Evening star., 1941-05-12
Nation Is Unprepared
To Enter War Now,
Hoover Declares
American BeIIieereney
Would Reduce Effective
Aid to Britoin, He Says
(Tert of Mr.. Hoouer's Address
on Page ALL
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 12.-Herbert
Hoover says United States conveys
would catapult an unprepared Ma
ton into immediate war and
paradoxicaliy result in curtailment
of material aid to Britain.
Using the Navy to guard war
shipments to Britain, the former
President said, would lead to a
dictatorship of our own, inevitable
in total war" and to postwar
bankruptcy"
Breaking a six-month silence on
what he called "the controversy on
whether we should join in the war"
Mr.. Hoover spoke last night over
the Red Network Of the National
Broadcasting Co.
In this sentence he summed up
his convictions:
That there be no misunderstand-
ing, let me state at the outset that
I support provision of the maximum
tools of war to Britain: That I am
convinced We can give this maxi
mum during her next critical
months only if we keep out of this
war; that putting our Navy into
action is joining this war; that the
whole European war situation is in
transformation: that America is as
yet unprepared even for adequate
defense; that our people are not
united"
Hitler May Occupy All Europe.
To support these contentious, he
outlined three hard facts" the
first of which he termed "the trans
formation Of the character of this
war"
mo one" he said, "can deny the
grim possibility that Hitler may
take Suez, Iraq, North Africa and
the Mediterranean. In any event.
Hitler can occupy all of continental
Europe"
On this transformation" he as
serted that the British armies
could not invade Hitler's Europe,
nor could Hitler with all the
100000 men" he commands and
mis- superior air force" now cross
the channel to England.
He added that to invade Hitler's
Europe would require us to pre-
pare 5000, 900 men in addition to
the British Army" and that 1t would
take 10 years to build 10000 900
tons of shipping possibly needed
to land troops quickly.
And Hitler" he said, could not
start toward the United States
without equal preparation.
Therefore, with this transforma-
ton it does not appear that this
war can be brought to a conclusion
by armies or navies for years and
years to come"
The second hard fact" he de-
clared, is that Japan-our ally in the
last warts allied openly now to the
Axis, and only awaits a favorable
moment to realize her ambitions in
Asia" This. he said, would necessi-
tate immediate strengthening of
United States defenses in the Pacific.
Sees Nations Divided.
Third was "our unpreparedness, "
which ne said held true both from a
military and industrial standpoint as
well as from "the spirit of the
people" He said the Nation was
united in resolution to defend the
Western Hemisphere and in wanting
to help England, "but beyond this
we are a divided people"
And to have a united people" he
said, the Government must be
united with the will of the people
''' The first necessity is to follow
an objective upon which our people
will agree"
Stressing the view that if this
country joined in the war it must
use larger portion of our present
scant production for our own equip
ment and defense" Mr.. Hoover de-
clared:
The solution is not for us to &c
to war but to give her (Britain)
every tool that will really aid her
regardless of our own preparedness. y