Evening star., 1939-10-08
American industrial
Defense Held Weak
By O1Den L. Scott.

The President still is faced with an
uphill nght In his attempt to compose
his differences with industry and finance
In the interest of national unity.
About the most amazing phenomenon
noted in Washington today is the depth
of sentiment among business men that
Mr. Roosevelt is maneuvering to in
volve the United States in Europe's war
as a means Of imposing a permanent
New Deal This sentiment has been fed
by a so-called "conidential" report sup
posed to give business men the lowdovn
on the higher-ups in the Nations Capt.
tai.
Real dangers that are recognized by
the highest officials grow from this situa-
ton.
There are signs that President Roose-
velt realizes both the extent Of the senti-
ment among business men and the dan
gers that that sentiment can involve.
For one thing, the President, in his
conferences with newspaper men, is
stressing over and over again that he
expects this conntry to stay out of any
continued war abroad. For another
thing. in order not to stir comment the
President has avoided asking this special
session of Congress to vote additional
funds for national defense. Likewise, as
a gesture designed to soft-pedal war
talks, Mr.. Roosevelt Is disbanding the
War Resources Board.
The situation really is such that Presi-
dent Roosevelt cannot impress the Ma
tion with the dangers in the American
position that are revealed by develop
ments in Europe without feeding the sem
timent that he is trying to drag America
itself into war. Internal disunity of this
kind can be danger.
The first lesson to be learned from
events In Europe, as policy guiding off,
cials here see 1t, Is the degree of indus
trial preparedness and of an organization
that modern war requires.
nation like Germany, even in peace
time, had her entire economy geared to
war. with every man and woman at an
assigned task and with every industry
fitted into the pattern of war machine.
Striking power of that sort OF organiza-
tion was revealed by the destruction in
16 days of a Polish nation that had
three quarters of the land area of
France and four -fifths of the popula-
ton.
Mere threat of the use of that power
caused Great Britain and France to give
way at Munich. Feverish preparation
before and after that event-with the
British trying to adapt totalitarian
methods to their economy-hnds that
even today Britain still is disorganized
internally.
In the light of this modern lesson in
war. oflicials here are rather appalled,
at the state Of American industrial de-
fense.
A point is made that the United States
does not need to be, or intend to be, or
desire to be dragged into any war in
order to feel impelled to give thought to
its state of preparedness in world as
dangerous as that now existing. Britain
did not want to go to war: did not in
tend to go to war; did everything
to the extent of giving away other coun-
tries-to keep from going to war Yet
finally there was no alternative but to
fight or to face defeat without fighting.
If anything now is clear, that thing is
that the United States today would take
lot of pushing and pulling before it
ventured into war abroad
At the same time, nothing is more
clear than that the United States-if
by any chance its people should be pro-
voked and forced into war-would be
caught in woeful state of disorganiza-
ton.
suspicious both Of the Government and
of employers. Industry and finance are
suspicious of the Government and in
clined to be non-co-operative except on
their own terms. Agriculture remembers
the last war and suspects that any plans
to bring organization into this economy
will probably be at the expense of the
farmers. Congress wants to please
everybody and can't make up its mind
on the way to please anybody.
Argument over the War Resources
Board and its recent difficulties affords
glarine example Of Americas internal
disunity.
OF vital Importance to any step toward
real preparedness is an appraisal of the
Nations productive resources and a CO.
ordination of those resources in some
tentative blueprint for 4 streamlined
organization. Every other major nation
in the world not only has such q blue
print. but now is actually building on its
blueprint.
But, when the United States started to
make preliminary appraisal of capacity
Of some key industries, the trouble
started.
With remarkable ineptitude, the War
Department picked group of big
,AD I'D, e%~fo 1f.k. - -.