Evening star., 1946-11-15
Politicians Will Write
Defense Budget Again
Mishandlins Of Funds Costly
in Lives of American Youth
By David Laurence

<
in Lives of American Youth
By David Laurence
Many American mothers and fathers
will be interested in what happens to
the budget Of the Army, Navy and Air
Forces In the coming Congress. For the
experience OF this country has been
costly-in lives-due to mishandling of
military appropriations before.
The fact that from 1870 to 1889, under
both Republican and Democratic admin
istrations, politicians nxed the amount :
that should be spent on national safety
Is imprinted on the grayestones OF thou
sands Of American boys who might be
alive today.
The war against Japan cost heavily
because the United States did not pre-
pare for 1t and because the Congress
never received from the military services
their real recommendations but only
what the Director of the Budget or the
President allotted to them or permitted
them to request
Thus, for example, on the subject Of
fortifying Guam, the American Navy
knew all along it should have been forti-
ned but high officers were told they had
better not ask for the appropriation be-
cause Congress wouldn't grant it.
Naval Ofiicers MuzxIed.
Hence 1t is correct to say that con-
gress never voted on the measure, but
it Is also unfortunately true that naval
officers were muzzled and the real needs
OF American defense were not revealed.
In sense the same situation will OBJ
tain shortly. For the politicians are
about to write the defense budget-poli.
ticians IN the Democratic and Repub-
lican Parties in Congress and the politi-
clans IN and around the White House.
It remains now to be seen whether the {
military and naval men will dare to 8
speak out, even at the cost of their posts.
II they feel that the defenses of the
United States are about to be weakened
by unreasonable cuts in the military and ),
naval budgets.
Unhappily some of the military men
themselyes-particularly individuals in
the Army and the Army Air Forces
have succumbed already to the political
approach. They are talking Of single
defense department and a single defense
budget on the theory that only a certain
lump sum Is available and must be di-
vided by some military genius like the
director of the budget, who presumably
viii know exactly how much each service
shall be given.
This Is contrary to the manner ii,
which defense budgets have heretofore
been prepared. In the past, the Army
has stated its minimum needs, the Navy
has stated what 1t required, and the
Ar Forces, as the newest member of
the military establishment, has made its
own separate requests.
Each Has Part to Play.
The truth is that each of these three
services has part to play in the de-
Tense OF America. It is not composite
force and is not likely to be for many
years to come. because it cannot be
trained as such for long time Each
service knows how to contribute to the
defense of the United States. But to-
say to each that the principle Of ma
tional safety must be compromised on
some sort OF log-rolling basis as between
the services Is to say that the Navy can
be SO per cent efIicient, the Army SO
per cent and the Air Forces SO per cent.
This might be the result Of some arbi.
trary cutting OF the budget on q theo-
retical basis, but 1t also might mean
that the efficiency Of the entire military
establishment Is forced down far below
the so per cent mark.
What the American people want Is
safety-not so per cent chance Of
safety. They depend on their military
leaders to say what is needed for de-
tense. The moment politicians who
want to reduce income taxes, or politi-
clans who want to increase other
expenditures in their favorite fields at
the expense of the Army, Navy and Air
Forces enter the picture. there can be
no assurance that the national defense
win be protected.
Each budget should be reviewed on the
basis Of what each branch of the armed
services feels is necessary in the light Of
State Department policy. If this means
that income taxes cannot be reduced as
far as the politicians promised, the
American people win not be as much
disturbed as they would be by the knowl-,
edge that America has learned nothing
from the '20s and sos and Is about to
weaken the armed services in the face
Of world conditions which are by no
means as settled as they were before
1888 or 1884. A lump sum for all serv-
ices sounds simple. but 1t can spell the
disintegation Of the entire military
establishment, for there can be no
compromise as between security and,
insecurity d
Rsproduetion Rights Reserved9 s.