Show NATIONAL A N A L AFFAIRS B by CARTER FIELD army preparedness is Is hampered by lack ol of funds generals 9 generals tell the senate Europe Eu ropes 4 quarrels will be reflected in i n united states elections beu belt syndicate service washington outside of airplanes PI anes and true trucks ks the industrial prepare preparedness ess ot of this country as a r result e sult of war orders has been more ar less a flop to date incidentally the army has shown itself pathetically inferior to the navy in it its strategy on capitol HIM S somehow the admirals are much more effective than the generals you dont catch the admirals for instance making speeches to the country saying that eve everything grything Is fine that the navy is in tiptop condition and could whip its weight in wildcats or nazis or what have you no whenever you hear an admiral talking in public or for that matter in private he is bewailing the fact secretary that the navys navy 8 woodring battleships are getting pretty old that at le least t three of them could as not figure in a battle line because their big guns have not sufficient elevation or that because of this or that reason the navy simply does not have enough money to spend GENERALS DO GOOD JOB the generals seem to do a pretty good job when they are talking to s small mail subcommittees on capitol HUI hill in executive session they even make converts in the senate and house who strive zealously to do things for the army but the admirals go right to the public with their story and are in no whit inferior to the generals when it comes to their committee appearances and their individual contacts with the national legislators of 01 course this time and tor for the last two or three times for that matter the army has been handicapped bythe by the known difference in view between the secretary of war and the assistant se secretary of war this fe feud U d has run much longer than most of the spectacular feuds in federal administrations washington has expected for years that president roosevelt would eliminate either harry H woodring the secretary or louis johnson the assistant secretary there are lots of theories as to weyhe why he has not removed one or the other but none seem completely satisfying the navy in this administration has been aces from the first the president himself was more directly interested because of his lifelong love of the sea MIX WAR AND POLITICS with most italo americans waiting to hear from n duce whether they are to be pro nazi pro ally alldor or continue neutral and with a much larger percentage ot of german americans fervently pro hitler than most observers suspect the presidential lal and congressional campaign now under way is precisely what certain statesmen back in 1920 dreaded if the united states should join the league of nations it would seem as it 2 this ahls country is being torn internally by european quarrels almost as much as if it had joined the league another surprise to some of the men who ought fought and beat american participation in the league is that apparently woodrow wilson was absolutely right and the so called absolutely wrong about article 10 it will be recalled that article 10 was the one which provided that it if any nation should attack another and refuse to submit the quarrel to arbitration of the league all members ol of the th league would be obligated to fure furnish troops or ships or both to bring the aggressor to terms IF IDEA HAD BAD WON but suppose wilsons Wil sons idea of the league had been carried out there would have been no aggression by japan in china there would have been no conquest of ethiopia by italy albania would s still till be free there would have been no munich and no european war that is not by any means to say that if the united states had ratified the versailles treaty without reservations and become an active member of the league of nations all these aggressions would have been prevented if wilsons Wil sons ideas had been carried out yes but there is plenty of doubt that the league would have been any more vigorous with the united states a member there might even be a fairly grounded suspicion that the united states would not have sent troops and ships to prevent the conquest of china or Ml ethiopia opla or poland if called on by the league to do so after au all the united states conveniently forgot all about a solemn treaty it had bad with korea when japan annexed that country |