Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-29
Report on the War

Report on the War
The Presidents speech last night
was in the nature of an informal
report to the people on the progress
of the war, and as such it covered
a good many fronts. It was pitched
to catch the ears of the people of
other countries as we'll as those here
at home-England, Canada, Italy,
Russia and China. There was grace
full commentator or encouragement
for all of them.
But for the people at home the
President chose theme for ap-
propriate emphasis at this time
the indivisibility of the fighting
front" and 1.-The home front" The
two of them, he said, "are inexorably
tied together" and everything under
taken by our armed forces abroad
depends, in large measure, upon how
we'll we carry our share of the load
at home. That cannot be stated
too often.
The President, however, Is not the
only one who is confused by what
he reads in the press, not merely
about how long the war will last but
about how things are going here at
home. Last week member of his
cabinet, Secretary Knox, held a
special press conference as a sound
ing board for the warning that we
were getting too optimistic here on
the home front over what we heard
from the fighting front, and pro-
duction was showing the adverse
effect of what Vice Admiral Horne
called the waves of optimism"
sweeping the country. The President
evidently does not share the views of
some of his production men. He
thinks we are doing all right. Ex-
pressions to the contrary will come
to as sudden termination, one
suspects, as the speeches made last
summer to the effect that I'VE are
losing the war" or I'VE can lose
the war" here at home. When the
President returned from his first
swing around the country he gave a
verbal spanking to these speakers
and they have been silent, for the
most part, ever since.
AS for the President, he is not i'm
pressed by such "immaturities" as
the statements that we are not
doing so well here at home. He drew
the parallel, however, that is needed
to sustain his conception of the
single war front on which all of us
are fighting. That is the parallel
between the soldier who endangers
his own life and the lives of his
comrades if he lays off for one
single instant" and the worker at
home whose complacency, indiffer-
ence or Stacking on the job may cost
the lives of American soldiers and
contribute to the loss of an i'm
portant battle"
Perhaps the Presidents approach
Is better one, and by linking the
fighting of the war at home and
abroad as the inseparable and single
effort needed to win this war, he
may bring a greater response than
by gloomy repetitions of the state
ment that we are lying down on the
job at home as compared with our
soldiers in battle. But having elimi-
mated the dividing line between the
'@home front" and the war front"
there are, despite our progress so
far, a good many things needing
attention here at home if they are
not to retard the advance of our
troops. These, the President said,
are being studied now and he will
report on them soon. They concern
food, manpower and other domestic
problems" some of which will receive
executive action and others will be
the subject of recommendations for
Congress, which, the President hopes,
Will do its duty
To his anxious countrymen last
night the President was positive
enough on two subjects regarding
Italy. Our terms to Italy are still
the same as our terms to Germany
and observation-disclosures surren-
der We will have no truck with
Fascism in any way, shape or man.
ner. We will permit no vestige Of
Fascism to remain" That should
be enough for that nervous element
in this country, fearful that even a
military arrangement with the King
Of Italy may soil our hands. The
more that matter is left strictly to
the responsible authorities, the
better for all concerned, especially
our soldiers at the fighting front.