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Show Wealth Of U. S. Invites Attack General Avers "No nation as rich as we are can hope to continue in existence unless it is ready and able to defend itself," declares Major-General Major-General Lewis B. Hershey, in explaining the current necessity for Selective Service, which, he says, may "avoid a war." It would seem to be elemental that the United States, as the richest nation in the world, requires re-quires at least the means to defend de-fend itself against the strongest potential enemy. To be weak, impotent and defenseless would invite attacks from those who do not hesitate to consider war an adjunct to the promulgation of national policy and the fulfillment fulfill-ment of selfish ambitions. It is all right for moralists to assume that in the world there1 will be no war. Nevertheless, in 1948, it is foolish to conclude that we are even approaching an ideal world. The people of the United Slates, for many years, have been convinced of the foolishness of warfare as a method of settling disputes between nations. Nevertheless, Never-theless, if we look back no longer long-er than 1939, it should be obvious obvi-ous that the desire for peace in this country did not constitute a defense to the methods adopted by Hitler, Mussolini and Hiro-h'ito. Hiro-h'ito. To believe that a desire to live at peace with the other nations na-tions of the world is equivalent to having peace is an absurd conclusion con-clusion that can hardly be reached reach-ed by minds alert to what goes on in the world. |