Evening star., 1932-02-23
ADEQUATE DEFENSE
PLEAS BROADCAST
Reed and Hale, Speaking in
Forum, Point to Shang-
hal as Example.

man OF the Senate Military Affairs
Committee. ard Senator Frederick Hale
Cf Maine, chairman of the Naval AT
fairs Committee of the Senate, last
night over the National Radio Forum
arranged by The Star and broadcast by
the National Broadcasting Co. over q
coast forecast network Both Chairmen
pointed to the war in the East as indi-
eating that maSSed world opinion is moi
operating to maintain peace and that
no nation relying upon treaties car
safely afford to neglect it's national de-
fense
Senator Hale, who followed the Mill
tary Affairs chairman on the program
particularly emphasized this point ir
urging that the American Navy be built
up to the full limits of the London
Treaty, as provided in his own bill ano
In the Vinson bill now before the Nava
Affairs Committees in both Houses.
Enactment 81 OF such g legislation, he de,
to be capable OF protecting its rights
and neutrality.
with Navy merely equal to thai
of Japan we could not meet Japan on
anything approaching even terms In
Eastern waters, where, in case of war
the seat OF hostilities undoubtedly would
be" said Senator Hale. so by not
taking advantage of our treaty allot-
mentS and by allowing our Navy to de-
teriorate we have lost the security af-
forded us under the Washington and
London treaties and are the more likely
to become involved in difficulties with
the other powers. 1t is imperative that
! we win back this security by building up
to the ratio strength permitted us by
these treaties"
Navies Are Compared.
Both Senators pointed out the present
weakness of the two services compared
with those of foreign powers. If no
new ships are authorized, Senator Hale
said the American Navy at the close of
1886, will have but 68 modern ships.
Great Britain, under existing programs,
he said will have 119 modern ships and
Japan will have 1856
The American Navy shall, in modern
ships, be 1872 ships below its treaty al
1owance, Hale said. compared with
Great BritainS IS below her allowance
and with Japan only seven ships below
her allowance
This condition is especially deplor-
able. he said, when it is considered the
United States is spending per capita,
based on annual per capita income, less
than one-third what Great Britain,
France and Italy are spending on their
navieS and less than one-fifth what
Japan is spending on her navy.
1t is well for Congress to take all pos
sible steps to economic during the ex-
listing depression, the Naval Affairs
chairman said, but he warned that
economy should not interfere with the
efficiency of the two services. 1t is "in-
conceivable folly and no part of real
- CO. - ~, f,11I
ure for the national defense of our
country" he warned, with the world in
its present chaotic condition and with
the apparent failure of all treaties to
guarantee world peace.
Time Not Ripe to Disarm.
Senator Reed likewise warned that
"the world has not yet reached such a
state of idyllic reasonableneSs as would
Justify our complete disarmament" in
commenting on the Eastern situation.
The Sino-Japanese crisis, he declared,
is evidence that international treaties
are not respected. Evidently this
wicked world isn't wholly reformed just
because lot of solemn statesmen sign
a group of treaties" he warned.
The Regular Army, with 1000
strength Senator Reed said, is one
third smaller than in 1920 and 1921,
after the wartime Army had been de-
mobilized Despite the smaller popula-
tions Of foreign powers, England has an
army Of $4,000, he said; France has
389 1000 and "disarmed" Germany has a
standing army of over 100000. These
figures, he reminded, do not include the
British dominions or the trained re-
serves in all countries.
A small army, Reed declared, lis as
$,oaor-oV,, ac n fro IoYNo ~ fYf1pnt -
We once thought that a war in Eu-
rope could not touch us, and when it
did touch u.s." he said, ''it found us
unprepared. We must not make that
mistake again"
Present Army expenditures, Reed ex-
planned, are only about 612 per cent OF
the total Federal expenditures. In 1882
Army ratio was more than 10 per cent.
One of the finest activities OF the
American Legion, to my mind, Is its
wholly unselfish, wholly patriotic in
sistence upon adequate military pre-
paredness. The members Of the Legion
know what war is, and they DO not
want to see another one.
Text of Address.
Senator Reeds address follows:
Since civilization began the expert
GIlCG O1 IIiBil lldo IduBllG Illc1N Oh "a AiAJ
of some size is necessary in every ma
ton for the maintenance of internal
order and the repulse of external enc
mics Most sane people regret that IL
is necessary, just as they regret that
a fire department or police force
is necessary Many idealists dream OF
a disarmed world in which no armies
or naVies would exist, but l believe
that the vast majority OF our people
feel that this world has not yet reached
such a state of idyllic reasonableness
as would justify our complete o1Sarm-
ament. Any one who doubts 1t has
only to look at China, where we find
two great nations at death grips, al
though both Of them are members OF
the League Of Nations, both are men,
ber5 of the World Court, both have
pledged their honor to observe the Kel-
logg Peace Pact and both have signed
the nine-poWer treaty Of 1882, which
binds the signatories to respect the ter
ritorial integrity Of China. Evidently
this wicked world isn't wholly reformed
Just because a lot of solemn statesmen
sign a group of treaties.
So the question is not whether WE
shall have an army, but how much ol
an army We shall have. And for
very few minutes I want to discuss
1DaJ QOeSBlOn. 1eJ Ilt DtS4A ny Say ule
that the two most valuable assets thai
this Nation has are the Atlantic Ocear
and the Pacific Ocean. Thanks tC
them the defense of America is fal
easier than it otherwise would be
Thanks to them our Army can safely
remain at a very moderate level
Thanks TO them We are not cursec
with the system Of peace-time con-
Scription, which rests like a millstont
around the necks of practically every
continental nation in Europe.
know how hard it is to listen to fig.
ures spoken over the radio, and so an
going to try to give just as few as pos
sible. But won't you please take YOU
lead pencil and jot down a very few
figures on the 7cargin Of your news.
paper or on the back of some old en-.
velope. The figures that 1 am abou
to give come from the American Army
~.