Evening star., 1942-08-17

61UI16T WdflG W
tell the high pavio Lawrence.
command when or where to start
a second front or how to make
thousands of cargo planes to over
come the submarine sinkings.
Publicity barrages are interesting
and at times even fascinating. But
they can distort perspective if au-
thorities are unduly swerved from
their course by such pressure. 1t is
curious that so little confidence in
our Army and Navy aviation men
prevailed in some quarters that it
was thought advisable to put pres
sure on Donald Nelson of the War
Production Board for material to
manufacture in quantity something
that truly ought to be matter OF
military decision.
Practical Question.
There is nothing new about the
cargo plane. We have been building
them right along. To build the
flying boat Mars in quantity is a
desirable objective provided mate
rails can be spared. But somebody
inside our board of strategy must
be able to decide this without telling
the public just what is being done
with our materials Unfortunately
these barrages demanding this or
that call only for a small amount
of steel, for instance. but these
small amounts when totaled up can
ruin a sound program already under
way.
There is no doubt that many of
the weapons already started and
many of the projects already under
construction could be improved
upon. But the practical question
Is whether we should stop what we
are doing and start on another
process that seems better now but
which will forfeit time and materi-
ais already used in another direc-
ton.
The most important thing of
which there is a scarcity and a
shortage is time. This cannot be
recovered when once lost and Hit
Ter is driving ahead in the battle
for time. In the last war. there
was procrastination as we searched
for better models. Doubtless we
could use better tanks and better
planes and better engines now than
we have on hand, but it is i'm
portant to get produced right away
q lot of something, especially when
that something, while not perfect,
is probably better than anything
the Nazis or the Japanese have
manufactured.
Confidence Needed.
Confidence must be placed In the
Army and Navy. They have spent
years studying models and types
and designs and they are the ones
who usually want revisions and
changes in specifications. When
We have the spectacle of civilians
wanting to drain raw materials for
this or that device or program, it is
even worse from the standpoint of
getting quantity results on stand
ardized set of orders.
The time will come when we viii
need vast number of cargo planes.
We will also need more aircraft
carriers. We will also need battle
ships better protected against air
attack. We will need a great deal
of everything. But somebody in
the Army and Navy must decide
now what shall come first and the
rest of us must accept that decision
or see the whole war program thrust
into a state of complete confusion
Matters are bad enough anyway
through the maldistribution Of raw
materials. but in the next 80 days
1t is believed we shall have cor
rected the mistakes and gotten back
on the track.
High Officers Human.
The high officers of the Army anc
Navy may not be perfect. They
are human and they are prejudicec
perhaps in favor Of their own way
of doing things. But in the enc
they must be trusted during wal
because they do not have to b,
elected to Office periodically anc
they don't have an interest In thu
profits, and they somehow do have
g. keener sense of what it mean
to kill some single mothers sor
unnecessarily than do the non
military individuals who are 81
ready with advice of spectacula
nature which may be sound ant
logical, if there were an adequat'
supply of time and materials, bu
which If given undue emphasis to
day, might upset well-laid plan
and strategy.
The way to win a war is not b.
battles in the headlines or In tn
publicity channels, but through tn
prompt delivery of weapons. Troops
ships and planes are needed II
time to head off the enemy from
making too many inroads so tha
In due time the counterattack to
ward victory can be made.
We hear of cargos sunk and yes
sells lost, but we are not told, b
reason of the censorship, of wha
cargos DO land and what troops d
reach port. We have been eigt
months at war. When IL month
will have passed America will hav
actually delivered to outlying base
an incredible amount of weapon
end an unprecedented army of mel
to say nothing of the consummstio ito
OF q naval patrol OF unparallele