The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-30
be the object of attack in another
wal later on.
Risk In ANY Course

Risk In Any Course
If we r to be completely honest
with ourselves, We must admit there
is risk in any course we may take.
But I deeply believe that the great
majority of our people agree that
the course that I advocate involves
the least risk now and the greatest
hope for world peace in the future.
The people of Europe who are de-
Tending themselves do not ask us
to do their fighting. They ask us
for the implements of a the
planes, the tanks, the guns, the
freighters which will enable them to
fight for their liberty and our Sc.
curity. Emphatically we must get
these weapons to them in sufficient
volume and quickly enough, so we
and Duh children will be saved the
agony and suffering of war which
others have had to endure.
Let not defeatists tell us that it
is too late. It will never be earlier.
Tomorrow will be later than today.
Certain facts are self-evident.
In a military sense Great Britain
and the British empire are today the.
spearhead of resistance to world con
quest. They r putting up a fight
which will live forever in the story
Of human gallantry.
No A. E. F.
There is no demand for sending
an American Expeditionary Force
outside our own borders. There is
no intention by any member of your
government to send such a force.
You can, therefore, nail any talk
about sending armies to Europe as
deliberate untruth. ~
Our national policy is not direct
ed toward war. Its sole purpose
is. to keep war away from our
country and Jul people. =.
Democracy's fight against world
conquest is being greatly aided.
and must be more greatly. aided,
by the rearmament of the United
States and by sending every ounce
and every ton of munitions and
supplies that we can possibly
spare to help the defenders who
are in the front lines. 1t is no more
unneutral for us to do that than
it is for Sweden, Russia and other
nations near Germany, to send
steel and ore and oil and other
war materials into Germany every
day.
We are planning our own de-
tense with the utmost urgency;
and in its vast scale we must in
tegrate the war needs of Britain
and the other free nations resist
ing aggression.
This is not a matter of senti:
ment Or of controversial personal
opinion. It is a matter of realistic
military policy, based on the ad-
vice of our military experts. who
are in close touch. with existing
warfare. These military and naval
experts and the members of the
congress and the administration
have a single-minded purpose
the defense of the United States.
Great Effort =.
This nation. is making a great
effort to produce everything that
is necessary in this emergency
and with all possible speed. This
great effort requires great sacri-
flee.
I would ask no one to defend a
democracy which in turn would
not defend everyone in the nation
against want and p%rivation. The
strength of this nation. shall not
be diluted by the failure of the
government to protect the eco
nomic well-being of all citizens.
If our capacity to produce is
limited by machines, it must ever
be remembered that these ma
chimes are operated by the skill
and the stamina of the workers.
As the government is determined
to protect the rights Of workers,
so the nation has a right to expect
that the men who man the ma
chimes will discharge their full re-
sponsibilities to the urgent needs
of defense.
The worker possesses the same
human dignity and is entitled to
the same security Of position as
the engineer or manager or own
err. For the workers provide the
human power that turns out the
d~estroyers, the airplanes and the
tanks. Z
The nation expects our defense
industries to continue operation
without interruption by strikes or
lock-outs. 1t expects and insists
that management and workers will
reconcile their differences by vol
uptary or legal means, to continue
to produce the supplies that are
so sorely needed.
And on the economic side of our
great defense program, we are, as
you know, bending every effort to
maintain stability of prices and
Y1N7