Evening star., 1940-05-27

rank and file of David Lawrence.
labor is loyal, unselfish, eager to aid
national defense. The rank and file
of business and industry is in the
same mood
The big battle in Washington to-
day is not whether America can be
saved, but whether the New Deal can
be saved This is but a realistic way
to describe the contest between the
members of the administration who
want to retain control over every
phase of defense preparations and
the businessmen of the country,
mostly anti-New Deal, who want to
see reforms sidetracked wherever
the national defense requires it.
In between are the Army and
Navy. Under the rules of military
discipline, these officers are muzzled.
Sense of Security Propaganda.
Efforts to get at the truth through
congressional investigation are
choked off by the New Deal major
tiles in both houses of Congress.
The whole machinery of Govern
ment propaganda is turned on to
give the people sense of security
when there is no security.
What are the facts about Amer
ica's defenses? We have a pitifully
small air defense, hardly any anti
aircraft guns, hardly any tanks,
small standing Army, and a Navy
that is too little for the job that
may have to be done to defend
America in the next IS months.
Almost the entire American fleet
Is at present in the Pacific Ocean.
There it will remain frozen in and
around Hawaii, watching for Japa-
nese "blitzkrieg" in the Pacific aimed
at the Dutch East Indies or the
Philippines or even Hawaii. Ger
tainly the fleet cannot get back into
the Atlantic quickly if the Panama
Canal isn't defended. Our defenses
in the Canal Zone area are made
quate.
The Nazis have strong fifth COL
umn units in Brazil and the north
ern part of South America. If Italy
enters the war, 1t means Portugal
and Spain will be enveloped within
Nazi rule and then the Cape Verde
Islands-neareSt to South America
will be short hop for Italian air
forces. Northern coasts of South
America have bases which the
United States cannot now defend
without more aircraft and a more
aggressive policy.
The British Fleet.
II England should be invaded and
defeated the most important piece
Of defense strategy the United
States could effect would be to
keep the British fleet aaoat. Pre-
sumably the British fleet would be-
come part of the Canadian govern
ment.
In the face of this gloomy pic
ture, what is the policy of the United
States? The militarists in Japan
are working hand in glove with the
Nazis. There is a substantial ele-
ment IN Japan which would well
come a friendly, working arrange
ment with the United States. Peace
In China can be brought about by
American diplomacy. It is an es-
sential part of our defense strategy.
Friendship with Japan would re-
lease Americas fleet for use in
the Atlantic. Battleships cannot
be built overnight.
The biggest requirement, however,
on the home front is to get faster
production for aircraft and mech
anized weapons. This is a job for
industry and labor. It can be ac-
complished only If the class warfare
engendered by New Deal reform
laws is stopped at once. The Presi-
dent can stop it. But he cannot
be effective until he restores fair
play inside his own administration.
Example Cited.
This very week, under orders from
the White House, the administra-
ton leaders in Congress are work.
ing tooth and nail to prevent the
ousting of labor board members
already demonstrated to be unfit to
hold public office.
The Presidents latest "co-ordi-
mating" plan whereby experts from
business, communications, finance
etc., are being brought to Washing
ton is, therefore, doomed to failure
for a simple reason. It's because
business and industry know the
scheme is mere window dressing. It
Is dramatic effort to cover up the
real crisis, but the real reason why
'co-ordination" will not work is be-
cause the co-ordinators will have
no authority or power. The White
House has already announced that
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