| Show V W training due for bin backers sa say needed to bolster foreign forelli i policy by newt news analyst and commentator 1 1 I his is the first of two tivo articles on the drive for universal military indi tary training which fibich is to be launched soon an ana what is back of that mat drive the first article deals with the potential effect of military training on our foreign policy the next etith the program itself washington As the foreign ministers conference plodded along in london american delegate marshall marshal probably frequently found himself reaching for one document to support his cause that there if it had been he would have had concrete proof to place before the world that america is not engaging in the well known game of bluff that Is why shortly after the second session ot of the both congress opens in january you will see and hear a lot more about universal military training than you ever did before the president as requested by the american legion is expected to proclaim a week january 6 through 12 and although there will be no active propaganda on the part ot of the government departments because the administration e especially the war department Is going to lean over backwards to avoid the charge of trying to influence congress they will do whatever they can within their prescribed limits but there will be a concerted pro drive from many private organizations the american legion is concentrating on that one issue and its commander james F lokeil oneil has publicly stated he is going to give his whole time to it the and other veterans organizations will fall all in line more important p per e r haps will be the active participation baukhage of the power ful national security committee headed by former justice of the supreme court owen J roberts this committee f formed 0 r m e d about two months ago Is an offshoot or of an earlier citizens committee headed by justice roberts which unsuccessfully urged passage of a universal military training bill through the last session of congress like the earlier group the purpose of this national security committee composed of veterans groups like the legion and as well as the national chamber of commerce rotary clubs and the league of women voters is to coordinate efforts to get universal training enacted into law the interesting thing about ahe re dewed drive tor for military training as the men who have negotiated american foreign policy interpret it is 1 that military function is secondary let me explain it this way granted that the kremlin policy is a long range plan of active aggression whose most immediate goal is to get control over as many nations or as much disputed territory as possible and absorption of control over ever germany as its chief goal granted that communism in europe at this writing is on the defensive and will be even more so it if the european recovery plan succeeds meanwhile the russians will take every step short of war granted that russia does not wish to fight a war at present russia knows we know that but russia knows that we not only do not want war she also knows WE COULD NOT FIGHT ONE not only because we have only a handful of troops on the continent a force greatly putnum bared by the red army but because we are woefully unprepared therefore the russians know they can go much further in their cold war than they otherwise could they can play their obstructionist game in the foreign ministers conference and in the united nations carry on active propaganda against us along the periphery of their satellites and even ACTIVELY AID armed forces within non con satellite border states stales as they are doing in greece the russians feel they can take this course because they believe that the american people themselves will not back any threat to their soviet aggression nor they think will america support any step to strengthen the military machine of the united states that is the reason the hand of our policy makers would be greatly strengthened if universal military training were established here because it would show that america is really backing its diplomats of course the argument that a strong military organization p prevents war because it reduces reduce the chance of attack Is an old one but under the peculiar international ter situation which exists today it Is probably more nearly true thin ever before in history whether or not a bill authorizing universal military training Is passed 0 B ue the coming session depends on whether the people believe this whether it changes the thinking of enough members of 0 congress so that a favorable majority can be obtained no one will make a guess now as to what the chances are but the situation mentioned above already has effected some changes of 0 viewpoints the sources ot of support tor for will draw heavily from administration regulars unless popular opposition gives them the election year litters jitters gathers strong support naturally chan gurney ot of south dakota chairman of the senate armed services committee and chairman walter G andrews of new york of the house committee of the same name whose sub commit tee under representative harry towe of new jersey produced the bill which is now pending before the house are enthusiastic supporters of the measure and it Is expected that friends of would be presidential candidate dewey will fall fail in line since universal military training is one of the major issues which the new york governor has endorsed it II this assumption is correct senator ives and republican house majority leader halleck could be included senator of massachusetts has expressed his approval candidate stassen and his friends though not at this writing committed are emphatically friendly governor warren another avowed candidate took the trouble to fly by east to address STASSEN DEWEY they favor cally the roberts national security committee at length when it was formed there are many other prominent su porters senator taft Is definitely opposed to universal military training which he groups with other controls which are objectionable to him opposition may be considered strong from the extreme right and the extreme left it Is hardly likely that representative vito marcantonio who has the support of communists in new york would vote tor for outside of congress the church organizations and a large army of mothers are opposed the only way their view can be changed supporters say is to convince them that our boys will be safer trained than untrained that in every war we have had bad to have a trained citizen army in the end twice while we waited to train it thousands died and some went into service without proper preparation |
