Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-18
War Must
Be Sold
To Arnny
.That Is Held Only
MoraIe-BuiIder
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

morale isn't high Morale is a
tricky word. There is no way
TO define il accurately.
Maybe little anecdote would
help. When / took command of
the bulk of the 9Th division
which was left in this country
in September, 1918, / used TO
marvel at bayonet instruction.
In the old pre-war army, bayo-
net drill was "one-two-three"
operation done by ranks of men
10 waltz time.
Due to World War experience.
IL had become one of the most
savage exhibitions / ever saw.
The best bayonet instructor we
had was an eX-actor. He would
assemble a platoon in a circle
around him. He would strip off
his tunic and tear open his tie
and undershirt, revealing hairy
chest. He carried a little bam-
boo Swagger-stick with a three
inch ring on the end of il.
The men crouched around him
with bare bayonets and growled
no hiStrionics. They had been
brought TO point of extreme
animal aggresSiveness by previ-
Gus instruction. They wanted to
get in there and kill-or the
next thing 10 it. Suddenly he
would crack one man across the
face with the stick. The kid
would Jump into the ring like a
tiger He had been thus elected
10 do his stuff.
TNHE instructor, as 1.-THE and
Il agile as fencer, would hold
that ring within inches of his
face, his heart, his groin and the
soldier was invited TO lunge
through il. In the meantime
the crouched platoon became
almost as excited as Haitian VOC
doc celebrants.
They grimaced. growled and
Slavered each anxious 10 be
tapped next The thing got Too
realiStlc-So realistic that some
men wanted 10 90 after each
other with bare bayonets. Their
sole ambition was 10 get 10
France.
Then we went 10 Camp Mills
on our way to France. We
got on transports The fake
armiStiCe came. We got off the
ships. We embarked The real
I armlstiee came. We diSem-
barked. That Pacific coast divi-
sion had been in flu quarantine
Tor weeks and were still con-
fined. / expected dissolution of
discipline. l arranged TO ad-
dress $4,000 troops in relays of
5000. / told the first bunch that
an armistice was only a truce
and that we were going tc
( France.
Utter silence, They no longer
wanted 10 go TO France. The
war was over / sent the rest of
/ them back TO their barracks.
Next morning | went TO bayo-
net ms ION again. The
change was incredible. We we're
back in the dreamy peaceful pre-
war days. All that was needed
was few regimental bands
playing Sweetly Waltz Me
Around Again Willie. The heart
was gone from The effort.
I don't know whether this
parable VIII make the point or
not, but / do know this. If this
government wants TO build an
army il has got 10 sell the war
to the army and it hasn't done
so. If II can't sell il 10 the army.
how can 1t be sold 10 the peo-
pie?
Many of these boys are be-
wlldered - neither unpatriotic
nor apathetic. but they don [
know what IL is all about They
haven't been told frankly where.
when and how they are going
to fight, or what they are going
TO use Tor weapons.
Much stress has been laid
upon modern mech aniZe d
armored and fully equipped
troops and they have not been
! given these weapons in sufficient
number for instruction or con-
viction. Many of their officers
know little If any more about
1t than they do.
IT IS common gossip that the
administration believes that 5
declaration of war will end all
this overnight But viii IL?
doubt n. Too much stress ha.
been laid on the fact that war,
are no longer declared. To thi,
II IS said that a shooting on
other bloody incident will do tho
trick, but will IL? 1t can wei
be doubted.
There has been too much tall
about methods short of war
and too many incidents" thai
didn't provoke either war OF
much excitement
II this administration want.
effective war 1t had better
begin selling it with cold anc
brutal frankneSs and not bN
glittering generalities such a,
the impossible Atlantic Charter
and the evasions and half-truth.
we have been fed up to date.
Distributed by King Features synd, Inc.
Reproduction IN whole or In part
strictly prohibited.
ONE YEAR AGO TO-DAY
~ rnxn