Evening star., 1940-12-02
Member of the Associated Press.
Our Growing Navy

Inere was UlIle nOJ SO lUIlS dSO
when a declaration by the Secre-
tary of the Navy that the United
States fleet was second to none"
would have created general feeling
of complete security in the Nation.
Such an announcement is found in
the annual report of the Secretary
of the Navy, but the natural salts
faction to be derived from this
knowledge is modified, on second
thought, by the realization that
America, in an era of totalitarian
violence, needs more than Navy
that is the match of any other single
fleet. Americas potential enemies
have combined against democracies
which stood in their paths of con-
quest. The axis combination Of ruth
less powers in restraint of free trade
and Of justice and of personal liberty
becomes, with each passing day, a
growing menace to the Western
Hemisphere.
1t is because of this perilouS inter
national situation that Secretary OF
the Navy Knox coupled with his re-
port of naval strength a warning
that today's second to none" Navy,
while adequate to meet the thrust OF
a single power in one ocean, is not
strong enough to protect America
from simultaneous attacks by a
combination of powers operating in
both oceans. Anything less than the
two-ocean Navy toward which the
United States belatedly is directing
feverish efforts is, he said, hazard
Gus to the security of the Nation and
must be considered as being unac-
ceptable-as long as it is within our
power to produce and man the forces
necessary to meet these require
ments." Admiral Stark, chief of
naval operations, had the same
thought in mind when he urged in
his annual report that we develop
bases in our overseas possessions
wherever needed, "since force is now
the only safe insurance of national
survival"
The present goal is, and under
existing world conditions must con-
tinue to be, Navy that is second to
no possible combination of enemies.
Such a Navy is ION order" When
completed several years hence, it
will consist of thirty-two battleShipS,
eighteen aircraft carriers, ninety
one cruisers, three hundred and
twenty-five destroyers and one hun
dred and eighty-five submarines.
That Navy will permit of a division
of the fleet into two major units, one
TO protect US in the Pacific and the
other to guard the Atlantic coast
line. Until that day of maximum
security arrives, however, America
must make the most of its one-ocesn
fleet, hoping, the while, that fate
and Great Britain-will give us time
to complete our preparations for
total defense.
LII way, Jul 1dVS dilet Ia ASoAAA .
may be said to be inextricably
bound, one to the other, although 1t
does not necessarily follow that II
Britain goes down, America in
evitably must go down with her. 1t
is obvious, however, that Britain's
victory would be our victory-would
dissipate the threat that is causing
us to spend staggering amounts OF
money on naval and land armaments.
Britain's fleet today is our protection
in the Atlantic. AS long as the Royal
Navy continues to patrol the waters
to the east, our Navy is free to con-
centrate on the perils to the west of
us. There is a happy balance of
sea power here that it is to our ad-
vantage to maintain as long as pos
sible. We must maintain tiff for
no other than purely selfish reasons
involving our own security-by
speeding to Britain every item of war
material which we can give her.
And in considering this question of
aid to Britain, we must never forget
that Britain'S survival is America S
best insurance against dangers that
loom on every horizon.