Evening star., 1950-12-31
Anticipates the Worst
In Clash With Soviets
Writer Would Bring Home
CiviIions in Germany
By Frunk R. Kent

AS the year 1851 begins, the state of
the Nation seems almost incredibly bad.
Perhaps as the months pass unity may
be achieved and leadership developed.
But, as of now. great crisis has arisen
and from whatever angle viewed our
inadequacy seems appallingly evident.
1t is all very well to talk about the duty
of strengthening the national morale.
But there also is the duty Of facing
realities. This we have not been doing
at all and every attempt to make us
do so seems to promote discord and
dissension. The attitude of the Soviet
Republic and its satellite states toward
us and our attitude toward them have
become so openly and vehemently
hostile that a titanic and catastrophe
clash threatens.
If the grand smash comes we cannot
of course, permit our faith in the ulti-
mate triumph of America to be shaken,
but there is no sense now in trying to
paint bright picture. In Korea the
great bulk of our military land strength
and the bulk of our Navy and Air Force
are engaged In hot, costly and ap-
parently hopeless war against the
Chinese Communists, whose cause is
savagely championed by the Soviets in
the United Nations. Because of the
Russians the efforts of that organization
to avert aggression and promote peace
are dismayingly feeble. 1t is rounding
out f1ve-year record of almost COM
plete Illustration so far as progress
toward its great goal is concerned. The
continued vicious and terrific Russian
propaganda against us, together with
Soviet acts of unprovoked aggression,
have compelled us to recognize the
menace of third world war, in which
the survival of the Nation is at stake
There, of course, is nothing to do ex-
cept see 1t through to the end with the
minimum of waste and blundering we
can manage and an inflexible determina-
tion not to weaken no matter what the
odds. In this connection there is one
great basic fact which protrudes-to wit,
our shocking military feebleness. This is
not only admltted-it is proclaimed.
AS for the Western front in Europe,
we have already told the world that if
the Russians attack, we and our Allies
are in no position to make a successful
resistance. We would be overrun They
outnumber us in equipped divisions, in
tanks and in airplaneS-in everything
but the atom bomb, and they have that
in numbers about which we can only
guess. So, what it amounts to is this
we are now unprepared to cope with an
attacking Communist China IN Asia or
an attacking Russian Army in Europe.
Nor will we be prepared for year and
half to two years. The question then
arises, if these are the facts-and t., ~
are not disputed-and if, as most belle, e,
the fixed Russian purpose is to o. j.
throw our Government by violence I'D
destroy the capitalistic system ct..l-
pletely, why does she not attack now?
Our intelligence about the real Rus
sian intentions is so negligible as to
leave us nothing to do but guess. The
one sure thing is that we cannot afford
to take a chance. 1t is just ordinary
common sense to prepare for the wo. st.
In brief. we should assume that an at
tack is imminent and inevitable and
use every ounce of strength and every
hour we have to meet it. There is now
no excuse for disunity and poor leader
ship. There is no excuse for inefhciency
and politics. Every possible protective
step should be taken. One very obvious
one is the step to remove from Germany
the wives and children of American
soldiers who obviously would be unable
to reach safety in the advent Of Soviet
attack. We are no longer an army of
occupation there. AS rapidly as possible
we are becoming an army of defense A
bill to send home these dependents was
introduced in the House last week by
Representative Burnside. of West Vir-
ginia. 1t should be passed.