The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-10-27
AMERICA TOLD
NAVY MUST Be
ATTACK FORCE
Fleets Strength lies in Of
Tense Say Navy Day
Statements
Rv CTTO JANSEN
United Press Staff Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27. tUpn
President Roosevclt's suggested
Increase of $3.50, 200, 100 for nav
al construction and tie worlds
spcedup of the reatmament race
have prompted naval officials to
use Navy Day, October q, as the
occasion to stress the fact that
the fleet is the United States
"1irst Inc Of defense"
"Thc idea of going out 20 meet
the enemy is basic concei ton Of
the American n&t.on,' wrote Rear
Admiral H. G. Bowen, chief Of the
bureau of engineering, in one of
a series of IA V Day statements.
d, "Gur present naval policy, and
the only reasonable one for a la
ton situated as the United States,
is, requires an offensi.e fleet.
"This has no connection what
ever with the national foreign nol-
icy which is that we will engage
only in defensive wars. For any
war, the functions of the navy ave
to bring it TO an early completion
to reduce the cost in men and
money; and. while it lasts, to pre-
vent enemy forces from project
ing their offensive weapons
against any portion Of United
States territory.
MUST co ON OFFENSIVE
"The first Observation-Disclosures
ical protection of the United
Statcs-reQuircs that effective en-
emy forces be prevented from
coming close enough to lombard
coastal points, to establish q
blockade. to lay mines, or to
launch aerial attack.
"Thesc various methods Of at.
tack can, Of course, be effected
at various distances from orr
shores and a 100 percent defense
requires that our naval frontier
be remote enough to prevent
them ALL -"
"Whereas- a hostile mine, TO be
effective. must be laid practically
in territorial waters. and bonn
boarding gun must be brought
within 20 miles Of its objective, an
air attack can be projected from
q point several hundred Of miles
offshore.
AIR STRATEGY EXPLAINED
Gan aerial attack may be brok-
en- up and repealed before it has
approached completion of it's mis-
sion, but it is highly probable that
any such attack will inflict some
damage to persons or property
which are dependent on the armed
forces. for protection. An effec-
tive defense fleet must be able to
operate far enough seward to
prevent or seriously to interfere
with the launching of any often
sive attacks" Admiral Bowen as
serted. -.
He said this country's naval de-
Tense problems differ from those
Of European nations inasmuch as
the u. S. navy must be capable of
operating over vast cXpanses in
the Atlantic and Pacific. For this
reason. he says, American war-
ships must be "self-supporting."
Lieut.. Commander Ray u. Tar
buck, in an article entitled your
Navy-First I inc Of Defense" in
sisted that the United States must
build "a navy that will make this
country stronger than any aggres-
sor.
CHINAS POSITION CITED
He pointed out that at one time
this country was easily invaded by
foreign troops, and contended also
that China would not be forced to
move its capital from one city to
another if it had possessed
strong fleet.
- Germany he asserted, was slow
~ starved to death in the World
war because her navy was almost
good enough"
at took the United States
year to organize the civilian popu-
lation into a national army dur
ing our last war. Forty million
men of IL nations held back the
enemy while we prepared.
"In the next war who will hold
them. off if the navy is insuffi-
cient? Our first line of defense
is on the high seas. 1t requires an
efficient, self-sustaining. seagoing
fleet. for if it is defeated the time
is at hand to barricade the streets
and take punishment" he assert