Show GENERAL JOHNSON washington D C DEFENSE ILLUSIONS the president is right when he suggests that some people raise hell earlier about our defenselessness because they realize what was going on it is true that he did not share those illusions but he is very subtle in seeming to find any support in the terrible events of the last few days for his policy of our sticking our necks into that mess the existing battle situation completely liquidates his interventionist leanings by proving plainly that we had no business there and have done any good by doing one thing more than we have done this brings up the vital question of our defenselessness those who realize the danger abroad may be excused for going to sleep on it but how can the president be excused with full information he went to sleep on preparedness his comparison of the money spent on defense during this seven years with the preceding seven years is purely political and unfair in the seven years before roosevelt there was no menace from germany and no need for vast preparation there were treaty limitations on naval increases the allies held germany helpless hitler came with roosevelt and began the seven years of rearmament and preparation of the vast force with which he is destroying europe the allies could have stopped him any time up to 1936 to act mr roosevelt also went to sleep this column constantly called attention to this situation beginning with its very first issue early in 1935 it is no alibi to refer to the amount of money spent on defense it plainly was not enough and it spent to the best advantage it was not wasted or poured down a rat hole but it provides no excuse to minimize our woeful lack of landward preparation to kick at critics who insist on the truth the naval job has been well done in part but the job in aviation army and provision of strategic bases is woefully inadequate pollyanna PoU yanna statements made by the president and over the air on the same night by other officials do not agree with expert testimony before congressional committees lumping our equipment as orl ori hand or on order is meaningless and misleading all these things are bygones our job is to correct these blunders but we cant correct them without recognizing zing them these attempts to gloss them over are of themselves a danger and a continuing blunder 0 0 0 the president is right in saying that for unified defense we must avoid d hatreds hat reds he has produced them in mass even in his fireside chat he warned against war millionaires promised continued handouts and at least seemed to say that in this period of sacrifice and extreme effort by everybody none will be demanded from labor and yet prices a are ir e to remain low regardless of in increased costs and no control perhaps it was a gesture toward 1 unity that no new taxes were suggested and financial aid was promised to industry people who pay taxes are far more realistic they are demanding increases no truly american industry seeks profits due to war no truly american worker is unwilling to do his part nothing in the fireside chat suggests the stern tough administration that this situation requires to any veteran of our greatest american defensive effort it cannot fail to bring goose pimples of apprehension it did not face or truly tell the facts it promised speed and efficiency fici ency and offered no convincing plan for getting them it reeks with a kind of timid fumbling that has carried england and france to the brink of destruction it was a third term political document rather than a formula for immediate and effective defense a 0 NO TIME TO LOSE the rearmament problem is the deadliest this country has to face it is purely a time problem so we talk of harry hopkins the greatest waster of billions in our history ile he is a man whose life and training have been such that through complete ignorance of it he distrusts our industrial system only a little more than it distrusts him moreover it is a 20 hour a day job and hopkins health is none too robust he is physically unable to give sufficient time to his present job if it done promptly there is Is not much use in doing it at all we shall not merely have to fight but to fight under such conditions as we now see destroying civilization in europe hopelessly pitifully disastrously that happened in europe because england and france delayed and fumbled too long with chamberlain and deladier Da ladier it will happen here it we cant learn to stop fooling and fumbling with in incompetents incomplete compete ants in vital places |