Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-01-25
Admiral Says Paper
Ships Can't Fight
CONTINUED From Page One)


agree with Senator Walsh. He points
out that paper ships" can't fight,
no matter how numer0usly and pow
erfully they're "authorized." What
he wants is the real article.
Biggest Navy Ever.
In fact, the admiral goes rather
farther than the senator does. Naval
officers generally do 60 the limit on
the subject of Uncle Sans sea-fight-
ing strength. The senator stops with
plea for appropriations equal 10
our authorizations" The admiral
says we need lot more "authoriza-
TONS" with appropriations" TO so
with them.
In short, Admiral StarkS thesis is
that our navy ought to be physically
mot merely "On paper') big and for
midable enough to lick any imagn-
able combination of navies against
us He doesn't want it for offensive
purposes. The stronger it is, the less
likely is such Il combination to tackle
us.
That is to say, military strength
is insurance against war; not bid
for participation in hoStilles.
The questions argued both ways.
Right after the 19l4-l9 war there
was vigorous international CAM
paign to get all first-class powers to
cut down on their ornaments. 1t was
in Congressman Fred Britten's day
as chairman of the representatives
naval affairs committee.
Rritten was pretty hard boiled but
he was an ardent armament limita-
zionist. His reasoning was that the
only way to prevent country from
employing its naval might was 10
keep it from having enough Of ii to
be worth employing. Britten didn't
contend the. any one country, alone,
could afford to adopt such 4 policy
His notion was that they should do
it by what diplomats call multi
LATERAL compact.
The 1858" Treaty.
Well, such a dicker was framed
up. Uncle Sam promised to hold
down TO Il naval ratio Of five versus
Britain's five. Japan undertook TO
hold down to basis Of three 10 every
five units of United States or Bri-
lSn strength. France and Italy in the
same ratio limited themselves TO one
and one-half each. 1t was known as
the 1858 | l-2 l 10" treaty, Ger
many didn't count, having been so
recently beaten.
The thing never worked from the
beginning. Britain began by Judging
surreptitiou$ly on Uncle Sans al
loWance. Japan Judged much more
openly. Germany started building
pocket battleshipS. France and Italy
never paid much attention to the
bargain, either.
The arrangement simply evaporat-
ed. Today last years SHOWS haven't
got anything on ii,
Then Congressman George Hud-
dleSton Of Alabama observed al the
time that he didn't believe the frame
up would amount to anything I'M
less the various signatoricS honestly
meant it. It's a5undantIy evident that
they didn't. Congressman Brittcn's
plan to hamString hoSiilitics in ad-
vance fiZZled also.
Admira! Stark suggests tho ol,.-.,o
Of d four-power alliance against the
United Statcs-Germany, Russia, ia
pan and Italy.
Suppose, he says, that Britain and
France lose? He doesn't seem to con-
slider this an impoSSbility. Then, nc
suggests, the Eura@ian quartet will be
liable to gang up on US, and we'll
have two oceans 10 fight on. On our
present basis. he surmiseS that orc
ocean will be enough to keep cur
navy adequately occupied, leaving
the other one neglected.
He proposes tWO-Occan Amcri-
can Maryland not Z paper" navy,
either.
It's rather melancholy, consider
ing the international peace talk of
about Is years ago.