Evening star., 1942-08-11
Lee and Patterson
Discuss Cargo Plane
Program on Forum
Senator Coils for Action,
War Undersecretory
Cites Combot Needs


construction program for cargo
carrying airplanes was discussed on
the National Radio Forum last
night, with Senator Lee, Democrat,
of Oklahoma, declaring that sea
borne freight is too slow method
of supplying blitzkrieg armies" and
Undersecretary of War Robert P,
Patterson warning that cargo planes
will never replace ships
The forum. arranged by The Star,
is heard weekly over the Blue Net
work. and originates in the studios
of WMAL.
Warning of the high rate of
shipping losses from submarine at
tacks, Senator Lee said the convoy
route by way of Norway to Muir
mansk has become a graveyard for
conveys"
This is % a dark picture. but !
challenge anybody to dispute these
statements. Now we can either con-
tinue in a grim race with death to
see if we can build ships faster than
Hitler can sink them or we can
divert the material which is going
into these surface ships to the con-
struction, first, of cargo carrying
aircraft which can fly over the
submarines, and second. to the
construction of cargo-carrying sub
marines which can dive under the
enemys torpedoes.
Both Plans Called Practical.
Both of these plans are proven;
both are practical; neither one Is
experimental
If we are to get more troops
abroad If we are to add to the sup
plies of our allies, Senator Lee said.
we must increase our capacity for
delivering weapons. He said that
Hitler was spending much to gain
control Of the Caucasus oil fields
with the knowledge that when he
holds those fields, Allied oil must
be shipped from America and the
ships will be targets for his sub
marines. Ships with speeds of 10
miles an hour are not suitable COM
panions for an Army Air Force with
a striking force of 300 miles per hour,
he said.
Senator Lee said he agreed with
Army and Navy officials that mate
rails needed for construction of war;
planes should not be diverted to
cargo planes, but added that II do
not agree with the defeatist attitude
that we cannot get any more mate
rials for the construction of a great
fleet of cargo planes
Production Plans Outlined.
Mr.. Patterson outlined the pro-
duction plans of the Army, and
said these plans called for use of all
available amounts of many kinds
of materials used in planes. He
cautioned against disrupting the
production plan for military planes.
I'VE cannot expect to get an ad-
ditional production of thousands of
transport planes of phenomenal
size this year or next year, and our
people should not get their hopes
up to expect any such miracles"
he said.
1t would be "step backwards" to
convert production from combat to
cargo planes, Mr.. Patterson said,
urging instead that more aluminium,
magnesium, nickel and other ma
terials be found for the manufac-
ture OF planes.
The Army and Navy have as
their objective the Presidents pro-
gram of $4,000 planes in 1912 and
5000 in 1913, Mr.. Patterson said,
reminding the radio audience that
the program Is stiff one, as you
will realize when you consider that
this country produced 5000 air
planes of military and transport
type in 1940.'
Won't Take Place of Ships.
The plane building program Is
divided into three phases-combat
transport and training-he pointed
out. To make a sudden accelera-
ton of the transport or cargo type
of plane would throw the whole
program out of gear. While the
Allies need more transport planes,
he admitted, transport planes cam
not operate unless control of the
air is first won and maintained by
combat planes.
Warning that there is no sure and
easy way to end the war, Mr.. Pat
terson closed his address with the
following summary:
Let me sound another note of
caution. Transport planes, valuable
as they are, will not entirely re-
place ships to carry feright for
many years to come, if ever. They
can supplement what ships are do
ing, but will not take the place Of
ships. We need both. We there
fore must not relax our efforts to
build merchant ships, nor must we
relax in our warfare against the
German submarines
And we will do we'll not to get
into a frame of mind where we re-
gard the production of more trans
port planes as sure and easy way
to win the war. There is no sure
and easy way to win the war. VIC
tory will take hard and steady fight
ing on the part of our fighting
forces, those who 60 into combat on
land, in air, and on water. And it
will take hard and steady work on
the part of the rest of us to give our
fighting men the weapons they
need"
War bonds are an investment in
Americas future. Nothing in the
world Is safer tpday Ruy,