Evening star., 1940-09-29
Roosevelt Dedicates
Airport Amid Roar
Of Fighting Planes
Nations Determination
To Build Up Defenses
Stressed by President
pictures on Page BIZ
BY JOHN c. HENRY.

previeW OF power In the Sllver-blue
skies over Washington's new Ma
tional Airport yesterday afternoon,
while its Commander-in-Chief in
formed an impressed audience
spotted with foreign diplomats that
hundred of warplanes roaring above
their heads constituted merely "a
gratifying fleXing of the kind of
fighting muscle democracy can pro-
duce and is producing"
I'm these serious days" President
Roosevelt told several thousand per-
sons gathered to witness cornerstone
ceremonies for the terminal building
of the great airfield, the roar
above us of American airplane en-
gines in hundreds of American
planes Is symbolic of our determina-
ton to build up defense on sea,
on land and in the air capable of
overcoming any attack against us.
"They represent in a small way"
he added in deliberate tones, the
power we ultimately must have
and will soon have"
Military Display Surprise.
That there was carefully planted
significance in the Chief Executives
words could hardly be doubted. For
weeks past, plans for yesterdays air
port ceremonies had been discussed
freely without specific mention Of
any military display. Seemingly
there was nothing involved beyond
ordinary diplomatic amenities when
invitations were issued to foreign
representative here.
But when Mr.. Roosevelt stood at
the improvised control station of
the field and signified his readiness,
1t was no ordinary demonstration of
civil aviation that resulted. Roar
ing out of every corner of the skies
at carefully pre-plotted attitudes,
glistening bombers and fighters for
80 minutes whip-sawed their way
back and forth across the riverside
terminal.
They are here upon a peaceful
mission" the President told his
listeners. I'VE all hope that their
missions will always be in the ways
of peace. We shall strive with all of
our energies and skills to see to it
that they are never called upon
for missions of war. But the more
Of them we have the less likely we are
to have to use them-the less likely
are we to be attacked"
National Defense Emphasized.
Emphasizing throughout his
brief address this theme of national
defense, and the Importance of the
airplane to this end, the Chief
Executive spoke proudly CT the fact
that $4,000 young Americans today
are licensed flyers, with the num-
ber increasing by nearly 1000
monthly. At the same time, he add
ed, air travel and general accept
ance of this expanding facility of
transportation and defense are be-
ing doubled and tripled.
That is why an airport like this
Is important to the national de-
fense,' Mr.. Roosevelt went on.
That is why this airport, soon to
be one of the worlds greatest IA
cilities, surely its most convenient
and probably its most beautiful,
should be brought with all possible
emphasis to the attention of our
people during this awakening of
America to the needs of national
defense. This airport and many
others which we hope will follow
will draw free men freely to use
q peacetime implement of COM
merce which, we hope, will never be
converted to Fwar time service.
Our newspapers and the radio
tell us day after day how in
creasingly important aircraft has
become both as a weapon in the
hands of aggressors and to those
who fight or who may be compelled
to fight for their continued ma
tional existence These reports
easily explain" he concluded, why
these squadrons of the Army and
Navy air forces, the thunder of
which still rings in our ears, we're a
prelude to the ceremonies here this
afternoon"
On Cruise in Chesapeake.
Following brief interlude at the
White House after his address, Mr.
Roosevelt boarded the presidential
yacht Potomac last night for week
end cruise down the river and up
Chesapeake Bay, to end tomorrow
at Aberdeen, Md, where he will be-
gin a days inspection of nearby
defense facilities.
Accompanying him on the cruise
were Assistant Secretary of War
and Mrs. Robert P. Patterson, the
Librarian of Congress and Mrs.
Archibald MacLeish and Miss Mar
guerite Leland. personal secretary
to the President.
the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, the
Chemical Warfare School at Edge
wood Arsenal, the Glenn Martin
aviation plant in Baltimore and
Fort George G. Meade, now being
outfitted as a training site for the
District of Columbia and Maryland
National Guard units and a majority
of the conScripteeS from this area.
Earlier yesterday the President
had issued instructions to heads of
the War and Navy Departments re-
garding possible conscription of in
dustry under the defense program.
Directing them to work closely with
the Defense Commission in any
cases where private industrial CO.
operation seems lacking, the Chief
Executive instructed further that
absence of unanimous agreement
between the commission and the
department involved should result
In presentation of the issue directly
to the President.