The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1943-12-17
FACING
The
F ACTS
With PHILIP PEARL

birthday party during their talks
at Heheran. The party was conducted
in the Russian style, which means
there were plenty of toasts. After the
participants had paid each other the
customary personal compliments,
Stain arose with uplifted glass and
said:
sWithout American machines the
United Nations never could have won
the war"
AS the New York Times despatch
commented-"He should know"
We think the American people
should know, too. And we think they
should know that these machines of
war were made and are being made
by American workers with fantastic
ingenuity and miraculous speed
This is being written on the second
anniversary of Pearl Harbor and the
occasion presents a natural opportun-
ity to look back on the road we have
travelled and judge the progress we
have made in the war effort since the
day when the Axis struck its first
treacherous blow against America.
The Record Speaks
What do we find?
We find that the battle of produc-
tion has been won.
We find that because this battle has
been won America and her Allies
have been able to take the offensive
in the war and push back the enemy
to the point where final victory is now
assured to the United Nations.
Let's examine the production pic
ture little more closely to see why
Stain is so enthused and why we can
justifably feel proud of the record of
American labor.
We are now producing fighting
planes at rate fifteen times higher
than in the pre-Pearl Harbor period.
That comparison is in point of num-
bers alone. 1t doesn't tell the whole
story. Our pre-war planes were most
ly small trainers. Today we are con-
centrating on heavy bombers and are
producing fighter planes which dwarf
the tiny craft of pre-war days. That
makes our accomplishments all the
more remarkable. These American
planes have helped to win the battle
of the air over Europe. They have
smashed the Jap Navy and driven it
into hiding. They will bomb the way
clear for the final push against Ger
many and Japan which may bring
about victory in 1914.
Planes without supplies are help
less. Therefore, America was forced to
engage in shipbuilding on an unheard-
of scale. What are the results? We
are producing more ships in two days
now than in a whole month before
Pearl Harbor. We have exceeded the
"a million-ton quota for 1942-1943 be-
fore the time limit expired. Our
troops and supplies are being moved
to the fighting fronts efficiently and
speedily
How about fighting ships? Secre-
tary of the Navy Knox reports that
the American Navy, as of JAN l, 1943
has been doubled in size during the
first eleven months of this year. That
spells the end of the U-boats and the
Japs.
When Tanks Were A Label
What about tanks and guns and
ammunition? These items have ceased
to be a problem. Remember the early
days of the war when our troops in
maneuvers were SO short of tanks
that they had to use trucks labeled
Tank? That futile, frightening con-
dition is over America is now pro-
ducing more tanks, guns and ammu.
milton than is needed by our own
armed forces and those of the United
Nations.
War construction was tremendous
problem, too, at the time of Pear
Harbor. We needed camps to train oul
soldiers, new airfelds to train pilots
new factories to produce munitions
new shipyards to build fleet OF
ships. This program presented the
greatest construction job the nation
ever undertook. It's practically 6
thing of the past now. 1t was com
pleted in all essential particulars long
ahead of schedule Construction now
is almost at a standstill, because
there's no more to be done.
These are some of the tremendous
feats of labor achieved by American
workers in the short space of twt
years. In the alarming days aftel
Pearl Harbor, when it looked a!
though the mere task of conversion tt
war production would take eternity
scarcely anyone dared hope we coult
get so far so soon. People then were
talking about "too little too late" Yo,
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