Evening star., 1941-08-19

has been no small task. The making
Of guns. tanks, planes and swords,
rather than tractors and plowshares
has been a Herculean task, but not
withstanding all this I rejoice to
know that it is rapidly bringing us
to a strong position of national
security, and to be able to report
to the American people that we
are now justified in assuming that
mass production is soon to be
achieved in approximately 80 per
cent of the endeavors in which we
are now engaged.
Started From Scratch"
At the same time, we had thrust
upon the Congress the stupendous
task of preparing and enacting a
vast program of legislation to
authorize this wide expansion in
both Army and Navy personnel, as
we'll as starting almost from
scratch so to speak
in both personnel and equipment.
The public, no doubt, will be
interested to know of the reasons
why I say we had to start from
scratch" Here is the explanation:
When we ended the first World
War in 1918, the desire of war
sick world, and particularly that of
all our peace-loving people, along
with those of all Europe, was so
strong that we, assuming that we
could beat our swords into plow-
shares and our sabers into pruning
hooks, and henceforth the lion and
the lamb should lie down together
in peace, and with a Utopian zeal
inspired by our desire for world
peace, went at the job with a fury.
We assembled representatives OF
nine great world powers in Wash
ington in 1922 for a disarmament
conference, and there at the con-
ference table they bound each other
to sacred joint treaty obligation
to disarm. We then set out to dem
onstrate our good faith by pursuing
a strangely fatal course and adopted
the policy of destruction of equip |
ment and ornaments and the dis
mantling and rehabilitation Of our
armed forces in order to convince |
our erstwhile enemies and all the
other peoples of the world that we
were in fact in good faith.
The Government caused more
than $35O,000000 worth of naval
equipment, consisting Of gunboats,
battleships, cruisers and other fight
ing craft, to be sunk in the Atlantic |
weakened our armed forces that
the strength of our Army was re-
duced from a modified 4,500 900
men at the close of hostilitieS, until
in 1880 our armed land forces con-
sisted of less than $50 900 officers
and men.
Army Of 100000 Now.
During the past year there has
been tremendous transformation
of the United States Army. A year
ago we had under arms $50, 900 men.
Today the number is 100000. The
skiold expansion has involved the
construction OF scores OF new camps,
each of which is city in itself.
1t necessitated supplying food and
clothing in unprecedented amounts.
Furthermore, to provide arms and
military equipment for the new
Army it was necessary to transform
much of our peacetime industry into
arsenals for producing implements
of war.
During this same period it was
necessary not only to supply our
own fighting forces, but also to
furnish in ever-increasing quantities
much of the equipment needed by
other nations who were desperately
guarding their territory against the
onslaught of aggression.
The Congress of the United States,
which has been in almost continuous
session for nearly two years, has
played an important part in pro-
viding for the armed security Of
America. Among the important
enactments of our National Legis-
lature since the outbreak Of the
second world war have been the
selective service law, the act calling
the National Guard into active serv-
ice. the Lease-Lend Act, authori-
zation of a greatly expanded Navy,
and the various appropriations to-
falling many billions for our Army
and Navy and for the tools of war
to be furnished other countries.
Within the last few days there was
added the very important measure
extending the term of service OF
the members of the Army.
On the early morning Of Septem-
ber l, 1899, the first of the German
panzer divisions crossed the Polish
frontier and started the fires OF
war that continue to blaze with
ever-increasing fury. On that day
the United States Army on active
duty consisted of approximately
10000 officers and 10000 enlisted
men. On September 9, the Presi-
dent of the United States, with
greater foresight than most OF us,
declared a limited emergency and
authorized the recruiting Of the
Regular Army up to a total Of 227,-
600 men and the increase Of the
National Guard from slightly less
than 100000 to 235,000. These were
-~I.r& ;,eraococ h,,t fhay eat In