Evening star., 1940-08-05
Text Of Pershing Address
World War Leader Urges U. S. Aid Britain
By Turning Over Old Destroyers
~ the Associated Press,

INC teII o. tCH. JOnn j.
Pershino's radio address last
night. "The Security OF the
Americas" tollotDs::
I am speaking tonight because I
consider 1t my duty. It is my duty
to tell you that, in my opinion, we
face problems Of the utmost serious
ness, that all the things we hold
most dear are gravely threatened.
must tell you that we can defend
them only If We make up our minds
now to speak the truth without con-
cealment; II we make up our minds
to face the truth without fiinching;
II We make up our minds to act upon
the truth without hesitating. I
think you will believe me when
I say that no war was ever pre-
vented by hiding the danger and by
arguing that the danger does not
exist.
The men who are best qualified
to know what is going on in Eu-
rope and In Asia and in this hemis-
phere, the men whose business it is
to know the facts, are very nearly
unanimous in believing what am
saying to you tonight-that grave
danger for us turks in the present
world situation. So the time has
come when we must rise up as q
united people to make secure our
country's independence and our
great inheritance Of constitutional
liberty.
Appeasers Are Cited.
More than half the world is
ruled by men who despise the
American idea and have sworn to
destroy it. They know that while
one great people remains independ-
ent and free because it is strong and
Is brave. they can never crush
finally the people they have con-
quered. The example Of liberty here
will always continue to inspire the
resistance to tyranny over there.
They are fanatical and they are
strong. They are efficient and they
are ruthless. Eight nations have
tried to appease them. The ap-
peasers of eight nations are dead
or In Jail or discredited and ruined.
In seven Of these eight nations the
appeasers who would not take the
danger seriously, who would not
prepare when there was still time,
have led their countries to disaster.
It is not hysterical to insist that
democracy and liberty are threat
ened. With democracy and liberty
overthrown on the continent of Eu-
rope, only the British are left to
defend democracy and liberty in
Europe.
BY sending help to the British,
we can still hope with confidence
to keep the war on the other side
Of the Atlantic Ocean, where the
enemies Of liberty, If possible, should
be defeated. But some are bold about
what they would do tomorrow, il
Great Britain Is defeated and the
war comes to this hemisphere. I
say to you solemnly that tomorrow
may be forever too late to keep war
from the Americas. Today may be
the last time when by measures
short of war we can still prevent war.
Urges Strong Force.
We must be ready to meet force
with q stronger force. We must
make ourselves strong by building
up our Army and Navy and the es-
tablishment of the principle Of uni
versal selected service, which means
merely that the men needed are
chosen by lot
And I am telling you tonight, be-
cause it is my duty to warn you
before it is too late, that the British
Navy needs destroyers and small
craft to convoy merchant ships, to
escort its warshirS, to hunt SUBJ
marines and to repel invasion. We
have an immense reserve Of de-
stroyers left over from the other
war, and in q few months the British
will be completing . large number
OF destroye7s of their own. The most
critical time, therefore, Is the next
few weeks and months. II there is
anything We can do to help save
the British fleet during that time,
We shall be failing in our duty to
America If we do not do 1t.
II . proper method can be found,