| Show I I GENERAL HUGH S s. s 4 f 2 JOHNSON J 0 1 Jf Y ARMY ILL EQUIPPED There is a smell in the Washington Washing Washing- ton air of something like a complete complete complete com com- disembowelment of or the army defense program by a congressional refusal to provide funds to carry it out The navy will get by partly because because because be be- cause the President regards himself as a navy man and doesn't pay much attention to the army and and partly because Jimmy Byrnes is in in charge of the navys navy's needs in the senate and is man enough to see that they dont don't go by default But the army has never been any too adept at handling congressional committees Its topside isn't altogether altogether alto- alto altogether gether out of the doghouse with the administration and with Avith congress congress' and it hasn't any outstanding congressional congressional congressional con con- gressional champion to present and insist upon its case Even the presentation presentation presentation pre pre- of the case to the country has been bad There have been too many administration Pollyanna speeches assuring us that the army is coming along satisfactorily in its modernization program and that there is nothing to fear The fact is that it isn't coming along at more than a snails snail's pace and that if the Caspar Milquetoast requests it has made for money to tomake tomake tomake make it come a little faster are slashed it could be a major catas catas- It is reorganizing in modern streamlined divisions to be entirely motorized with new rapid-fire rapid equipment equipment equipment equip equip- ment and with many of the men behind steel shields The war in Europe is proving that with this kind of organization and equipment far fewer men are needed those who are used are much better protected protected protected pro pro- from death or injury and the great speed range and mobility will enable a few men to defend a far greater area than was ever before thought possible This is a vital consideration in our military problem Our principal danger is swift and unexpected raids From an expense angle alone we could not defend our vast stretches of coast and territory with fixed or slow forces We couldn't do it with what we have We can only be sure of doing it by what we propose to get One other problem is to be able by an expeditionary force to repel or break up any hostile hostile hostile hos hos- tile lodgment in Latin America In view of the armament of other countries countries countries coun coun- tries both of these problems absolutely absolutely absolutely require such an army as I have described Until we get it our defenses will be woefully weak We dont don't need a big army but we need a small one that can move fast and hit hard over the widest area that any nation has to defend Now you cant can't do a way half-way job on this A motorized army has to toI tobe tobe be motorized all the way It is tied to the speed of its slowest unit It Itis Itis is an integrated whole and if part of it isn't high speed the rest of it might as well not be Furthermore if you you streamline your divisions on the theory that you will make up for forthe forthe forthe the loss of men by armor and automatic automatic automatic auto auto- matic weapons of vastly increased power and then dont don't provide the weapons you have cut your defensive defensive defensive sive power in half half or or worse It n seems to me that we are making making making mak mak- ing exactly this mistake right now even with the program as it is If the appropriations are cut I am absolutely absolutely absolutely ab ab- ab- ab certain that we shall make it It is not an exaggeration to say that we have no usable army now With the world at its most dangerous danger danger- ous worst we may be caught changing changing changing chang chang- ing our clothes and so very so-very very literally literal literal- ly with ly-with with our pants down I dont don't lik like the air of secrecy that covers hearings on our military They do not make sense Foreign nations know all about this condition The people who have the best right to know about it precisely it-precisely precisely and exactly exactly are are the people of the United States They know precious little and what they know is largely largely- wrong Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps if they knew more we might get some action HOW V MANY l ARE IDLE There is a big tirade in the columnists columnists columnists colum colum- parade Are there unemployed unemployed-or or only about 2000 It isn't necessarily a case of figures figures fig I ures dont don't lie lie liars liars figure but of assumption which you apply to get your result That is a question of judgment and here the wish is often father to the thought and d dif difference difference dif dif- ference in wish and thought can make differences of millions in re re- re- re sult Federal figures on the shifting and infinitely intricate problem of unemployment are practically as worthless as a Gallup poll on a third term for Mr Roosevelt Why does the federal government want to know now Principally to measure the problem of relief That is both an intricate and an intimate problem It is far too large and too much affected by loc Local il complexities' complexities to be approached or administered on a national scale But there isn't a town or community community community com com- in this country that cannot gauge its problem of adequate local relief with far more equity humanity humanity humanity human human- ity and accuracy than these shotgun shotgun shotgun shot shot- gun and partly serving self-serving estimates estimates estimates esti esti- mates of Washington pump primers or or of their opponents |
