Evening star., 1938-10-17
Billions for Defense?

Billions Tor Defense?
Bernard M. Baruch, who is now the
special target of Nazi mud batteries,
probably looks upon vilifcation from
that quarter as badge of distinction
at least as something which should not
cause him sleepleSsness. With char
acterlstlc passion for the essentials, the
chairman of the World War Industries
Board dismissed the German press bar
rage as simply beside the point" In
stead of engaging in name-calling or
personalities he told the Associated
Press he preferred to point to the rec
ord'-in particular, to his own record
at the Paris Peace Conference, where,
as an adviser of President Wilson, II
terms for defeated Germany"
Americans are indebted to the Goeb-
bels propaganda machine for providing
Mr. Baruch with an opportunity to give
his country timely counsel on the sub
ject of defensive armaments. The New
York flnancier aroused Berlins frenzy
by stating in Washington that Ger
many's threat to the United States is
through South America. He is so per-
suaded that peril to 'our political and
economic ideals" threatens in that quar-
ter that Mr.. Baruch did not hesitate to
urge the feasibility of special "arma-
ments tax to finance preparedness
capable of enabling the United States
to defend itself against all Odds"
The cost, he conceded, will be high,
Undoubtedly several billions of dollars
before it is through" But, he added lit
is a price we must pay if we are going
to make the voice of America a voice of
authority in world affairs. The aggres-
force and might" Even the man whom
the world still acclaims for preserving
peace-Prime Minister Chamberlain
told Parliament, while announcing his
private compact with Hitler for Anglo
German amity, that, without armed
strength to back nations diplomacy,
It's shrewdest statecraft would be futile
Mr.. Chamberlain said Britain will pro-
ceed full steam ahead to convert her
,500,00O0O0 pre-Munich rearmament
plans from project into performance
That determination is born Of the
secret, which now is the worlds, that the
British and French yielded to Hitler on
Czechoslovakia, not alone because they
wanted peace, but because they were not
ready for war.
Were Bernard M. Baruch military or
naval hotspur instead of a peculiarly
hardheaded and realistic man of affairs,
who is also seasoned in industrial states
manship, his admonitions might be sus-
pected of Jingoism. But when citizen
of his caliber and background reminds
US that Germany, Italy and Japan are
"as well armed as their resources per-
mit are now looking around the world
for new resources to control, and that
1t Is in the Americas, North and South,
where the great future development of
the world will take place'-such re-
minders from such source compel the
serious thought of all Americans whose
international thinking extends beyond
the twelve mile limit.
Mr.. Baruch opposes any semblance of
interference in the domestic concerns
Of the sister Americas, but favors the
fullest possible cultivation of President
Roosevelts good neighbor policy, even
to the extent of substituting trade with
the Latin Americans, ito meet the un-
fair methods of the aggressor countries"
methods of which Brazil, as just evi-
denced by the rupture of her relations
with Germany. has apparently had more
than her fill.
# isolation be the ideal which the
American people are determined to
worship, the hour is approaching with
relentless rapidity when they must real
lie that even isolationism, unsupported
by unassailable defensive armaments is
a will of the wisp and dangerous one
Mr.. Baruchs views are an invaluable
contribution to public education on that
score.