Evening star., 1945-08-02
Point Score
Continued From First Page.)

they can use against Japan.
AS Senators departed for their
homes today for a nine-week recess,
Chairman Mead of the Senate War
Investigating Committee announced
he will make personal inspection
of the troop debarkation area around
New York, to see how the men re-
turning from Europe are processed
and started across the country.
Although Senator Johnson's
speech in the closing hours of the
Senate session yesterday was the
sharpest directed at the military
leaders since redeployment began,
its reverberations probably will die
out in a day or two unless admin
istration spokesmen accept his chal-
lenge to show how many men they
could transport across the Pacific
by the end of 1916.
May Follow Up Criticism.
The Senator himself admitted to
reporters after he had finished the
speech that there is nothing more
he can do with Congress in recess.
He intimated that he might fol-
low up later. however, when he
pointed out the problem could be
reached in fixing the Army's appro-
priation.
While the War Department greet
ed the attack with official silence,
Army public relations officers called
attention to a department state
ment of May 5. in which the gen.
eral staff recommended a force of
6966,000 to crush Japan in the
shortest possible time and with the
smallest cost in American lives
"One does not need to be an ex-
pert on logistics to realize that We
can never use an Army Of or 8
million men against Japan Senator
johnson asserted. The maximum
number of men We can transport
supply and use on the japanese
front by the end of 1916 cannot be
more than 5000 900 men. Then why
in the name of common sense must
we maintain an Army of million?
1 am told the Army has approx
imatelv the same strength today it
had when Germany surrendered"
Charges Lack of Cooperation.
Senator johnson. who is the rank
ing Democrat on the Military AZ
fairs Committee, asserted that the
'Army's utter lack of cooperation"
in returning personnel to civilian
life is blind, stupid and criminal"
He said the recent statement in
indianapolis of Maj. Gen Lewis B.
Hershey, selective service director,
that the drafting of men will con-
tinue after VI day. lis the final
payotf."
Gen. Hershey should be award
ed the Congressional Medal for let
ting the cat out of the bag" Sena-
tor johnson went on. Congress has
created monster Frankenstein
that will crush this Nation unless
Congress itself calls a halt. Gen.
Hershey has put Congress on no.
tice'
While Japan is still fighting, Sen
ator johnson said, selective service
should continue to call up 18-year-
olds, but long ago it should have
ceased to draft essential workers
from industry, from the mines and
farms
Cites Blank Check Powers.
Conotnr InhncOn cold thot m
now Congress wisely has given the
military leaders blank check author
ity to obtain men and materials, but
he said this generosity. like heady
wine, has made the Army arrogant
and has distorted its perspective.
The Army has grown callous to the
critical necessities OF the country"
He asserted that, at the crest OF
the the two-front war. there were
100000 soldiers marking time" in
the United States. classed not physi-
cally fit for combat, and said they
should have been discharged the
moment Germany surrendered.
Criticizing the Army for reject
ing his first in, first out" discharge
plan, Senator johnson called the
present point system "a monstros-
ity.' Expressing his opinion that
it was not intended to work. he
said it was only created to stall,
and confuse and bewilder" /.
Sees Army Responsibility.
Chairman May of the House Mill
tary Affairs Committee said a group
of House members has been trying
for several weeks Ito convince the
War Department that extreme hard
ships on the home front are fac
ing the American people and will re-
suit in the worst crisis in the
coming winter because of the short
age of coal and perchance the lack
of food"
Whatever disaster or hardship
falls upn the people of the United
States during the coming winter will
not be the fault of Congress" Mr..
May said In an interview. THE
blame will rest squarely on the
shoulders of high officials of the
War Department who, without rea-