Evening star., 1947-06-02
Nation Warned
To Train Youth
For Atomic War
No Safe Alternative
Exists, Committee
BIuntIy Tells u. S.
By Miriom Gutenberg

The Nation was warned today
that compulsory training of all
young men, as part of security
program costing billions of dol
lars, was an urgent military
necessity" in this insecure world.
The blueprint for American Sc
curity. submitted by President Tru-
mans Advisory Commission on
Universal Training, emphasized that
time is short" and our military
forces are now a hollow shell"
Despite the urgency of the report,
comment from lawmakers indicated
that only the part of the Commits
sion's recommendations dealing with
unihcation of the armed forces may
get action this season. The Repub-
lican Policy Committee today for
mally gave the unification bill a
place on the COP program for SEN
ate floor debate at this session, but
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio
expressed doubt that it could be
taken up before July.
No Time for Other Issues.
Spokesman for both parties, even
those who looked favorably on the
universal training proposal, said
there would be no time to act on the
program at this session.
President Truman will transmit
the commissions report to Congress
probably some time this week, White
House Press Secretary Charles G..
Ross told reporters today. He said
it was not yet decided whether Mr..
Truman would send a special mes
sage with the report.
Mr.. Ross told questioners it was
not possible for him to say whether
the President approved every specific
recommendation made by the COM
mission, but that Mr.. Truman is on
record in favor of the principle of
universal training.
The commission urged a $1,750,-
00o000-a-year universal training
program for the Nations 18-year-
olds. 1t emphasized that such train
ing was not cheap or easy ticket
to security" but only part of an
overall program to discourage ag-
gressors.
Rapid Demobilization Criticized.
The nine-member commission,
headed by President Karl T. Comp
ton of Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, never mentioned pos
sible aggressors by name but made
several unmistakable references to
Soviet policy.
The report was sharply critical
of the speed of rehabilitation in
this country. It warned that "the
precipitate drop in our state of
military readiness will have the
inevitable effect of encouraging
those to whom weakness on the
part of peace-loving nations is a
passport to aggression"
In analyzing every phase of the
Nations preparedness and lack of it.,
the commission called for immediate
uniflcation of the armed forces as
matter OF extreme urgency"
To justify a national security pro-
gram of admittedly staggering"
costs, the commission drew a grim
picture of how war might come
suddenly and devastingly to an un-
prepared America.
Security Is Discussed.
The commission viewed with hor-
ror" the need for spending billions
of dollars on the upkeep Of our mill
tary establishment, but recognized
that the alternative weakness Is an
invitation to determination"
For from four to ten years, the
commission said, this country can
expect immunity from "sneak at
tacks'' because we alone possess the
atomic bomb.
On the other hand, the report
added. the United States could be-
come involved in war at any time
through the aggressive tactics of
some nation against its neighbors
in a distant part of the world" or
through the efforts of an outside
country to gain foothold in Latin
America.
TT is clear" the commission de-
clared, that we shall live in a
dangerous world for a long time to
come, and world made more dan
gerous by the fact that it is now
so small. No one can tell in such a
world where or when enemies of
the United States will arise in the
future"
Among a score of specific recon-
mendations, the commission as
serted that the United States must
(See SECURITY, Page A-4.J.