Evening star., 1940-06-07
America Urged
To Face Facts
Delay in Preparedness
Held Menace to Our
National Security
To the Editor Of The Star

To the Editor Of The Star
Few Americans have any conception Of
the situation our country Is facing this
very minute. Somehow we feel that the
war Is long way off (across 5000 miles
of ocean, and that it simply cannot be
brought to our doors. The Atlantic
Ocean has always seemed an insuperable
barrier and the Pacific likewise
But what may have been true OF the
past is no longer true of the present and
future. Today Europe is in the throes of
the greatest crisis in all history Hitler,
backed by united Germany, has started
and is we'll on his way to world domina-
ton or downfall, and at present the odds
seem in favor of his domination, whether
we like to believe it or not
A few years ago he was unknown. To-
day he has the power of life or death
over perhaps 100000 900 people. Nearly
all of what appeared at first to be crazy
ideas and ambitions have come true. He
has accomplished the seemingly i'm
possible
Germany is under his thumb Austria
is under his thumb; likewise Czecho-
Slovakia Poland, Denmark, Holland, Bel
gium, Luxembourg, most of Norway and
part of France
Between him and the final realization
OF his dreams remain only France, Great
Britain and the United States. Will he
conquer France and England and if so
what about the United States?
This is no time for pessimism or op-
tlmism. We must face facts and facts
alone, anything else would be treachery
and treason. We have no right to paint
pretty pictures or false dark ones either,
nor the right to hide our heads in the
sand because we have not the courage
and sense to face the naked truth.
There can be no doubt about the dan
ger we are now facing and the apparent
hopelessness Of making our people under
stand it.
The German Army whether we like to
admit 1t or noD has so far swept prac-
tically everything before It, 1t has been
successful in almost every quarter it has
struck.
Through superior preparation. superior
organization, superior equipment, train
ing, motorization, quantity of airplanes,
and apparently heavier tanks and guns
1t has swept through Holland, Belgium
and Northern France to the coast facing
England in an incredibly short space of
time. 1t has been lightning war in the
true sense
The Allies have done as much perhaps
1neL -
not steel; blood is not iron Moreover,
Germany to date has proven practically
lmpregnable on defense. All this does
not mean that Germany is going to win,
but it does mean that apparently the odds
are on her side.
Can Germany be stopped? And if so,
how? If Germany wins, crushes France
and then England, what will she do next
in order to make sure her dominion over
the world? Where does the United States
stand in this picture? How can we de-
fend ourselves?
If Germany wins she will completely
disarm France and England She will
take over all their war equipment, am
munition factories, airplanes, airplane
AdSOo1ACS, guns, clC., dIu lcuuCC lIlUSC
countries to q state of complete i'm
potence. She will stop at nothing to in
sure the permanence of her victory.
Doubtless, she will demand the mer-
chant marine and fleets of both coun-
tries under threat of penalties that will
brook no denial. 1t is certain that Ger
many knows how to crush without mercy
fo11a foa ol
to bomb and machine gun defenseless
women and children.
With both British and French fleets
| in her possession where do we in the
| United States get off? What resistance
| can we make to an enemy both ruthless
| and equipped with sufficient air power
to enforce practically any demand she
sees fit to make, under penalty of re-
ducing to shambles any or all of our
| cities?
| What can we do to prevent her from
enforcing her will unless we are her equal
| in air power and trained airmen? What
would prevent her from landing troops
in Bermuda, Mexico or other territory in
the Western Hemisphere and there pre-
PoAC AoAAoAlS 1leAoo Aloil WlllCA W
| operate?
| And she will not wait for the United
| States to get ready. Speed is and always
| has been the secret of strategy, the very
essence of successful warfare Nine
| tenths of wisdom consists of being wise
on time said Theodore Roosevelt. Time
| is everything" said Napoleon. 1t was
| through time that he won wars.
If Italy joins Germany and Japan is
| given free hand in the East with in
structions to threaten our West Coast,
| which is probable, what will we do?
| There seems to be but one answer one
hope, to wit: that the Allies hold on long
| enough until we can build up some SEM
blance of preparedness, some measure of
| self-defense on land and in the air.
Unless we can do this, we are doomed If
Germany wins.
The trouble is that our people cannot
bring themselves to face the facts, to be-
lieve these awful facts though similar
ones are taking place before our very
| eyes
American must wake up now, imme-
diately, if we are to save our liberties,
our lives, our all. We have not day,
| an houror minute to lose.
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
| Prepare, or pay the penalty.
June 3. DONATION JOHNS.