Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31
SECURITY COSTING
FRENCH MILLIONS
Present Government Still
Sees Invasion Possible and
Goes on Spending.
BY LELAND STOWE.

;
! PARIS, August ScNThere Is prob
| ably no word in the dictionary so dear
| to the French people as the word "se-
| curity," and there is perhaps no nation
! in the world to whom security repre-
SentS such a vitality important and i'm
mediate a quality TO understand al
most any political problem or program
in France it is essential that security
in all its phases and in the French con-
ception be laid under the microscope
and dissected and in as large a meas
ure as is possible un ierstood.
Today the French press is full of edi-
torials on national security-almost as
much so, it seems, as If the past 10
years had gone for naught. Sometimes
We become somewhat surfeited with
this eternally present French cry for
security. Sometimes we are tempted to
wonder if the state of security is an
other of those ephelneral states, like
peace and brotherhood of man, which
always seem just around the corner.
Nevertheless the fact remains that the
present French government does not
regard France as free from the posi-
bility of invasion, and that it looks
askance both at its Rhine and Italian
frontiers, and that the nationaliStic
press is demanding new measures to
protect France against possible ag-
gressor,' for more than a decade of
successive governments have directed
their policy toward this goal and have
spent millions of dollars toward per-
fecting it, but it is still said to fall
far short OF the requirements.
DepIores Compulsory Service Cut. i,
Recently lie Temps stated the case
boldly by saying: In the present state
Of affairs, the organization which We
have been given does not appear to as
sure us, neither for the present nor for
the immediate future, of security, which
was our aim" Then LIE Temps goes
was so haSty as to reduce the obliga-
tory military service from 18 months to
a year two years ago This, it says,
was mistake, and it hints broadly that
France may soon have to revert to Is
months service-this, apparently, to
give sufficient standing army to hope
to cope with Germanvs overnight eff
fectives, which the French persist in es-
tirnating at 100000 men.
simultaneously, Maginot, the war
minister, has demanded additional
credits to motorize the French army,
and Gen. de Cougnac, in the Journal
des Debats, supporting this request as
necessary, says: The budget for mill
tary expenses must naturally be en-
larged." 1t therefore appears that the
leading French minds are dedicated to
increasing Frances military expendi-
lures still further, and that armament
in France in all probabi ity will continue
on the upgrade, despite the fact that
it has been so for the past 10 years.
The immediate explanation of this is
simple. Events in Germany since the
Rhine evacuation speeches of Trevira-
nus and all the rest have famed French
fears. Likewise the strained relations
with italy, although temporarily less
gloomy that early in the Summer, are
far from reassuring to the French. The
Spring and Summer push of France to
improve frontier Notifications is I'M
abated. Several billion francs have
been devoted to this purpose in the past
six months. The Riviera and Alpine
Notifications and war stocks have in
creased The French Mediterranean
naval bases have had some of the best
French admirals assigned TO them
France still feels insecure and subject
to possible war on her own territory.
France still has an acute horror of that
possibility and thinking back to 1914,
perhaps that is a perfectly natural
frame Of mind. Nevertheless, one may
well ask how much france is now
spending for military preparedness.
EAibn OA bhuSet IOi security.
Frances 1880 budget supplies inter-
esting data. For the departments of
war, navy, air and colonial defense the
present budget expends IL ,018, 900, 900
francs-roughly $440,00( ,000-out of
total budget of 50,393, 900, 900 francs.
This means approximately one-fifth of
the total budget is devoted to provid-
ing the security which France feels
she needs
In addition to this, however, in Oc-
tober of last year slightly over 3000,-
o00.000 francs, Sor Sl2j,000, 900, were
voted for a fve-year program on
Frances eastern fortifle atoms, and in
June l,000,000000 francs we're provided
for extra army. navy and air expenses.
This brings the total defense expendl-
lures to slightly above the $4,000, 0o0,-
900 francs, or S605 ,o00, coo.
If Maginot obtains funds for the
heavy investment in military motor
truks, etc, the French investment to-
ward security will be further upward.
These figures are not cited TO show
that France is militaristic nation. I
do not believe she is but she does suf-
fer from fear and the security complex,
which today is still one of the domi-
mating factors of her political life.
One is forced to ask what is security
and when is it reached? Also how Is
real disarmament to be achieved in
Europe as long as this feeling persists?
(Copyright, 1900