Evening star., 1947-06-03
A Question of Survival

Commission on Universal Training raises
but one real question: Will the people of
this country do what has to be done to
insure, so far as, that is possible, our
national survival? The answer must be in
the affirmative, for to take any other posi-
tion would be to. close our eyes to the harsh
realities of this world, to be content to sit
and wait helplessly like a charmed bird
for the day when utter disaster may over
take us.
The Presidents commission begins with
the assumption that there is a threat of
another war-a war in which the United
States would be the first and the main
target on the aggressor's list. That is an
assumption which has to be made. Some
people believe that such an attack on us
is a probability five, ten or more years
hence. Others regard it as rather remote
possibility. But in either event the danger
has to be reckoned with. For it would
be criminally foolish to hypnotize our
selves into believing that there is no
danger of surprise attack, to close our
minds to the possibility of another war
simply because we recoil in horror from
Il
experience teaches that we would merely
be inviting attack by giving the attacker
advance assurance that he will be able
to destroy us.
The commission, drawing upon the testi-
mony of the best informed civilians and
military men in this country. has given us
a preview of the scope and form of an
attack on the United States. 1t discounts
any immediate prospect of the popular
conception of push button warfare. This
lies in the future, perhaps twenty-five
years away. But as soon as any other
nation, particularly Russia, is equipped
with atomic bombs, and we may expect
that to be some time between 1851 and 1855,
the outlook will be black enough. One
f1rst-rate scientist believes that an enemy
armed with atomic bombs and long range
bombers could inflict damage upon us in
a single night comparable to all of the
damage done to Germany in three and
one-ha1f years of saturation bombing. We
should expect that probably dozen of our
largest cities would be blasted, that COM
munications would be disrupted, that the
overnight toll of dead, wounded and dying
people would run into the millions, and
that we would have to cope in the wake of
such an attack with the most serious
forms of civil disorder and sabotage.
1t cannot be emphasized too strongly
that this is not the pipe dream of some
scatterbrained alarmist. 1t Is the sober,
considered judgment of a competent group
Of men and women, and it is based on the
best evidence obtainable today. In cold
fact, it is the scene of almost inconceivable
horror that will confront us if the day OF
atomic attack ever comes.
What can be done to prepare against
such an eventuality?
The commission strongly urges bal
anced and rounded program, including
proposal for universal military training.
The program would cost great deal of
money-$1, ,75O 100000 a year But one
point is stressed in the report and it should
be impressed upon the mind of every
citizen: program of military preparation
is worthless unless it is good enough to
enable us to cope with the worst that can
be expected. If, to save money, we should
settle for a second best" military eStab-
lishment we would be throwing our money
away. For in modern warfare, and eSpe-
cially in atomic warfare the nation with
a defense organization that is good, but
not good enough, is doomed The japanese
with their second best navy and Hitler
with his second best air force learned this
lesson It ought to be obvious to us.
An inescapable conclusion is that we
must be ready on the day of attack.
Otherwise we might as well have made no
preparation for it, The committee emu
merates a number of steps toward the
end of being prepared, and every citizen
who is concerned for his own future and
the future of his children should read
them carefully
One of these steps calls for the MAIN
tenance of a striking air force-a force
charged with the crucial mission of de
tense by attack" force of this kind,
bolstered by scientific research and devel-
opment and an adequate intelligence
service. probably offers the greatest hope
that the United States will not be attacked
For If such a force is in being. properly
equipped with the newest weapons and
planes and strategically dispersed, any
aggressor would have to reckon with the
certainty of retaliatory blow which would
do incalculable damage to his own land
and his own people. No rational govern
ment, faced with the knowledge that
counterattack would be swift and devas-
tating, would ever resort to the gamble
of war.
But We have to make allowance for the
possibility that. some day the choice of
war or peace will be left to an irrational
man, or as an alternative possibility that
some unforeseen incident might precipi-
tate war In such a situation the argu-
ments for a program of universal military
training are unanswerable.
On this score the commission rejects
the contention that the techniques of
modern war have eliminated the need for