Evening star., 1940-05-29
Republicans 10 Blame
For Army Weakness,
Col. Johnson Says
War Department Aide
Urges Cooperation
In Reply to Hoover

Assistant Secretary of War john
son, attributing criticism by former
President Hoover to political con-
siderations. last night blamed Re-
publican disarmament and econo-
mizing policies from 1922 to 1888 for
the decline in this countrys nation
al defense strength. He urged ma
tional cooperation in defense pro-
gram.
1--WE are facing today a definite
challenge to our security" he said.
National defense is at the cross
roads. It is heading in the right di-
rection. The road is long and the
going may be rough. We must travel
1t at the maximum speed compatible
with safety and efficiency, and we
must see to it that it remains true to
the course of adequate preparedness.
I'VE must assure ourselves that at
the end we will find an America
ready to meet any military crisis; an
America so well prepared on land,
on sea and in the air that no
prudent enemy will be tempted to
attack us and that no reckless foe
Will be IN position to defeat us.
Work Cut Out for Us.
sour work is cut out for us. We
must mobilize our thoughts and our
energies behind the Presidents ma
tional defense program. 1t is nom
partisan in it's nature and has the
overwhelming support of the polit-
ical leaders and the rank and file
of both parties. 1t is practical and
capable of achievement"
Col. johnson pictured this state
Of our military defenses under post
war Republican administrations:
From 1922 to 1888 many of our
citizens naively believed that if only
we would disarm, the rest of the
world would follS~. They honestly
thought that if only we gave up our
Army and Navy, international peace
would prove inevitable.
We'll, the United States did dis
arm. Our Army was skeletonized
Our Navy was reduced to a level
within the reason of other nations
The rest of the world, however,
merely gave lip service to our i'm
practicable idealism and continued
to build up their armed forces. In
the terms of the solemn treaty that
they had signed they found loop
holes which enabled them to defeat
Its clearly defined purposes"
American Industry Praised.
President Roosevelt, Col. johnson
said, revitalized the Army, the Navy
and the Marine Corps. He began
the modernization of the Armys
equipment. He imbued the Army
with confidence by assigning to it
the task of assembling transport
ing, organizing and equipping the
young men of the Civilian Conser-
vation Corps, hundreds of thousands
In number, and what a job it did"
The Assistant Secretary spoke over
a Nationwide radio hookup of the
National Broadcasting Co. in re-
buttal to speech by Mr.. Hoover
Monday night replying to the Pres
ident's "fireside" talk of Sunday
night. Mr.. Hoover called for, among
other things, the appointment of 9
single expert in charge of national
defense policies instead of the board
suggested and now appointed by
Mr.. Roosevelt.
Col. johnson praised American
industry for its cooperation with
the Government in speeding the ma
tional defense program, and re-
gretted the Indifference of the
United States to its defense needs
as envisioned by Col. johnson and
others after the Munich settlement
of 1898. Without that indifference,
he said, the defense program would
be much further advanced than it
Is now.
Sc Pct. for MOdernization.
At the same time Secretary Of War
Woodring issued a statement show
ing that only Sc per cent of War
Department military funds for the
past 16 years has been available for
modernization, augmentation and
replacement for the ground forces.
The statement was inspired by the
question generally raised as to why
the Army has not acquired more
''blitzkrieg' weapons.
During the Is years from 1925 to
1910 appropriations for the Army's
military activities came to $685.
100000. Of this sum 86.1 per cent,
$5,3l4,744,0O0, went to recurring
charges and improvement of plant,
and $5O9,9O0000 to the Air Corps.
This, Secretary Woodring said, left
S344,656,00O for modernization of the
ground corps.
"In view of these facts,"' Mr..
Woodring said, ''it is rather remark
able to me that we have been able
to maintain any mobile ground army
at all, especially when it is consid-
cred that the useful life of much
military equipment, such as tanks
and heavy motor vehicles, barely