Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-10
u. S., Russia
To Run World
After War
But We Need Biggest
Army, Navy, Air Force
BY PAUL MALLON


w Some readers are coming
back at me already for my
column of yesterday reminding
them our love for defenseless
peace, as expressed in our gen.
erous disarmament. treaty of
1922. enabled Japan to sneak
build her navy up to ours, and
that the Versailles Treaty man.
dates of Pacific islands awarded
to Japan enabled them to sneak
fortify the air bases and sea
bases which made their con-
quest of the Far East possible
by forming a protective outer
rim for her operations.
Readers say they always
thought the Japs were treacher-
Gus treaty-breakers, but that If
we make treaties for disarma-
ment with Germany and Italy
tand Russia?) after this war, it
may be different, because we
can trust them.
NONE of this is true. Treaty.
~ breaking is not racial or
national characteristic of GER
tain nations. Let us face the
truth Japan, Germany and
Italy fell into the hands Of mill
tary cliques which deluded our
statesmen and the world. Those
cliques thought they were acting
in the best interests of their
countries in breaking treaties
which imposed disadvantageous
conditions upon them.
In the case of the Versailles
Treaty, the Germans certainly
had case. BY 1t. they were re-
duced to permanent inferiority.
France, through the League of
Nations, imposed every possible
treaty guarantee to keep Ger
many neutrality-suspicious., po-
litical and economic denials.
even partial occupation for
time. She did more. She backed
those treaties with what she
thought was the greatest army
in the world and the Maginot
Line.
FRANCE made a mistake in
Il both instances, but the Sec
ond one was irredeemable. If
she really had the best army in
the world, she would not be
where she is today. She was
lured psychologically into a posi-
ton of inferiority by a reverence
for the security of treaties
with Russia. with Britain, ct al.
Her initial mistake was the
belief that she could perma-
nently impose harsh conditions
on an enemy. She could have
undercut the Hitler movement
In Germany before it started by
fairer and more just appeal to
the German people than the
Versailles Treaty provided.
In truth, she did mitigate the
PREPARATIONS terms later on with
some of our money. But she
never thought enough. of her
own debt-treaty with us to pay |
her war debt, thereby showing |
again even our friends do not
keep treaties against their own
interests.
A GAIN, she could have stopped
"A Hitler when he made his
first belligerent move, by march,
ing into the Rhineland. Her
military superiority was even
then sufficient to have crushed
him.
But she thought her treaties
guaranteed her security and she
did not want to fight. Her
treaties engendered pacifism
among her statesmen and people,
and kept them as easy marks
for Hitler's tricks.
Is not the path of history
strewn back for 5000 years with
scraps of paper, torn up by every
nation which thought il to its
best interest to disregard or vio-
late treaties? Can any one, then,
now say that treaty-breaking is
a racial or a national problem?
"TNTERNATIONAL police
L force?" some readers ask.
"Who Is going to run It? The
United States, Britain and
Russia 2"
rather suspect the British
empire is a thing of the past,
which would mean that the in
ternational police force would be
led mainly by the United States
and Russia. How long would
that last amicably?
A N ASSOCIATION of nations?
"A others ask. That is of Sec
ondary Importance if you keep
the United States Army, Navy |
and Air Force strong and alert |
and see that no one gets a better
one.
II you choose. make a bigger
League of Nations, a greater
World Court. but don't trust il
to keep your own peace any
more than an international POI
lice force.
You may differ with my de-