The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-01-23
BY JOHN sTAHLBERG

In the editorial from PM reprinted
in The Peoples Voice for January 16
Ralph Ingersoll joined that company
of heroes who are always ready tc
dash CALAMITY to the defense OF the
winner. He did more. He intimated
that the war departments courtesy to-
ward Lindbergh was prompted by COW
ardice, by the American governments
fear of the Bund. OF all the extrem-
list sewage we have ever had dished
up to us, that smells about the worst.
To exhibit his own radiant courage,
in contrast to the Army's timidity he
then aimed one more vicious kick at
this man. who is down, who has &C
cepted the verdict of events, who,
whatever the error Of his earlier
stand. has shown his willingness to
serve his country in the emergency
which he was not expecting, which
you were not expecting, which even
the Navy was not expecting.
1t is possible that Lindbergh is not
competent to act as technical ad-
wiser on modern military aviation.
But Ingersoll's argument to that effect
is not the argument of competent
judge 1t is based on the fact that
Lindbergh in 1898 believed the Brit
ish and Russian air forces unequal
to the grim task of defeating the Ger
man luftwaffe. And so they we're
in 1888. That has been admitted time
after time, not only by outside OBJ
servers but by every competent Brit
ish authority, including Mr.. Churchill
(see his speech on 1.-THE Air Defenses
of Britain" PIP. 31-42, Blood, Sweat
and Tears). If the Russians never
admitted weakness, they demon
strated it in the early phases of the
Finnish war. Since that time the
British and Russian forces have been
strengthened both by about efforts
at home and by American aid. To
judge Lindberghs competence in 1912
by what he said about the existing
air fleets of 1888 is as unfair as to
judge the epic British and Russian
resistance of 1941 by the sell-out of
Czechoslovakia or the Hitler-Stalin
pact.
If we grant, however, that his judg-
ment was wrong in 1888, we still are
not justified in declaring him unfit
for ordinary types of technical needs
Of a modern air fleet are colossally
varied. Must every volunteer in that
field prove that he can predict the
course Of history? Foresee the out
come of a. battle twenty months be-
fore it begins? Inform a foreign gov
eminent both of the present status
and of the likely rate of development |
of its own defense facilities? How
statesmen how many wise-guy jour
nalists Of this or any other nation
could qualify if such tests were ap-
piled?
AS Mr.. Ingersoll suggests, there is |
no danger to national unity in offend
ing the Bund. But certainly it can
not advance the cause of unity to
keep sneering at good Americans who
took a mistaken view of world events
Is every citizen who honestly opposed |
war to be made to feel that it is "ef- |
frontery" (Mr. Ingersoll's world for
him to offer his services to his coun-
try?-or is it exclusively Mr. Inger
soils country now? Where is our
hard-won unity then? Thank God
our government, in times of extreme
crisis, has additionally had the wis
dom to decline so purblind a view.
with malice toward none, with char
ity for ALL" said Lincoln at the end
of four of the most tragic and bitter
years in our history. "All that" said
Franklin Roosevelt of the dissensions
that preceded the present war, lis
now past-and, am sure, forgotten"