Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29


dinate to these.
First 1t attempts to create order
out Of the disorder which has ex-
listed for nearly Two years in the
manufacture of munitions in this
country. During that time there
have been perhaps a dozen purchas-
ing missions from various countries
trying to buy arms In our market.
They have necessarily been compet-
ing with us and with each other,
and that competition has produced
delay. Primarily it has interfered
with our own preparedness.
This bill, if enacted, would result
practically in all future orders for
such munitions being placed in the
hands of the United States Govern
ment, whether they are for us or for
other nations whose defense Is a
matter OF vital concern to US. The
decision as to which particular
weapons will 60 to which country
will be postponed until the compile
ton Of the manufacture. That would
be long step in the direction of
efficiency, economy, and, above all
speed. The buyers for this Govern
ment are the men who are best
acquainted with our manufacturers
and their methods.
Under our national defense law
the Army for nearly 20 years has
been listing our Nations manufac-
turers and famiharizing themselves
with their methods of production
and sale. Assisting Our Army we
have the members Of the Defense
Commission with all their special
lied familiarity with American pro-
duction. We have our own proving
grounds and experienced inspectors.
The agents of the foreign nations
have few II any Of these facilities
and they are unfamiliar with Amer
lean business methods.
BY centralizing the purchase Of
munitions, this bill would tend to
make their production cheaper. It
would tend to limit misunderstood
ing, and useless experimentation,
and 1t would expedite production.
AS a by-product, it would inevitably
and strongly tend toward standardi-
zation Of types OF weapons, tending
to insure that the resulting products
will combine the best results of the
experience of both ourselves and the
other nations. Perhaps one Of the
best results will be the postpone.
ment Of the decision as to which
weapons shall be retained by our
selves and which weapons be
allowed to 60 to other nations.
That will secure a distribution Of
weapons which will be most in &C
cord with our possible needs as
those needs appear at the time Of
the completion Of the weapons and
not at the time Of the giving OF the
order. Most important of all, the
bill insures that the distribution Of
all weapons shall be in the hands
of the men whose sole interest is
the security Of the United States.
These are all vitality important rea.
sons for the powers given in this
bill.
The second main feature of the
bill is that the consideration which
may be given by foreign nations
for these weapons may be measured
in more flexible and thus more
valuable terms than in hard cash
in particular that 1t may be meas
ured in terms of the overall benefit
to the United States, direct or in
direct
The Situation Of Great Britain.
Consider this provision Of the bill
with reference to the immediate
situation Of Great Britain. The
British Empire has very large ulti-
mate resources, but at the present
moment she is under critical short
age of exchange. Her supply Of
American dollars and South Amer
lean pesos, owing to the exceptional
demands she has been under for
this form Of cash, has been so re-
duced as to leave her with barely
enough for the payment Of her
already existing orders. This strin-
gency has resulted largely from the
fact that ever since last spring she
has been cut OF from her former
trade with Scandinavia, Denmark,
Holland and France.
Before that time she was able
to buy food supplies and other raw
materials from those countries and
to pay for them chiefly by the
coal, tin and manufactured articles
which she sold them in exchange.
Now she has to buy the bulk Of
those supplies from us and from
other portions OF the Western Henri
sphere and to pay for them not in
her own exports, but with cash.
For example, she has no market
here for her coal, which is one OF
her chief exports. and the same Is
true Of many other Of her COM
modities. The result Is that she
has been forced to use up much Of
her American and South American
exchange in thus buying many sup
plies quite apart from her NUM-
tons. This has resulted in a rapid
draining OF her supplies OF gold
and exchange.
This stringency in cash has actu-
ally resulted today in restricting
her in the placement in this country
Of new orders for vitality needed mu-
nitions. Such restrictions, If con-
tinued. cannot but have most seri-
GUS effect upon the future conduct
Of her defense.
Bills Purpose 1t to Purchase Time.
For this reason the discretion
which this bill gives to the Presi-
dent Of the United States in deter
mining the conditions upon which
Britain shall receive these NUM-
tons constitutes, in my opinion, the
most important feature of this bill.
To make this clear, consider what
is the real nature Of these transfers
Of weapons. We are not seeking to
make loan to Great Britain. We
are really seeking to purchase her
aid in our defense. We are buying
not lending.
We are buying our own security
while We prepare. BY our delay
during the past six years while Ger
many was preparing, we find our
selves unprepared and unarmed,
facino a fhnro,Ict1v r,rapsrsd apd