Evening star., 1940-07-24
Defense Held Poor
Campaign Issue
Believes Roosevelt Will
Suffer by Comparison
With WilIkie
10 the Editor Of The star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
It Is apparent from the Presidents &C.
ceptance speech that an adequate ma
tional defense Is going to be . vital
issue in the coming campaign. Mr..
Roosevelt is on very dangerous ground.
Arming the Nation is task for in
dustry, certainly not one for politicians.
Even the Presidents most ardent sup
porters cannot classify him as business
man, in the productive sense Of the
word. More important. the businessman.
branded by Mr.. Roosevelt continually
for eight years as an economic royal
ist." is not likely to turn the other cheek
and get slapped for his efforts on behalf
Of the Nation with stif1 excess profits
tax which Mr.. Roosevelt has already
asked Congress to prepare.
When the President suddenly realized
the need for a>vigorous defense program,
was one who sat in the galleries and
listened to his message to Congress. It
was the crying of child who is lost,
and being afraid, devoid Of reasoning.
There was no plan, Just words. II the
sales manager Of q corporation had gone
before his board Of directors to present
a program and was so utterly uninformed
as Mr.. Roosevelt's dramatic utterings
indicated him to be concerning the re-
quirements Of an adequate defense, he
would have been fred Immediately.
A competent sales manager facing q
similar crisis might have reasoned
thusly: What are we going to defend,
the Western Hemisphere, our own shores,
ETC.? How many men, including reserves
and replacements, will this require? How
can we obtain these men2 What equip
ment will these men require in the way
of planes. battleships, tanks, ETC.? What
facilities does the Nation already possess
for the production Of these supplies?
What additional production facilities will
be required and what cooperation will
be required of the Federal Government?
How much will this cost the public?
How will the public be required to pay
for 1t?
Having arrived at the answers to these
and similar vital questions through con-
ference with authorities on each subject
concerned, he would have gone before
his board Of directors and presented a
concrete. logical plan of preparedness.
He would have asked approval, criticisms
and suggestions. Out Of such a meeting
would have come preparedness pro-
gram worthy Of the name. Undoubtedly
Mr.. Wlllkie would go about this problem
in a similar manner because of his broad
business experience.
Since his original defense speech Mr..
Roosevelt has admitted to the Nation
his utter lack Of knowledge of the sub
ject by returning to Congress with three
additional requests for appropriations
totaling IA billion dollars instead of the
one and one-half billion he originally
asked for to cover items he wholly over
looked IN his hasty proposal. What con-
f1dence would you place in production
manager who announced the cost Of his
product was ten times his original
estimate?
In addition to this patchwork reason
ing at very serious time. the President
has acknowledged his inability to inspire
confidence on the part Of business by
appointing the ablest Of the economic
royalists" he has so cruelty criticized,
namely, Mr.. Knudsen and Mr.. Stettinius,
to get the Job done. So II I were Mr.
Roosevelt I would let the preparedness
issue well enough alone, for If he at
tempts to match wits with so shrewd q
business genius as Mr.. Willkie. then his
glaring haphazard planning can produce
the loser. DISGUSTED.
July a..