Evening star., 1945-10-10

!, implication of the formleSs rubble
of Berlin and of the cities of Japan
With the continued development
Of weapons and techniques now
known to US, the cities of New
York, Pittsburgh, Detroit. Chicago,
or San Francisco may be subject
to annihilation from other conti-
nents in matter of hours.
The Navy, now the strongest in
the world, will protect our shores
against attack from any amphibi-
Gus enemy who might challenge
through the sea approaches, but
we must also now be prepared to
oppose stratospheric development
with the techniques and weapons
discussed above. 1t is clear that the
only defense against this kind of
warfare is the ability to attack We
must secure our Nation by our
selves developing and maintaining
these weapons, troops and tech
niques required to warn aggressors
and deter them from launching a
modern devastating war against
us.
i With the realization of these
facts will also come a highly dan
gerous and attractive doctrine. It
will be said that to protect itself
this Nation need only rely on its
machine power, that it will not
need. manpower.
This doctrine will be closely akin
to the doctrine of negative defense
! which destroyed France. The folly
of the Maginot Line was proved
early in the war but too late to save
France. The folly of the new doc
trine, which has already begun to
take shape in the thinking of many
Americans, would also be proved
early-but probably too late to save
America.
Manpower Continues Factor.
The only effective defense a ma
ton can now maintain is the power
of attack. And that power cannot
be in machinery alone. There must
be men to man the machines. And
there must be men to come to close
grips with the enemy and tear his
operating bases and his productive
establishment away from him before
the war can end.
The classic proof of this came in
the battle of Britain. Even with
the magnificent fighter defense of
the Royal Air Force, even with the
incredible efficiency of the fire of
thousands of antiaircraft guns,
controlled and aimed by unerring
electronic instruments, the British
Islands remained under the fire of
the Germany enemy until the final
stages of the war.
Not until the American and
British Armies crossed the Channel
and seized control of the enemy's
territory was the hail of rockets
lifted from England. Not until we
had physical possession of the
Launching sites and the factories
that produced the v weapons did
these attacks cease.
Such is the pattern of war in the
Goth century. If this Nation is ever
again at war, suffering, as Britain
did in this war, the disastrous at
tacks of rocket-propelled weapons
with explosive power like our own
atomic bomb, it will bleed and suf-
fer perhaps to the point of annihi-
Ilation, unless we can move armies
of men into the enemy's bases of
operations and seize the sites from
which he launches his attacks.
! No Easy Way to Win.
] There is no easy way to win wars
when two opponents are even re-
motely well matched. There is no
easy way to safeguard the Nation or
preserve the peace. In the imme-
diate years ahead the United Ma
!. tions will unquestionably devote
their sincere energies to the effort
to establish a lasting peace. To my
, mind there is now greater chance
of success in this effort than ever
. before In history. Certainly the
implications Of atomic explosion
will spur men of judgment as they
, have never before been pressed to
seek method whereby the peoples
, OF earth can live in peace and JUS
tice.
! However, these hopes are by no
means certainties. If man does find
the solution for world peace it will
be the most revolutionary reversal
of his record we have ever known
Our own responsibilities to these
efforts are great. Our diplomacy
must be wise and 1t must be strong
!. Nature tends to abhor weakness
The principle of the survival of the
! fit is generally recognized. If our
diplomacy is not backed by sound
security policy, it is, In my opinion
, forecast to failure.
We have tried since the birth OF
, our Nation to promote our love oil
peace by display of weakness. This
course has failed us utterly, cost us
millions of lives and billions Of
treasure. The reasons are quite un-
! derstandable. The world does moi
) seriously regard the desires OF the
; weak. Weakness presents too erea'