Imperial Valley press., 1945-05-07

the pltter school of military disaster
just now wrong their intuitive fueh-
Ier was when he assured them the
united States could never become
as President Roosevelt promised il
Would-an arsenal of democracy
IN What then looked like a dictator's
world.
Since July /, 1910, the foes of de-
mocracy have seen and felt the
united States - starting practically
from scratch except for a one-ocean
navy-build UP the greatest triple
threat military machine the world
has ever known.
They have seen the United States
10 feed this machine the supplies
and ammunition it requires, throw
INTO high gear the greatest indus
trial force of all history.
INCOMPATIBLE AIR FORCE
In the four years since it en-
parked on program of defense, >
the United States has increased the
size of its army 81 times, tripled
the surface striking power of what
Is now an all-ocean navy and Gre
ated a combined air force incom-
parable in the annals of modern
war
And while accomplishing this the
United States from, March, 1941,
through May, 1914, has contributed
thirty billion dollars worth of lend
lease weapons, materials, food and
services to its fighting allies all over
the world.
The United States, for the first
time in its peace time history,
adopted conscription for military
service in September, 1910, a year
and two months before it was
plunged into war by the Japanese
at Pearl Harbor.
In the years which followed the
United States recruited or drafted
100000 men into its armed forces
and gave them the best training
and tools of war American fighting
men ever had. Supporting this war
machine on the home front was d
gigantic army of men and women
workers, an army which in May,
1914, numbered 51,960,000 civilians.
SPARED NO EXPENSE
From the start of the national de-
fense program through the war
years which followed, the United
States expended its treasure and
brains and muscle at a rate un-
equaled in all its history before.
On March %, 1899, when the
clouds were gathering over Europe,
an anxious congress took what it
considered drastic step-it passed
a $3580O0,000 emergency defense
bill" which would give the army
5000 planes and make it "the most
potent aerial force in the nations
history"
A year later, with Eureope ablaze,
the government was setting out to
spend S., 100000 for defense, and
from that time on expenditures
pyramided annually, Treasury rec
ords of defense and war spending
give this picture of a nation becom-
ing in truth the arsenal of de-
mocracy:
1940-S1, $50 ,00O,0 600;
1941-$6,3 ,301 ,000, COO;
1942-$26, oil 100000:
1943-$72, ,1O9 100000;
1944E$87, ,039 100000;
TAXES SCARED
In the face of such expenditures,
Americans gave their tax dollars
and bought war bonds by the bill
lions. Treasury net receipts records
tell this story of rising taxes:
1940-S5, ,924 1886, 900;
1941-S7, ,6O7 7212, 600.
1942-$12,799, ,062 900;
1943-S22, ,281 SAB GOO;
19i4-$44,148,927 900:
1945-$45, 700, ,OC0, COO (estimated.)
In addition to these tax payments.
Americans in five huge war loan
drives through mid-1944 bought S87,-
700,C00,CC0 worth of war bonds. ex-
ceeding the goals set by $50, 700, ,OOO,-
600.
Even so. expenditures climbed
faster and faster until the national
debt in August, 1914, has passed the
astronomical figure, meaningless to
he average citizen, of $210,0O0, ,OOO.-
900.
These expenditures caused vast
plants to spring up where only open
spaces had been. They turned small
family-size factories into great
sprawling industries ploying
thousands of men and women. They
converted existing industrial giants
into industrial mammoths. They
mleaShed all the productive force
Of the nations richest nation.
1t was as though the entire coun-
try had adopted the motto hanging
IN the office of 1t. Gen. Somervell.
chief of Army supply forces, a motto
which read:
I'VE do the impossible immedi-
ately. The miraculous takes little
longer"
SERVICES MUSHROOMED
The Army and Navy mushroomed.
At the start of the defense pro-
gram, the Army had 242 200 officers
and men 1890, aircraft and hardly
enough modern weapons to be
worth the counting. The air corps
totaled 57l40 men. of whom 5000
were pilots.
In August, 1914, the Army had T.
100000 officers and men. More than
100000 of them, a force twice the
size OF the AEF in World WAR /.
were already overseas; and 1000 900
more were scheduled to reach for
elgn battle theaters by the years
end.
In mid-1944 the Army had more
than 10000 planes and an air force
OF 100000 men, including more
than 100000 pilots. 1t had multiple
thousands Of every kind of modern