Evening star., 1942-06-07

his work, he never loses the appearance
of nonchalance, the air Of being master
OF the situation.
The White House, nevertheless. is
more . military headquarters than it
was in the easy days Of peace, when
hordes Of tourists sauntered through the
grounds, and scores Of rather minor poll
ticians paid visits to "the chief" Now
sentry boxes ring the grounds, and SEN
tries are on duty at every few PAGES.
Getting inside the White House Is .
complicated process for the legitimate
visitors. Once within, one is eyed from
every side by Secret Servicemen. Some
where in the mansion there is a COM
munications room. where Army and Navy
officers handle dispatches for the Chief
Executive.
The President works until pm. in
stead Of knocking of at and taking
swim as he used to do. Swims are
few and far between these days. Yet,
the President insists he Is not over
burdened, telling friends that the war
has actually nghtened his duties since
he has now delegated 30 large share
Of his powers.
Familiar With Navy Matters.
Mr.. Roosevelt assumed the role OF
war President with q far better mill
tary background than that Of any Of
his predecessors. He has been a stu
dent Of naval warfare since boyhood.
He is well schooled IN the works OF
Mahan, the Nays classical strategic
authority. He knows warships like .
shipbuilder.
During World War I he wrote arti-
cles on naval tactics, outlining plans
for defense Of the coasts. As Assistant
Secretary Of the Navy, he was respon-
sible for strengthening the Navy in its
1t was then that he first revealed
his capacity for bold. aggressive action.
q willingness to assume responsibility
for measures of doubtful legality which
he deemed necessary for the national
safety. He himself has said that he
broke enough laws during that war to
send him to Jail for 999 years.
1t involved such matters as persuad-
ing contractors to go ahead with an
urgently needed piece of work, although
as yet no authorization and no funds
had been provided. Sometimes the leg
islative process functioned so slowly
and Roosevelt moved so fast that con-
tracts for projects were not signed until
months after the work had been COM
pleted. AL the contractors were
eventually paid. however, and no harm
and much good came of It,
When this war started, there was an
urgent need at Pearl Harbor for certain
cargoes which were awaiting clearance
at some mainland ports. AS the normal
operation of the navigation and inspec-
ton laws would have entailed consider
able delay in dispatching the ships, the
President simply signed an order on
December II waving those laws in
necessary cases. Congress legalized his
action by including in the second war
powers bill, passed March 81, the au-
thority for the President to do what he
had done
Moved Japs Before 1t Was Legal
Mr.. Roosevelt in the same manner
established military area on the West
Coast and was moving the Japs out of
there at great rate long before Con-
gress gave him the power, on March 81,
to declare a military area.
1t is such acts as these-and insiders
say there have been great many others
which cause the scholars to compare
Roosevelt and Lincoln. When the Civil
War President suspended the writ of
habeas corpus, when he increased the
size of the regular armed forces, when he
issued the Emancipation Proclamation,
he acted with very doubtful authority.
But he acted first and sought the sane
tion of Congress later.
Roosevelt is unique among war Presi-
dents for having made extensive prepa-
rations for war before war began. In
SUFFICIENT for combat as Americas fight
ing power was in December, 1t was far
greater than at the outbreak Of any
previous war.
With his military slant, Roosevelt
when Assistant Secretary of the Navy
went to President Wilson in the fall Of
1916 and besought him to mobilize the
Navy. But Wilson, more of a theorist
with his profound historical sense,
dreaded the thought OF posterity accus-
ing him of preparing for war while he
was asking for peace, and he refused
Roosevelt's request.
Hardly had Roosevelt got settled in the
White House than he began to build up
the depleted Navy. In his public. works
program he repeatedly stressed the de-
fense value of new projects, transmission
lines, highways and merchant vessels.
And within year and half before war
started, he proposed that the production
Of war materials begin.
Our war President didn't have us in
fighting trim on December Z, but we were
better prepared than Americans were in
the time of Madison, Polk, Lincoln, Nc
Kinley and Wilson; and getting ready
for war takes a lot more time now than
it did in the days of muskets and
smoothbore cannon.