Evening star., 1945-10-25
II Million Men Seen
Available as Reserves
Young Enough for War Duty for
Five Years, Says Writer
By Dapid Laurence

services. They will be young enough for
duty for another five years at least.
Then why all the hurry to get a uni
versal military training bill passed now?
This question is being asked on Capitol
Hill and doubtless throughout the coun-
try. President Truman was aware Of
1t and tried to answer the point In his
message to Congress by saying:
"At the present time we have the
necessary organization, the required
camp installations and the essential
equipment and training grounds imme-
diately available for use in a training
program. Once we disband and scatter
this set-up, 1t will be much harder and
more expensive to re-establish the neces-
sary facilities
This comment-which has, of course,
the War Department flavor, because it
has been issued heretofore repeatedly in
long series of statements by Army
officials and others-merely means that
the military men want to be assured of
their status in the armed services. They
would like to remain generals and
colonies and not step back in rank, at
lower pay, as is usually the case when
the military services are diminished in
size after war.
More Jobs for Officers.
If the universal military training pro-
gram goes through, it will require that
more commissioned officers be retained
on active duty than would otherwise be
the case. So it is understandable that
the military groups should insist that
1t is better TO maintain the present
organization and not disband it.
Mr.. Truman takes note Of another
phase of the same argument against
delay when he says:
1T has been suggested in some quar-
tiers that there should be no universal
military training until the shape of the
peace is better known, and until the
military needs of this country can be
estimated and our commitments under
the United Nations organization can be
determined. But it is impossible today
to foresee the future. 1t is difficult at
any time to know exactly what our re-
sponsibilities will require in the way of
force. We do know that if we are to
have available a force when needed the
time to begin preparing is now. The
need exists today-and must be met to-
day."
1t seems, of course, incredible that
the President of the United States i'm
mediately after the close of the most
horrible war in history-a war fought
to destroy militarism and set up an
international organization to preserve
peace-should be saying that it is i'm
possible to foresee the future and that
he doesn't really know what our re-
sponsibilities will require in the way
of force"
Clearly there would appear to be
little faith in the United Nations or
ganization and little faith in the ca
pacity of the moral forces of the world
to keep peaceful nations from develop
ing enmities against one another. But
there is also another phase of the
uncertainty which Mr. Truman omits
to mention.
Who Won the War?
Ever since the atomic bomb was drop
ped, high officers of the Army and
Navy have been telling us that this
didn't really win the war and that
Japan was actually beaten before the
bomb was dropped The Russian press
insists the atomic bomb was superfiuous
and that RusSia's entry really turned
the scales.
Spokesman for the Army Air Forces
are broadcaSting claims that the Air
Forces won the war by bombing, even
before the atomic bomb was dropped.
Navy men point out that seapower won
the war against Japan because the
bases from which the bombs were DROP
ped were taken by the Navy and
Marine Corps, assisted in some instances
by grounds troops of the Army.
Certainly nobody has come forth to
make case for large ground army.
In fact, considerable sum of the tax
payers money is being used by different
services inside the War Department to
put over the idea that the Air Forces
won the war. 1t is most unfortunate
that the ground troops which fought
their way so brilliantly across France
and into Germany and the artillery and
tank forces haven't as effective press
agents today clamoring for recognition
for them. The public is left with the
impression that ground armies are
really of secondary Importance, If not
altogether obsolete.
Yet in the face of such impressions
created by high placed military men
themselves. the urgency is for immediate
passage of peacetime conscription.
For, however much that name may be
denounced, the universal military train
ing plan certainly isn't the volunteer
system. And few members of Congress
are willing to maintain draft boards to
keep on drafting l8-year-olds to fight
an Imaginary war.
Maybe a year or two from now when
the military needs of the United States
can be better estimated, some plan for
universal service on a volunteer
basis may be justified in connection with
instruction in the high schools and COL
leges-that is, under civilian jurisdic-
tion. But in the meantime, nothing Is
lost because there are 100000 re-
serves available for any emergency for
at least five years.
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