Evening star., 1942-01-23

Report on War Effort
Cites Big Gains as
Only a Foundation
Foets-Fisures Office
Foresees Offensive Army
And Command of Air
(First installment of text on
Pare AIRY
Nv GOULD LINCOLN.

BY GOULD LINCOLN.
The gigantic American prep
aration for war during the last
Is months-and the even more
gigantic preparations that will
be made this year-are described
in a report to the Nation" made
public today by Archibald Mac
Leish, director of the Office OF
Facts and Figures.
The figures contained in the
report OF the country's war effort
are staggering. The facts should
be heartening to the American
people. The report was requested by
President Roosevelt, in a letter ad-
dressed to Mr.. MacLeish (who Is also
librarian OF Congress) under date Of
December 2. In some quarters the re-
port was regarded as an answer to
the report of the Truman committee
investigating national defense ex-
penditures recently made public,
which criticized vigorously industry,
labor and the Government.
From no source, however, has
there come heretofore so complete
q picture of the an-out effort which
Is being made by the United States
to win the war. The story Of build
ing up a tremendous defense pro-
duction capacity covers wide field,
including plants for the production
of planes and tanks, guns and ships,
and munitions Of every character.
1t deals with the construction Of
.far-flung new naval bases In the
Atlantic Ocean; with an economic
warfare" against the Axis powers Of
great proportions.
It pictures the labor effort Of the
country, declaring that 10000, 900
more workers will be employed in
the defense program before it Is
completed.
It sets a new goal for Army
strength-7,0 ,000, 900 men. It tells Of
the steps which have been taken to
deal with aliens in the country and
to prevent sabotage in defense
plants.
Mr.. MacLeish makes no effort to
deny that delays and mistakes and
waste and heavy costs have occurred
in the defense effort. He admits
them. The report, he said in letter
Of transmittal to the President, Is
In no sense an investigation.
what the country wishes to
know now Is where is stands in
relation to the work 1t has to do
what its present production capacity
OF materials of war is-what it Is
ready to accomplish"
Points to Dollar Yardstick.
After describing the various steps
taken to build up the national de-
fense production organization, end
ing with the appointment Of the
War Production Board, with Donald
M. Nelson as its head, the report
said:
'"The dollar. translated into the
tools Of war, Is one yardstiek by
which we can measure what we have
done" It pointed out that the
country was spending at an annual
rate of two billion dollars for de-
tense after the fall Of France in
July, 1910. On January 1, 1941, this
spending had risen to the rate Of
5000, 0,000 a year. In July, 1941,
shortly after the Nazis invaded Rus
sia, the country was spending at the
rate Of $10,600, 100000 for defense,
and on December l the rate of
spending had reached almost $20,-
000, 900, 900 a year.
Declaring that this "is only q
fraction OF what we must do to sur
vive as q free Nation" the report
said the spending would be stepped
up to more than $4,000, ,000, 900 a
month this year and to more than
IS ,00O, ,000, 900 month in 1943.
THAT means the mobilization OF
every available man, woman, dollar
and thing-every plant, tool, ma
chine and bit Of material to con-
tribute to our total war effort"
the report continued. Literally,
our military strength will depend
upon what we, the people, can do
without
Only Foundations Laid.
The report tells the story Of the
foundations" that have been laid
for such a total effort. "They are
good foundations" it said. '.But they
are foundations only" How hard
the war will be, how bloody, how
long and how costly will depend ION
how quickly we can erect the neces-
sary structure upon these vast
foundations.
The American Navy In 1892, as a
result Of arms limitation agreements
and "becalmed against its WILL" had
found itself approaching level be-
low Britain, below Japan and below
even France and Italy In the num-
ber Of its effective fighting ships, the
report declared. But at the begin
ming Of 1912 the Navy "had COM
pleted year Of full speed ahead on
its two-ocean program and had be-
come within the space Of few
months the strongest single sea-
borne fighting force on this planet.
The two-ocean Navy-most crucial
Of all our necessities-is underway"
When Japan struck the United
States had II battleships, and Is
more being built; z aircraft carriers,