Evening star., 1942-09-26


which said: David Lawrence.
1--WE are losing this war, and we
should damn we'll understand it.
Never before has any high official
of the Government, certainly no
body connected with either the
Army or the Navy, admitted official
ly that we are losing the war. Just
why one of the top executives OF
the Navy Department should have
been selected for this utterance is
not clear, but it may be due to the
fact that Elmer Davis does not
construe himself to be the only
morale builder and sees no OBJ
lection to pessimistic statements
which come from other agencies of
the Government.
The idea that owl is the only
morale building agency evidently
is wrong. Whenever any official
cares to make an important state
ment on the progress of the war,
he may do so provided he doesn't
disclose any military information.
Did Not Tell All.
The speech of Mr.. Bard was ex-
cellent as far as it went. Un-
fortunately, it didn't tell all of the
story. 1t gave the impression
that pickering groups and blocs in
side the United States were failing
to be realistic about the war stu
alton, but it didn't say thing about
the most important group of all,
namely, the officials OF Govern
ment agencies, who, it might be
presumed, have some responsibility
for the now-conceded fact that
America is losing the war.
Mr.. Bard recalls that Americans
had a case of ego when Pearl Har-
Dor was attacked and that they
had the belief that I'VE could lick
any of our enemies in go days with
out skipping full meal with des-
sert, or missing a Sunday drive in
the country
Mr.. Bard wouldn't keep his job
very long if he were as blunt about
telling who in the Navy Department
helped to create the very impression
to which he refers. Wasn't there
speech or two by Secretary Knox
with good deal of braggadocio in
1t before Pearl Harbor?
Mr.. Bard says I'VE began pointing
with pride at our resources, and
without a blush plunged into the
amiable deception OF using percent
ages. If two tanks in a 10000 tank
program rumbled out of a factory
where one had before, we gloated
that production was up 100 per
cent"
Who Are "We"?
Who does Mr.. Bard mean by the
word I'VE" If one looks back at
the record of press releases issing
from Government agencies, he will
find that before and since the war
any figures used have usually come
out of the Government itself and If
the press agents have given wrong
impressions, the press has in the
main been compelled to rely on
those releases.
When Mr.. Bard says we are losing
the war, he is not permitted to tell
all the reasons or even some of the
important ones Censorship does
not even at this late date permit
the telling of the story of why our
forces in the Pacific were Iade-
quate, why the Philippines could
not be reinforced and why certain
decisions were made to strengthen
other areas and theaters of war
which made it impossible for our full
naval strength to be pitted against
the Japanese.
Mr.. Bard's speech is perhaps in
this respect unfair to the Navy,
which has been fighting against
heavy odds in the Pacific, and un-
fair 70 the Army, which has not had
the shipping or the men to be sent
overseas sooner than they are now
being transported.
Blame Elsewhere. Too.
This war is being lost for the
time being because of the mistakes
made by Britain and France in fail
ing to get prepared and only in part
because of the failure of the present
administration to insist on a great
er preparedness program from 1913?
to 1899 when Hitler was preparing
for var and accommodating valuable
reserves and raw materials.
If the war is being lost, it is not
due to the alleged complacency OF
the American people or even to the
chickering's of selfish interests anc
pressure groups-important as these
are as collateral influences-bu
primarily to the lack Of military
and naval preparedness by our Al
lies and by our own Government
1t is only in part due to the lacl
of administrative efficiency in Wash
ington in wartime or to the failure
Of the administration to put int
effect in 1899 the industrial mobili
zation plan worked out by Army anc
Navy experts after more than E
decade of study.
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