told la in facts and figures ot of the ability and competence of those young pilots co pilots navigators bombard lers radar and radio officers and gunners for they told me nothing of that there dij was in their conversations nothing of brag my guiss guess would be that any tendency to brag on the part pact ot of any one of them would have meant a quick drop from the rolls of the strategic air command nor did their conversations provide me with any forbidden information as to what they were doing or as to where they had been through the day or night I 1 knew nothing of such details or was told nothing of such things supposed not to talk and no member of any crew with whom I 1 was in contact did talk it was only the tha big brass of whom I 1 saw none who ere are permitted m bitted to talk in fact it was the silence on om the part of these young officers on whom we depend for our safety that added materially to the confidence I 1 acquired in the ability to protect all america from any onslaughts of the red forces today I 1 am confident of their ability to do that job such are arc the men the big brass are depending upon for results and their silence on subjects on which silence was commanded gave me added confidence in their ability to protect me and all america the personnel of those crews were careful thoughtful s young men I 1 saw none I 1 could consider a dare devil who would take chances of an air at a county III fair or a t ampt a speed needed to win a hotly contested air race their job Is boget to get the utmost from the mammoth machines they man to make every gallon of gasoline count on the long flights called for to reach a target to force their great and expensive machines costing more than a million dollars each to the highest possible altitude from which to drop their death abath laden bombs out of reach of the tighter fighter planes of the enemy those things and the pin point dropping of their bombs on an enemy targets are what they are taught aught but bat the how of such teachings are forbidden sub sob ejects of which they did not talk put but I 1 imbibed from mixing with them the strong impression that they had mastered their heir lessons and had bad to do so it if they were to hold bold their coveted places on an the roster of the air co command minand when the day comes the greater number of them will reach the targets to which they are assigned and most of those who go will come back again after dropping their bombs on that red enemy they are not just trained to fly but to fly for i a definite purpose and I 1 am confident of their ability to achieve that purpose the young men I 1 met and knew at that one gre great atair air base and the many hundreds of others me like them stationed atthe at the many bases of the strategic air command represent the force that lies between the american people and that red enemy they have so greatly feared it la Is a force that is 1 fully worthy of our confidence we can confidently count upon the protection we to so ardently seek se ekAs As I 1 met and mixed with them my fears disappeared as would yours could you have the same privilege |