Evening star., 1933-05-17
1874 ARMY STATUS
. SCORNED BY DERN
War Secretary Is Seventh
Cabinet Member to Address
Radio Forum.


patience suggestions that the cost Of
the Regular Army be reduced to what
It WAS in 1914, Secretary of War George
n. Dern, who spoke last night in the
National Radio Forum. sponsored by
The Evening Star, revealed himself as
. staunch supporter Of national defense
30 long as world powers are opposed to
arbitration of disputes.
Secretary Dern's address, the seventh
delivered in the new Cabinet series"
OF the radio forum, was delivered from
Station WRC and broadcast over an
extensive network Of National Broad
casting Co. stations.
While Secretary Dern disclosed not a
single plan with respect to reductions
OF personnel or military activities under
the administrators economy program,
he did indicate he believed some reduc-
tlons effected last year are unworkable
and detrimental
IF long continued" he said, some
Of the reductions already made might
have most serious and Damaging ef-
feet upon our readiness for emergency"
Declaring it is impossible to turn
back the clock to 1914" Secretary Dern
said that students of national defense
are practically unanimous in their opin-
ION that we cannot afford to abandon,
or permanently and dramtically to re-
duce, the present program until the
world is definitely organized to settle
all international disputes by amicable
means"
But he hastened to add that this does
not mean any opportunity for reduction
IN current costs is being overlooked.
The 1884 appropriations for the Army
are SOS 100000 less than the sums ap-
propriated in 1881. he pointed out.
These great savings have been ef-
fected by curtailing many important ac-
tiv1ties. Every possibility is being as
siduously explored"
Defends Army Personnel.
On the budget problems involving
projected plans to furlough from 1000
to 1000 commissioned officers and re-
duce or abolish the training activities
OF the National Guard c. M T. c. and
r. Q. 7. c., the War Secretary had
nothing to say. He did however
squarely back the General Staff in its
well known contention that these COM
ponent parts of the Army constitute
framework on which preparedness for
war or other emergency absolutely de-
pends.
Secretary Dern likewise strongly de-
Tended the economy and efficiency Of
the Army and its personnel He de-
clared statements that the cost of the
Army be reduced to what it was in 1914
as another generalization that will not
bear analysis"
Deducting the new methods of war
fare that have developed aviation,
tanks and chemical warfare, he de-
clared the cost of the Army today shows
that I'VE are not spending any more
money now than we did in 1914"
And this in spite of higher living
costs and living standards" he added.
II We go back to 1914 we might as
well abolish the Army entirely, for we
should be as helpless as babes against
other nations with modern equipment =
Current expenses for the military ac-
tiv1ties OF the Army constitute, he said,
only little over per cent of the COM
plete Federal budget for the year.
Coming to the War Department from
civil life, Secretary Dern said he has
found in his two months study of his
new job that efficiency is the govern.
ing objective in Army activity, and DO
lltical expeniency has nothing whatso-
ever to do with it."
In closing, he said: Il have not be-
come In any sense a militarist, More
than this, and surprising as 1t NAV
souno, 1t Is my conviction that Army
ano navy officers are the most sincere
ana most practical pacifists in this coun-
try today. They have made me appre-
clate more keenly than ever before what
grim and costly tragedy this business
OF war really Is. More than ever before
want TO prevent its recurrence"
Text Of Address.
the full text of Secretary Derns
address follows:
In country where the people rule,
every citizen Is entitled to full and
accurate information about his govern
ment, SO that he may form sound con-
ciusions concerning it. One of the most
noteworthy of President Rooseyelt's
achievements is that, by means of the
radio. that most marvellous of all mod
ern inventions, he has talked directly
10 the American people and has aroused
In their minds very much greater
and more widespread interest in ma
uonal economic problems than they
have ever had before. With his genius
1of clear, simple explanation, he has
maoe almost every individual American
realize that he has practically had
personal talk with the President, in
which the President has frankly told
"-.'@S ~ 6SAAS dSllC 1Ol GllS COull.
Try, and why. Since more people are
thinking and talking about govern
mental problems than ever before, it
follows that our democratic form Of
Government never was more firmly
established than it is today.
The Washington Evening Star Is
rendering real service by enabling the
members of the Presidents cabinet also
TO speak directly to the people about
the departments they are administer
Ing. I am happy to tell you few
things about the War Department, Of
which I have been the head since the
9TH of March.
1t Is curious how many erroneous
ideas are afloat about the War De-
pertment Good citizens, in all sincerity,
often say the Government of the United
States spends more than two-thirds OF
Its income for wars, past, present and
future; and when they make that as
sertion they feel they are delivering
q crushing indictment of the War De-
partment. !
They conceive the War Department
10 be great. wasteful military ma
chine which produces nothing to add
to the wealth Of the Nation
They have the impression that the
soldier Is somehow different sort of
. being from the rest of us, and that
the military mind" as they call it,
Is sinister and inscrutable obstacle to
progress toward a higher standard Of
human relationships.
They hold a suspicion that the Army
and the Navy are always spelling for a
fight, and that, If left to their own
devices, they would bring on wars at
frequent intervals.
Notions Are Not Supported.
Holding these extreme views, they
believe that the maintenance of our
military establishment is a needless and
almost vicious expenditure Of money
wrung from overburdened taxpayers.
My friends, I have found that the
facts do not support these notions. II
they did, the Army and Navy would
surely have been abolished long ago.
Indeed such oYerStatementS probably