Evening star., 1945-07-08

The Wish Is Not Enough

LII RECOMMENDING Glldb SOllSIS SoS
act promptly in creating system
of universal military training, the
House Committee on Postwar Mill
tary Policy has so cogently sum-
married. the key reasons for such a
system that it is difficult to see how
any American can still oppose the
idea and be realistic and logical.
Based on more than two weeks of
extensive hearings, during which
churchmen, educators, labor leaders,
veterans groups and high Govern
ment authorities had ample oppor-
tunity to air the pros and cons of
the issue, the committees report
while confining itself simply to
recommendation of broad policy
makes crystal clear that the Nation
cannot safely enter the peace period
without setting up machinery to in
sure that it will never want for large
numbers of adequately trained citi-
zen-soldiers
AS the committee declares, "the
time when the citizen could over
night spring to arms, and fight and
win, is gone. Nor can he depend on
another training interval bought
with the blood and substance of
allies conveniently placed in the
aggresSors' path. He deserves
right to prepare himself to serve,
when and if future need should
come, with all the skill in modern
methods of warfare that timely and
intensive training can provide" In
other words, in view of the great
scientific and chronological develop
ments already realized and on the
way, this country no longer can
count on period of grace permit
ting it, as in the First and Second
World Wars, to correct the neglect
of its arms. Should there be major
conflict again, ten or twenty years
from now, America might well be
the first power subject to attack, in
which case lack of preparedness
could mean an all-engulfing ma
tional disaster.
Particularizing upon this general
warning, the House committee
points to certain self evident truths,
among them the following: ID That
IL we revert to our prewar state of
unpreparedness, we shall not only
be gambling with our own security,
but shall also be gravely weakening
the international organization whose
effectiveness in preserving peace
will depend primarily on the ability
of the member nations to discharge
their responsibilities, by joint use of
force, if necessary, and (2) that it
would not be feasible, that it would
be too costly and that it would be
against our American tradition for
us to maintain large standing armed
forces.
Accordingly, as the House commit
tee rightly sees 1t, the United States
must keep its manhood constantly
prepared for service under condi-
tions of modern warfare-a demo-
cratic system applicable to rich and
poor alike and operated in such
way as to cause the least interfer-
ence with the normal education and
careers Of the youths affected by the
program. In this connection, the
committee makes a point of en-
phasizing that such system would
not be "peacetime conscription."
Under it no one would be indicted
into the Army or Navy; all would
merely be called for year of train
ing, after which they would be men,
bers of an enlisted reserve subject
to orders only in case of national
emergency.
1t is the heartfelt wish of all men
and nations of good will that the
next peace will be an enduring one.
But the wish is not enough in itself
to achieve the reality Only by
keeping strong will the nonagressor
powers check the potential aggres-
sorS of the future. Only by keeping
strong-and that means universal
military training along with con-
tinuing research and constant i'm
provement of our arms-can the
United States properly serve its own
security and the security of the
world. AS the House committee
recommends, Congress should act
upon the matter at the earliest pos
Sible date.