Evening star., 1949-11-11
Military Leaders Urge
Strong Defense 10
Prevent New War
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY the Assoeioted Press
The Nations top military lead
ers today urged Americans to keep
their armed forces powerful and
thus help avoid q third world war.
They spoke at Armistice Day
observances across the Nation, as
the world marked the 31st ami
varsary of the close of World War
1.-The war to end wars"
Secretary of Defense johnson
set the tone with a speech at st.
Louis in which he declared that
weakness breeds war and that
strength commands respect and
discourages war"
In q talk at Greenville, N. c.,
Secretary of the Army Gray
placed the probable ultimate cost
to this country Of World War II
at one trillion dollars and added
that the United States must stay
strong to avoid future conflict.
Symington Also Weighs Cost.
Secretary of Air Symington
weighed the cost of the Second
World War in terms Of men and
resources, as well as dollars, and
said I'VE must do everything in
our power to prevent occurrences
of those international disasters
called World Wars" He ad-
dressed q meeting at Welch,
w. Va.
Secretary johnson. in his
speech, recalled how he saw Armi-
stice Day come while he was in
the Army in Europe.
To-day" he said. I'VE have none
Of the delusions we had on our
first Armistice Day. Today we
have accepted the meaning Of the
word 'armistice' in its literal sense
the cessation of physical COM
bate" He added:
1--WE accept Armistice Day as
worthy of celebration but
we also take it as a day of notice,
notice to us that though the guns
be stilled, the fight for the right
and the light against the evil and
the dark is everlasting and de-
mands eternal vigilance"
Discusses Unification.
Turning to the subject of serv-
Ice uniflcation and economy, Sec
retary johnson said:
In the Department of Defense
we have already effected a num-
Der of economies and we will con-
tinue to make many others until
we are wholly convinced that the
fat and gravy have been removed
from military and naval opera
tionS.
But in this necessary process,
we have not, and shall not, in any
way weaken our defenses.
I'VE will not close a single base,
discharge a single civilian en-
ploye, or change any role or mis-
sion Of the Army. Navy or Air
Force unless we become convinced
that by doing so we shall improve
the capacity of our defense team
20 Qe1en0 America.
Secretary Gray said, a mill
tarily strong United States might
discourage another war precipi-
tated by an aggressor-or might
insure victory if war comes.
Wants Universal Training.
Secretary Gray declared that
the Army still wants two steps
taken to assure its strength:
/. Retention of the draft act on
the statute books instead of let
ting it expire next year. 1Es
2. Adoption of a universal mill
tary training system.
Secretary Gray said the initial
outlay for World War was about |
$27, ,0o0, ,000, 900, while its eventual
cost was estimated by President
Calvin Coolidge at about $780,
00o, ,00o,0 900.
Within a few years, he said.
the cost of World War I had
reached nearly half the total
President Coolidge had forecast.
He added:
1.-The initial cost Of our partici-
patton in World War II was about
$3.50 900 100000 or 13 times as
great as the first war.
'It has been estimated that the
ultimate cost of this war, includ-
ing expenditures already made
and commitments already as
sumed, will total IA hundred bill
lion dollars"
He included in the war cost
such items as recovery and oc-
cupation expenses, veterans pay
ments and interest on bonds.
Eichelberger Attacks Rupssia.
1t. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger,
retired, former commander of the
9th Army in the Pacific compaign
and now a civilian consultant for
the Army Department, had some
sharp words for the Soviet Unions
Far Eastern policies.
In his address at a Cleveland
meeting, Gen. Eichelberger dis
cussed "our late friend, Russia, :"
and said Japan would be a great
prize" to the Communists.
Japan is the industrial power
house Of the Far East with a
know-how and industrial potential
that lacks only raw material" he
asserted.
If linked by the Reds to the