Evening star., 1941-06-29
Says Arms Program
Must Be Enlarged
By O1Uen L. Scott.

!
for new sources of raw materials and
labor in order to increase the size of their
| own effort.
In recent months, Hitler has drawn
into his war industry all the productive
capacity of Europe. Even SO, the British
Empire in particular, and the United
States in the background have been
gaining on him. The lead that looked
overpowering only a few months ago
was beginning to be threatened.
The attack on Russia is directed at
the rich material resources that lie in
and near the Ukraine. With those
| resources under German management
and direction, Hitler can gear his war
machine another notch higher.
This means that the British and
Americans will have to match him.
Yet the British already are straining
now-under continuing disastrous losses
at sea-to maintain the effort that they
have been making. The alternative to
| disaster for Britain is a vastly greater
effort by the United States. Ap effort
of the size that lies ahead is not even
| planned for by this country at present.
| 1t is going to call for thinking in far
bigger figures than any of the thinking
| to date.
The fact is that the record of accom-
| plishment by this country in one full
| year Of armament effort is far from
| impressive.
Hitler is aware of that fact and is
correspondingly relieved. But Hitler is
worried by the thought that the United
States soon may decide really to try TO
speed up its building of arms on scale
that will represent some interference
with business and pleasure as usual.
When that day comes, the resources OF
Europe alone will prove far from ade-
quate. Even with Russia to work on, it
is doubtful that the Germans can match
in arms production really aroused
United States.
AS it is, the American armament pro-
gram is tagging.
Not many months ago, the highest
officials were predicting that by June,
arms would be rolling out of American
factories in a flood. Now these same
officials are predicting that by October
this same food should start. Others,
however, are beginning to hint that the
date Of the real flood will come some
time in 1912. There is a tendency to
push further and further back the time
when industry will be geared to turn
out arms in quantities comparable to
those of Hitler's Europe
The reason, of course is that the
United States is striving to 90 in one
or two years what Hitler did in seven or
eight But, in striving, this country
still insists upon regarding armament
as A side-line rather than a full-time
business. The results are best revealed
in figures.
Figures show that while the United
States has appropriated nearly $4,000
000000 for arms and for defense in
general, it has managed in its first year
of effort to spend barely $1,000 00O, 900
Of that total, including orders for the
British. Out of that $1,000 100000 only
S3,000000,000 has found its way into
actual weapons and into ships of all
kinds.
BY contrast: England in the same
period spent the equivalent of nearly
$4,000 100000 on arms and Germany's
Europe spent the equivalent of S240OO.-
100000. This means that the United
States still is barely started in the
armament race, with a very long way
to go to catch up. The fact that Hitler
is trying now to break out into new fields
that will enable him to add still further
to his spending total only adds to the
production goal of this country.
The figures, in more detail, show:
In the case of ship building: The
United States has promised Britain TO
build bridge of ships across the
Atlantic. To do this job the Govern
ment has laid down a program of 7O5
ships totaling 5,500O00 tons. But plans
call for completing in 1941 a total of
only 10000 tons of ships or about as
much as Germany is sinking in two
months
The hard fact is that this country's
Snipbuilding program is geared to large
production by l943, while it is very prob
able that the fate of Britain will be
decided long before that time. One big
reason for the unimpressive American
shipbuilding effort is deep-seated fear
on the part of key officials that there
are. going to be too many ships when
this war is over-whenever that is
Aircraft: Here the record is far more
impressive and a testimonial to the
ability and effort of the American air.
plane industry. That industry in the
past year has succeeded in turning
81 400 100000 into airplanes and engines,
or nearly half of all of the dollars spent
on all kinds of weapons. Its production
rate has been pushed up from about
500 planes a month to 400, even though
the Government was slow to make up
its mind on types and specifications.
After one year of argument the Army
at last has decided to emphasize con-
struction of long-range bombers. With
this decision made, the aircraft in
dustry can set about the task of turning
an idea into actuality in the shortest
possible time. In long-range aircraft,
the United States is far in advance of
the rest of the world
Guns, tanks and ordnance in general:
Results after one year are not at all
encouraging. Ordnance has been placed
rather far down the list of objects re-
ceiving priority ratings. AS a result it
will be MANY months before there can