Evening star., 1939-10-01
BY BLAIR MOODY

BY BLAIR MOODY
At this crucial turning point of
history, this nations most vital need
is that its people not be seduced into
remaining weak by sense of certain
security which may not exist.
That is the belief of the men who
are charged with the responsibility
Of defending its interests and inde-
pendence. Their belief is also that
we can be perfectly safe-can re-
pulse any combination of foes-if
only we wake up in time and pre-
pare.
1t would be bold prophet who
would venture to forecast what may
exist in the world five years ahead.
Its future course Is now being
charted. The map of its dominant
empires may be recharted.
Europe's democracies, England
and France, have apparently decided
that individual freedom cannot ex-
1st much longer side by side with
expanding, avaricious dictatorship.
If they thought it could, the war
doubtless would be stopped.
Victory Possibilities.
The democracies will be content
with nothing less than crushing the
power of the masters of the inter-
national triple-croSs. But the
democracies may be defeated. VIM
ming the first round does not mean
the Nazis will win the war, but
neither does the blockade in the
North Sea necessarily mean, this
time, that Germany will eventually
lose the war. Not while the re-
sources of the sly Stain lie just to
her east.
1t is scarcely probable that the end
OF all this will find Hitler and Stain
still tied together. In any league,
there is never room for two caesars.
Much more likely it is that one will
at last plunder the other.
But when will that happen? Will
1t occur before the power of Stains
most mortal enemies, the London
f1nanciers who dominate the Brit
ish government, is wiped out? Will
the final break between the two die
tators come before they first have
joined, perhaps with Japan added,
to raid the riches of the western
hemisphere and erase from the
world all semblance of popular free
dom?
Double, Double Crossing.
At the moment no one can tell
In Eastern Europe whether Stain
is double-crossing Hitler, or vice
versa, or both. But it has taken
no longer than three weeks of war
to demonstrate that each of these
giants of military might, under any
circumstances, will act completely
without conscience, entirely as his
own and his nations selfish inter-
ests dictate.
If it serves those interests to pool
strength and push democracy out of
Europe, they are likely to try it.
And If 1t serves them then to come
at the United States from both di-
rections, or more likely open insid-
ious filtrations into South America,
which soon would spread north and
engulf us, why shouldn't they do
that, too, before splitting up to
haggle over the spoils?
We are in excellent position, but
not, as many seem to believe, i'm
pregnable. And If we sit back and
assume that someone else is going
to stamp out what is not now but
may soon be threat to our own
security, we are gambling with high
stakes.
The cost Of insurance against this
risk would not be high. 1t makes a
nice substantial figure, roughly So
O00,000,00O, but when you place it
beside the cost of the last war, or
what another one in which we were
standing the gang" would set us
back, or even beside the deficits we
have piled up in an effort to end
the domestic depression, it seems to
our defense experts mighty small.
What Three Billion Would Buy.
The professional military and
naval experts, who within a few
weeks will be telling Congress what
We need, know that wars are won
and lost, nations built and broken,
by having the right force at the
right place in time. They know that
for II years, from 1922 on, we had
what amounted to a naval Ship
building holiday in this country
while England and Japan kept their
yards jammed. They know that our
land defenses were cut down in the
same period almost to a corporals
guard.
The Army chiefs know that in
1887 Japan spent so per cent of its
national budget on war prepara-
tions, Great Britain nearly $22 for
every man, woman and child in the
country, compared to our Sc. They
don't know what Germany spent
but know it was plenty.
This S3,OO0,OO0,OOO appropriation,
new being urged on President Roose-
welt, would provide $4,000 900, 900 for
q two-ocean navy and $1,000 000, 900
for fully mechanized army of safe
proportions. The decision whether
this will be spent is not in the hands
of military men, but of politicians,
who are moved by the people. The
military men are praying that the
people will push the politicians in
the right direction.
Need of Intense Realism.
military planning" says Brig
Gen. George v. Strong, chief of the
Army war plans division, "is one Of
the most serious responsibilities that
can confront people or group oi
men. The plans deal with the Ma
tion's future, with hundreds Of thou
sands of lives, and untold wealth
ITO be sure of adequate means ir
event Of an emergency, our policy
should be the maintenance of 9
high-seas fleet of such strength anc
quality as to be superior in eithel
the Atlantic or Pacific to the high
seas fleet or any potential enemy
and the maintenance of a highly
trained, adequately-equipped, we'll.
seasoned regular Army to garrison