Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-07-10

To the Congress of the United States
AS President of the United State,
and as commander in chief of it.
armed forces, I come again to tn,
representatives of the people in Con.
gress assembled, to lay before then
an extraordinary estimate of fund.
and authorizations required for thu
national defense.
In my opinion, it is necessary nov
| that the people of this Nation anc
their representatives in Congress
look at the problem of the nationa
defense with utterly dispassionate
realism. Never have we as a Nation
attempted to define the word "de.
tense" in terms of a specific attack
at certain place at certain time
or with specified land and sea forces
In the long sweep of the century
and a half since our defenses have
been concentrated and unified un.
der the Constitution, it has been g
prime obligation of the President
and Commander in Chief promptly
to advise the Congress with respect
to any world circumstances calline
for either increased or diminished
defense needs.
From time to time during the last
seven years, I have not failed to ad-
wise the people and their representa-.
tives of grave dangers threatening
the United States and its people, anc
| the institutions of democracy every.
where. From time to time I have
awaited myself of opportunities tt
reassert and to implement the right
of all the nations of the American
Hemisphere to freedom from attack
or control by any non-Americar
power.
Warned of Need to Put
Our Own House in Order.
A year and a half ago, on Jan
uary 4, 1899, in my address Il
the Congress. I referred to the fac
that I had felt it necessary on pre-.
viouS occasions to warn of disturb
anceS abroad and the need of put.
ting our own house in order in tn,
face Of storm signals from across
the seas. On that day I said that s
war which threatened to envelop tn,
world in flames had been averted
but that it had become increas.
lngly clear that peace was not as.
sured. I said then that all about
us ragged undeclared wars, militar,
and economic. I said then thai
all about us were threats of new
aggression, military and economic
said then that the storms from
abroad directly challenged three
institutions indispensable to Amer.
lcans-religion, democracy and in.
ternational good faith.
Unhappily, many Americans be.
lieved that those who thought they
foresaw the danger of a great war
were mistaken. Unhappily, those
OF us who did foresee that danger
were right.
A week later, on January IL, 1899
l submitted program considered
by me as Commander in Chief OF
the Army and Navy and by my ad-
vlsers to be minimum program
for the necessities of defense, say
ing that every American was aware
OF the peaceful intentions of this
Government and of this people, and
that every American knew that we
have no thought of aggression anc
no desire for further territory. The
Congress granted that request fol
the minimum program then deemed
necessary.
Sees Success In Efforts ~
To Keep Out of War.
At the beginning of Septembe,
the storm broke, and on the 2lst
of that month, in message to the
extraordinary session of the Con.
gress, I said that this Government
must lose no time or effort to keer
this Nation from being drawn into
the war. and asserted my belief
that we would succeed in these
efforts. We have succeeded. I be-
lieve we shall continue to succeed
In September last I increased the
strength of the Army, Navy, Coast
Guard and the Federal Bureau O.
Investigation within statutory au.
thorizatlons made by the Congress
In January, 1910, I submitted 9
budget to the Congress which in.
cluded provision for that expan.
sion of personnel, as well as esti.
mates for the national defense
amounting to approximately two bill
lion dollars for the fiscal year 1s41.
On May 16, in a message to the
Congress, I pointed out that the
swift and shocking developments
of that time forced every neutra,
nation to look to its defenses ir
the light of new factors loosed BY
the brutal force of modern offensive
war. I called attention to the
treacherous use of the fifth COL
umn," by which persons supposed
to be peaceful visitors were &C.
tually part of an enemy unit OF
occupation and called especial at
tention to the necessity for the pro-
lection of the whole American Hem.
isphere from control, invasion OF
domination. I asked at that time for
a sum totaling $1,182,000,000 fol-
the national defense.
On May 81, 1910, I again sent 8
message to the Congress to say
that the almost incredible events
of the then past two weeks in the
European conflict had necessitatec
another enlargement of our mill
tary program, and at that time
asked for $1,277,741,l70 for the &C.
celeration and development of oul
military and naval needs as meas.
ured in both machines and men.
Again today, in less than two
months time, the changes in the
world situation are so great and
so profound that I must come once
again to the Congress to advise
concerning new threats, new needs
and the imperative necessity Of
meeting them. Free men and free
women in the United States look
to us to defend their freedom
against all enemies, foreign and do.
nestle. Those enemies of freedom