Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-21
Opposition
PeriIs u. S.
In Congress
Americans Warned TO
Act Before Hitler Does
BY DOROTHY THOMPSON

with a pistol at their chests, and
pushed around after that through
the next epochs of history, they
had better do something vigorous
about the opposition in Congress.
This opposition is behaving with
lack of intelligence and common
sense that is unforgiveable, the
circumstances in the world being
what they are.
WHAT the military affairs CON-
L. mittee Of the Senate should
be headed by Senator Reynolds
is worth 10 divisions TO Hitler.
Senator Reynolds is the nearest
thing to a Nazi-a very small
town Nazi-that we have in the
United States Senate.
Senator Wheeler, who has
spent his life fighting concentra-
tons of power in this country, is
quite indifferent 10 the most
colossal concentration of power
ever seen in human history-one
big holding company for all Eu-
rope. and maybe tomorrow for a
large part OF Asia, under a single
executive, without any checks
and balances whatsoever. in
alliance with the dominant
power of the Far East-and with
a definite plan for encircling
America
Hitler can move the workers
OF the whole continent OF Europe
wherever he pleases-Belgians
TO Czecho- Slovakia, Germans 10
Poland. Frenchmen TO Belgium,
Poles TO Germany. He commands
the greatest army that has ever
been organized in human his
tory. This army did not begin
with Hitler.
The army Of the German re-
public. small though il was. was
perhaps the most modern and
highly trained force on the con-
tinent with II years service Tor
every member Of il. Since 1888
that is.to say for eight years
it has been built up TO a force
of five or six million men. all OF
whom have gone through the
most prolonged and rigorous
TRAINING training which actu-
ally began in Hitler youth and
work camps, so that the con-
script had already completed his
physical training and consider
able technical training before he
was ever drafted into the army.
This army is now augmented by
Hungarian. Rumanians. and
Firms. all Of whom come from
countries with long-established
traditions Of compulsory military
service.
TyHE German technique Of war
l. fare is 10 talk peace and
mean war: 10 make pacts 10
secure time. but 10 break them
at exactly the right moment:
10 hull the enemy 10 sleep and
! attack him with lightning swift
ness and overwhelming force. IN
the place where he least expects
il. and without provocation or
warning. In but one case has
Hitler declared war--that Of
Russia and then he declared
war after il had begun.
Now in this sort of a world
with this sort OF menace
the opposition in Congress is
insisting that we will lose our
democracy unless we cling TO
procedures and tactics Of the
past. If we do we won't only
lose our democracy we will lose
our country.
Procedures, in dealing with a
foreign foe. have 10 be adapted
TO the tactics Of the foe. You
can't defend yourself against
blitzkrieg and total war with
either the political or military
strategy Of 1917. You need alb
solute unity of political and mill
tary command. complete freedom
of action. and total secrecy.
Our congressional opposition
cannot be entrusted with any
secret - they blab what they
know. and usually in a distorted
form. TO the first newspaper
man who comes along.
Secret hearings before the
military affairs committee are
joke. One might as well ask
Hitler 10 sit in on them. This
lack of discipline and respon-
sibility is called democracy. II
is not. II is the degeneration
of democracy into personal and
party politics.
THE Selective Service Act was
l. passed a year ago. and a
great deal of water-and blood
has flowed under a great
many bridges since then. Now
the President and the chief Of
staff urgently ask that the
period of service be extended.
They also ask that all restric-
tions as to the disposition OF
the army should be removed.
Both requests should be granted
Immediately.
II is impossible to make
strategy of defense If you tell
your enemy in advance what
you are going to do or not do