Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-03

and protect our interest was to
throw the weight of our infiu-
ence in this direction or that"
Since that time we have told
various countries not to do GER
tain things of which we disap-
proved. We told Italy not to go
into Ethiopia. Now Italy hasn't
as many skyscrapers and radios
and hard-surfaced roads as we
have, but she disregarded our
pleas.
Administration Proud
OF Munich Conference.
We talked tie nations into
holding a conference at Munich
in 1938-as the American white
paper" says, "Mussolini's an
guished pressure, seconded by the
Presidents appeal, had ben effec-
tive" The administration was
very proud of the results of that
conference. The then Secretary
of War made a speech In which
he declared that the cool mind,
the skilled fingers of one man"
meaning Mr.. Roosevelt-had
resolved the war crisis.
Yet everyone knows how that
crisis was really resolved. Not
only was CZecho -Slovakia sacri-
feed to Hitler, but Europe was
at war within a year.
The fact is that in the eyes Of
ruthless foreign states we are
neither a strong nation nor a
great nation. Nothing we have
to say is of any consequence to
them. Because they see how in
effective we have become. Our
vast strength has not been
brought forth. 1t is still "on
order"
I propose, therefore, that we
stop talking, I propose that we
get to work. propose to set
about making this Nation, in fact,
the greatest Nation in the world.
That is the objective that I lay
before you. To reach that objec-
tive our industries and our man
power must be made effective.
They must be made effective for
domestic prosperity, and they
must be made effective for de-
Tense.
In recent weeks I have ex-
planned some of my ideas about
domestic prosperity. Tonight I
want to examine the problem of
defense.
U. S. Defense Building
Is Stupendous Job.
The defense job that lies ahead
of us Is appalling in magnitude.
We need an adequate army.
Whatever the size of this force
should be, the fact Is that
the largest force we could put
into the field today, completely
equipped, is $4,000.
The Navy that we have is a
one-ocean navy, which can only
protect both oceans If the Pan
anna Canal is kept open. Yet
the Panama Canal is impossible
to protect against the explosion
of a ship inside one of the locks.
In the light of European bal
tie experience, all but few hun
dred of our airplanes are obso-
lete.
These are unpleasant facts.
But if ever there was time to
face facts. now is the time. What
must we do to change those facts.
Let me give you just few ex-
amples. Official testimony given
to Congress this spring shows
that for an army Of 10000 men
we require the following:
We need $3.50 mortars, these
are guns that can be quickly used
to throw fire over a high place.
1t will take at least Is months to
get them, if we get going now.
We need 100 5-millimeter guns
To get them will take 10 months.
If we get going now.
We need about 2400 tanks. To
get them will take Is months, If
we get going now.
We need 1.400 anti-tank guns.
To get them will take 81 months,
II we get going now.
We need 100000 semi-auto-
matte rifles. They are the rifles
that can shoot faster and more
accurately than the rifles Of old
war days. To get them will take
81 months, If we get going now.
Anti-Aircraft Guns
Needed to Defend Cities.
We need 300 90-millimeter anti
aircraft guns. These are the guns
which shoot several miles up into
the air and they are vital to the
defense of our cities. We haven't
got a single one Of those guns.
To get them, and the direction
finders and height finders that 60
with them, will take 81 months,
If we get going now.
1v, In