Evening star., 1940-09-26
Aiming for Defense

mayors ldSU week, WllIld1l .. hlluu-
sen recalled that in starting the pro-
ductiOn work of the Commission OF
National Defense the first question
Of policy was to decide whether we
were arming for war or for defense"
The European democracies, gone
now save England, were also faced
with this same decision. They hated
the thought of war and could not
bring themselves to believe that war
was possible. And when they finally
began preparing for war, they plan
ned-not for war-but for defense"
There was the Maginot Line, the
Channel and the British fleet, just
as there are for us, today, the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans.
The decision of the National De-
fenSe Commission was to prepare for
defense" The decision was based
on much the same considerations
that must have determined the
decisions of France and Britain. In
the words of Mr. KnudSen: 4 call
this (the decision) a most important
point in our work, as war regulations
are entirely different from peace
regulations We had large manu-
featuring facilities not fully en-
ployed and we had a surplus of help
in the large number Of unemployed.
's' Consequently it seemed advis-
able not to attempt to place industry
on a war basis if speed could be OBJ
tanned without doing so. We decided
to superimpose the defense load on
the regular business load Of the
country in order first to take up the
slack and then adjust it if neces-
sary."
There may have been sound rea-
sons supporting this decision early in
June. But it was decision obviously
Influenced by the pious wish to have
our cake and eat it, too. 1t was the
decision that France made and Eng
land made. The same wish to have
our cake and eat it, too; to prepare
for "defense" instead of for war, has
colored the remarks of the President
and other Government spokesmen.
We have relied on our ability to ap-
propriate huge sums Of money and
on our reputation for miracles in
production and are proceeding, with
high hope, to arm this country to the
teeth-"for defense"-without rock
ing the boat Of normal industrial
manufacture and business.
It cannot be done, and the sooner
we take up the slack and then ad-
Just it" by going on war basis for
industrial production. the better it
will be- For it should be obvious to
the most devout isolationist by now
and to the most passionate Of dema-
gogues that our safety, our future
and everything we cherish depend
first, upon Britain's ability to hold
on, with every assistance we can
furnish, and our own ability, if Brit
ain fails, to meet and crush the
menace that becomes greater every
day. And meet and crush it without
waiting to test the protective eff
cheney of the oceans.
England today is not fighting for
peace or victory-but for her very ex-
istence In a manner Of speaking,
all that stands between England and
her destruction today-and perhaps
our own tomorrow-are the gallant
young men of the Royal Air Force.
Yet. in the minds of many members
of Congress, the most important
question today is whether an ad-
tournment can be reached before
election. We are still talking about
the thousands of planes we can be
producing-in 1942 Our plane
manufacturers are not working at
full capacity even with existing facili-
ties. We are basing our production
policies and plans on SuperimpoSing
the defense load on the regular
business load of the country" instead
Of putting it the other way around.
We are allocating only forty per cent,
instead of fifty, sixty or even seventy
per cent, of our potential plane pro-
duction to the British. And we still
talk of extending other aid to Eng
land-for cash on the barrel head
as II it were an unselfish act of SYM
pathetic generosity instead of the
elementary part of our own self-de-
fense which in reality it is.
Mr.. Knudsen and his associates on
the Defense Commission are doing an
excellent, patriotic job in spite of the
enormous difficulties that beset them
on every side. But the country as
whole is not aware, for the country is
being carefully protected from the
realities of the tremendous gamble
that we are taking in arning for de
fense" only instead of arming for war
with everything that may be i'm
piled by arming for war as against
arming for defense" There is we'll
intentioned, perhaps, but entirely
misplaced emphasis on the fine
progress that has been made to date.
The emphasis should, long ago, have
been placed on the inexcusable de-