Evening star., 1939-09-17
Entire U. 5. System
OF Defense Declared
Deficient by Baruch
Urges Force So Strong
No Group Of Powers
Would Risk Attack
By the Associated Press.

By the Associa ated Press.
NEW YORK, Sept. 16.-There Is
one best way the United States can
keep out of war no matter what
happens in Europe or Asia, Bernard
M. Baruch said today.
That way, he said, Is to create
Immediately an Army, Navy and
air force so strong that no power
or possible combination Of powers
would risk lighting us.
Mr.. Baruch said he thought it
was possible to keep out of war and
that every effort should be made
by the Nation to do so.
Following his return from WASH
ington, where he conferred with
President Roosevelt and others on
the subject of national defense, Mr.
Baruch asserted that America is
seriously unprepared."
The outcome in both Europe and
Asia Is doubtful, he said in an In
terview, adding there is definitely
possibility which we must pre-
pare against-a combination of
powers might attack us on one or
both oceans in the not distant fu-
ture."
God help the United States if
they ever get by our one-ocean
Navy" he said. They might try
to take our vast resources from us.
Our Army. as Gems. Pershing
and Drum have recently said, is, to
put 1t mildly. very deficient, unable
to put up any real defense against
a strong invasion.
Army Pitifully Small.
"The tragedy is that every one
knows it except the people of the
United States. Every foreign pow
er knows it.
This Is no reflection on the per-
sonnel of our Army; but the Army
| Is pltifully small, unframed, lack
Ing modern arms and up-to-date
munitions
up to the present time our whole
system of national defense has been
based upon maintaining Navy good
enough and strong enough to delay
an enemy powers landing on our
shores until we could raise, train
and equip an adequate Army-which
might take a year.
For the first time, that is no
longer sufficient defense. We have
good one-ocean Navy. But recent
! political reahgnments in Europe
and Asia have opened up the posi-
bility uet us pray it is not a prob
ability that combinations of powers
could attack us on both oceans SIM
ultaneously without interference
from the British navy.
In the last war 1T took us more
than year OF costly effort to create
an Army, and there was great waste
OF life and money because of its
meagre training and equipment.
we have still not taken far
reaching steps to organize an ade-
quate national defense against all
contingencies"
Says Plans Inadequate.
While declining to go into details,
Baruch said that preparedness plans
thus far initiated in Washington, al
though large, were inadequate" in
scale, both as to industrial moliliza-
ton and as to creation of defense
manpower. He said he had con-
f1dence that the deficiencies would
be filled as the authorities were cog
nizant Of the changing need, but that
1t should be done with all speed
possible
Mr.. Baruch outlined q course for
this Nation which he said would 70
far to keep us out of war no matter
what happened.
Our foreign trade, he said. should
be concentrated as much as possi-
BILE in Latin America.
United States producers and ex-
porters, he said, must exercise self
discipline to keep export prices to
Latin America down to level which
will make it enduring and keep
competitors out of this hemisphere :"
I'VE can destroy the barter sys-
tem." he said, "if we keep our prices
down low enough so the Latin Amer
leans will always want to do their
trading with us"
Believes in Cash Carry" Plan.
He thought We should also sell to
warning nations and their neighbors.
but only on the cash and carry"
plan in United States harbors, the
goods to be shipped in foreign bot
toms. This would remove a great
potential cause of our involvement in
war, he said. This policy would, of
course, involve United States re-
Striction of movement Of our ma
tionals.
But having laid down such policy,
he continued, we should be thor
oughly prepared to enforce them. He
explained
Our policy should be: Just backed
by might
Neutrality is going to be just
what the United States makes it.
Secretary of State Hull has an
nounced that we will stand on our
rights under international law and
I have unlimited confidence that he
will make that policy = just one.
But, realistically, those rights will
be what we make them.
/ OobAk tAAC NCl 1AalAS dllO lllC ELK
lish will hesitate to risk trouble with
us by interfering with our foreign
commerce If We are right, backed by
might
Il believe this would be a great
step in keeping us out of war"
Wants Ceiling Over Prices.
Mr.. Baruch, who has long argued
publicly against war "profiteering," !"
as result of his wartime expert
ences, said he believed that in the
event we do become involved in war
that the administration would put
a ceiling over prices"
1T matters not what method they
use to accomplish that end" he said
THE main point is that, however, it
is done, there will be no profiteering
this time if we get involved in war.
Let every business man, financier