The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1950-12-28

We are told that the Germans, the
French, the Italians, will put up a
strong resistance. There is no reason
at present for thinking so. The peo-
pie of these countries will only fight
to win IL they believe they can win,
and they will only believe they can
win If they see the United States
strength fully modified and ex-
! tended.
! IL Is America that must save Amer
lea. American aircraft. American
industry, American production,
American men and women fighting
for victory in war Of survival. The
nations with which we are allied
are faint-hearted. War has wearied
them. MuItitudes of their people
have given up; they do not believe
in us, they do not believe in any
thing. They are in despair. II is
our courage that must save them
not their courage that can save us.
They see what most Americans
are blind to; that it is not certain
that we can even defend the CONT
mental United States. They remem-
Der what we have forgotten: that
wars are not won by dollar approp-
riatlons but by force in being They
know that we shall not win com
mand Of the skies by airplanes on
drafting boards, but only by those
that we can put into the air. Far
better than most Americans, they
know how imminent is our danger.
They are waiting to see how we
use our time-~not counted in years,
but in months and weeks. They know
the time is now.
/ CAN TELL YOU that good has
come of the defeat in Korea to the
extent that we have lost some of our
blindness. 1t is terrible thing that
your best friend had to die for this.
But that is the way the world Is,
and it is useless being bitter about
it, We tried TO win war in Korea
without having what it takes to win;
If we understand this fact and act
upon it, it may save us. But we shall
have to do better than we are doing
now.
We shall have to realize what our
peOple--yes, and most of our leaders
too seem unable or unwilling to
realize. There can be blood on the
| snow in America, not just next win
ter but this winter. 1t is something
that the country would wake up to
astonished and stunned, just as 1T has
to Korea. Our civilian defense, our
: provision for disaster control, are al.
, most nOnexistent. Tasks like these
immediate and urgent, are being sci
aside for squabbles.
We are not doing well. / have tc
tell you this, simply because it il
: true. But / can also say that We
, doing better than we were, largely
because of Korea. If we are saved
; we shall owe it to your friend who
was killed--to him and all who have
died in Korea. We shall owe it tc
, you, too, and the miseries you are
undergoing. This is what you must
. understand, my friend, and let il
melt away some Of your bitterness
, You must know that soldiers die
, not only because there is evil in the
world, but also because there is
i blindness and stupidity Nor is this
!; all. War comes because people are
too hopeful, because they are gener-
Gus and do not recognize their enc
mics.
That is why your church has given
you so little that helps you The
). churchmen have not understood
They have thought that war was
something that could be cured as a
thing in itself, instead of as part of
everything that ais US.
Some of the churchmen are now
trying to decide whether the atom
bomb is more immoral than bomb
made of INT. The only comment on
this controversy that would make
sense to you or me is that of Prof.
Robert M. Hawkins of Vanderbilt
University School of Religion: "Any
weapon is inhumane," he says, "and
| would rather be blown up with an
atom bomb than bayonetted."
i He is exactly right. "Any weapon
is inhumane" War always was, is
now and always will be cruel, bar
i barous, sickening and revolving.
Atomic energy, because it repre-
sents a towering achievement of
science, a new dimension of human
possibility, is especially repugnant
to US when used as an instrument of
disaster. We are in the grip of evil
necessity and it does no good to dis