Evening star., 1942-02-19

States is engaged in building a
sound, vigorous offensive force in
the air, on the sea and ON the land"
in order to carry the war to the en-
en1y.
Predicts Other Attacks.
eve are trying to realize every
effort for surprise that has pos
sibility for success" he said. He
warned. however, that those general
principles Of offense can't be ap-
piled at any given moment any
where.
He said the Government had FORE
seen the possibility of such attacks
as occurred at Aruba and warned
the country to be prepared for
other attacks in the future.
. He likewise warned against the
danger of "thoughtless pressure
from the public to make a great
defensive effort, stringing out our
forces along the coast to the break
ing point"
AS an example of the hysteria
which followed the Aruba attack,
Mr. Stimson pointed to public
'clamor aroused in 1911 during a
revolution in Mexico and over the
sudden disappearance of the feeble
Spanish feet at the start of the
Spanish-American War.
The Mexican revolution, occur
ring when Mr.. Stimson formerly
was Secretary of War, aroused a
new Texas Senator then to intro
fduce a resolution directing that
the Army be strung all along the
Texas border for protection.
Two Men to the Mile.
Nov those who want us to use
our feet and Army in a similar
manner had better remember what
sthat lesson showed" he warned.
The entire Regular Army mustered
along the Mexican border, he said,
would furnish only two men to
guard each mile.
When the four Spanish cruisers
suddenly disappeared from Spain at
the start of the 1898 war, Mr.. Slim
ison said, there was "a terrific howl
from everybody, each seacoast port
demanding naval ships for its pro-
lection"
Again he warned that the Nation
must be prepared to take sporadic
attacks on our coast lines.
THE only way to prevent these
attacks" he warned, "is to mass
,our forces in offensive action and
carry the war to the enemy. To
mass all our forces on the borders
is the surest road to defeat"
Mr.. Stimson asserted that I'VE are
on the front line ourselves"
I'VE can't buy our way out, we
can't produce our way out" he said.
I'VE can only fight our way out by
intelligent effort"
Importance of Offensive.
That does not mean, he said, that
the armed forces will not attempt
to protect its coast lines. But he
warned that this would be done in
a way that would not destroy our
offensive force"
Mr.. Stimson said he could not
divulge blueprint of prospective
maneuvers in the Netherlands East
. Indies for the benefit of the enemy
Some of the public apparently
think the high command of the
: Army and Navy are the only ones
who don't realize the value of an
offensive movement" he said.
Il can assure you OF the con-
trary. The only way to successfully
win war is to take the offensive"
Mr.. Stimson pointed to an "all-
time high" voluntary enlistment rec
ord of 90,241 men who joined the
Army in January as indicating the
spirit Of American youth in deter
mining to win this war"
> This figure, he said, was more
than double the record of any
monthly enlistment record before |
Pearl Harbor and almost doubled |
:the number of voluntary enlistments |
In May, 1917, the first month after |
the former declaration of war. |