Evening star., 1941-12-06

ness OF q R6lltldl
staff to think up David Lawrence.
plans of all kinds. Doubtless for
generations staffs have mapped out
plans in the Army War College Tor
offensive operations against every
conceivable kind of an opponent.
In to now this sort OF occupation
has been considered a proper activity
for a War Department. But the
isolationists seem to think that the
War DEPARTMENT should not be max
ing plans. It must remain IDLE ap-
parently, while the whole world is
on fire.
The purpose of the publication OF
the secret report, of course, was 10
prove that the President, who dl-
rected the study, is planning to drag
America into war and a war OF an
offensive nature. But the President
is commander in chief of the Army
and Navy. and if he didn't direct
anv studies to meet all possible con-
tinpencies, he would be derelict in
his duty under the Constitution.
For many months around Wash
ington the cry has been: What are
the plans? How much material is
needed? How big an Army should
be equipped? What are the con-
tinpencies that might be faced from
the standpoint Of industrial produc-
ton? The War Department has
been besleged by the o. P. M. for
information.
Sought to Visualize Job.
It develops now that the general
staffs of the Army and Navy started
to visualize the maximum job that
might confront America The de-
cision as to whether such a pro-
cram should ever be undertaken
would be up to the President and
Congress. But to plan for every
eventuality is the task of a capable
ard efficient general staff.
1t Is. to be sure, embarrassing for
the documents containing the think
ing of our general staff to be BAN
GIed about in such fashion that
some one could pick them up and
transmit them to newspaper. Per-
hans the administration has counted
too heavily on the idea that the
press. if it got hold of documents OF
this kind. would voluntarily with
hold them from publication. Ninety
nine out of a hundred editors would
have done so. But in the absence
of a censorship law, there are some
who would feel the publication OF
the data serves a useful purpose in
deterring the Nation from accepting
the theoretical commitments out
lined.
But it is questionable whether me
publication of the document Will
have any such result. For one thing,
If the Nazis say publicly it is fam
tastic plan, perhaps that's not exact
" how they feel about it privately.
Perhaps the peoples in the oppressed
and occupied countries may see in
the alleged plan a ray of hope. Ger
tainly now that the document has
been published. its further distrl-
button to the peoples of Europe and
Asia may turn out to be valuable to
the cause of the democracies.
Not Borne Out.
The Secretary Of War has said the
plan was not complete piece of
work and he implies that it is not an
official decision. Certainly the COM
ments in the plan itself have not
been borne out with respect to RUS
sla-at least not yet. But it is not
novel for military experts here or
elsewhere to assume that maybe
Russia will not hold out. 1t is a
safer assumption from a strategic
standpoint than to lean back and
assume that nothing has to be done
to win the war except wait on Russia
and Britain.
The idea that man power must
eventually win the war after sea
power and air power have blazed the
trail is characteristic of the philoso-
ply of most military men. But
there are some who feel that once
air power has softened up the in
dustrial production of an enemy, the
task of land power is immeasurably
easier.
MAY Bring Censorship.
The incident of the published
document will have fateful roper
cussions. 1t will serve to revive
clamor for censorship law. The
press during the last war was able
by voluntary action to refrain from
printing anything that the War Of
Navy Departments considered con-
fidential. 1t begins to look as if tht
deep-seated feeling of some OF tht
press on whether or not there shoulc
De war III IIle IlISd uiSVdiioc iho.
carry over into the attitudes assumed
toward military matters. Publlca
ton by the Chicago Tribune o
what purports to be an official docu
ment obtained without authority o.
sanction from the Government itsel
may prove to be the basis for th'
enactment by Congress of censor
ship statute. 1t is the first time tina
any such direct conflict betweel
a major newspaper and the Wa
Department has occurred.
There will be other results. To'
MANY documents are loosely dis
tributed around Washington. Sc
crecv will be imposed in much NOR
rigid fashion than ever before. l
will be harder to get military new
or to find out what is going on
Thus does a fragrant violation o
the unwritten code of cooperation
-