The Daily Alaska empire., 1943-02-01
SIZE OF ARMY FOR U. }. NOW
 UP, CONGRESS
Debate Question of 7,5OO, : 00O-Mdn Strength Be-
 fore End of Year
By HERMAN ALLEN

] b6Ddlt IldS OpA utlS oP AAA W eeoAi ington over whether the Army should continue to increase in size or be cut off before it reaches the i 7,5Oo ,o0O-man strength for wich it is slated by the end of this year. Those who propose to hold the Army down say we are reaching the point where military require ments for supplies and equipment are overbalancing our ability to produce them. Why put more men into the Army these persons ask. if we can't give them guns or par achutes-the very guns and para chutes they might themselves be producing if they were still in civil { life?
 Issue Brought Up | The question seems to have been brought out in public the first time by Pierre Cot former French avia- tion minister, before the House mil itary committee.
 "The (French) republic suffered from general industrial weakness, having a labor force only about one third as large as Germany,s I've mobilized too many men in our army and not enough in our I factories"
 Senator Johnson of Colorado commented: The United States is making the same mistakes now and we've had more time to cor rect them"
 A few days later Chairman Tru- man of the Senate defense investi- gating committee said this in a speech in Massachusetts:
 Tt will do little good to raise a huge army unless, consistently with supplying our allies with the weapons they need, we can trans port and supply our own Army overseas. It would be even more fu- l tile to raise so large an army that its attempted supply and mainten- ance will destroy essential civilian economy"
 Significant Reaction
 Reaction = and significant reac- tion- was not slow in coming
 President Roosevelt, in a press conference, said he had noted com ments that continuing to increase the armed forces would discom- bobulate the domestic economy (dis- combobulate is a favorite word o1 his) and said such a statement speaks for itself as something not popular in the midst of a serious war. He said Cots statement was amazing and that it was equally amazing that anyone in Congress should try to apply it to the United States
 | Stimson Talks Blunt l Secretary of War Stimson spoke out even more bluntly. He remind ed the public that the chief of staff, General Marshall, and his as- sistants have had access to all the ! facts in the possession of their 1 government as to our resources, our manufacturing facilities and our power to transport this army by land, sea and air
 They have had the benefit, , I he continued, "of constant confer ences with the corresponding mili- l tary and naval representatives of our great allies. Finally, in all their | decisions, these men have worked in active collaboration with, and subject to, the approval of the President of the United States" ]" Key to Situation And right there, say close Wash ington observers of the manpower problem, is the key to the whole situation. In the end whatever is done will be decided by the Presi- dent. Don't forget that he is com mander-in-ch of the Army, Navy. Marines and Coast Guard, and he has said that suggestions to cut the { size of the Army are amazing.
 Manpower Commissioner Mc- Mutt made statement at a re- cent press conference that tends to bear out the four branches of our