Evening star., 1950-07-03
Truman Cant Afford
To Hesitate Now on
Mobilization Plans
Volunteer Reserves
Moy Be CoIled to
Active Duty This Week
Bp David laurence

Actiye Duty lniS week
By David Laurence
Immediate mobilization of Amer
lean armed forces on a limited
but gradually growing scale is the
only certain answer that has been
devised here to meet effectively
the contingency that Soviet Rus
sia may already be in the process
of starting a third World War.
President Truman courageously
showed the world in general and
Russia in particular last week
that he would not wait for Con-
gress before ordering our armed
forces to repel attack against
American interests anywhere.
But this is only a part Of the
answer that must be developed tc
the big question which our high
est officers have been debating
now for, several days: Is the So.
Wet government = operating al
ready on a timetable which call
for involvement of America il
local crises in widely separatee
areas of the world in order tx
pave the way for minimum resist
ance to a Communist marcf
across Europe in September or ths
autumn months?
No amount of crystal-ball gaz-
ing or guessing or conference con.
versation will assure the security
Of the United States. Only a mo.
bilization now will be playing Il
safe" against an aggressor who
moves in devious ways stimulating
local wars and causing tension ir
Berlin, Iran, Turkey, and Greece
without fear of an atom-bomb at
tack because of a well-planned
program.
It is reasoned that the Soviets
would avoid giving America pro-
vocation to drop atomic bombs at
the outset, knowing full well that
once Italy and France are infil-
trated, and the march is started
across Europe, the danger of hurt
ing Allied peoples will be so great
as to cause America to hesitate to
be the first to use atom bombs
on civilian populations especially
in the face of threats by Russia
to drop them on London and Paris
and Rome.
Situation Summarized.
The foregoing can be said te
summarize the thoughts expressed
by competent men in military cir
cles here as the whole situation
takes on a gravity scarcely re-
allied by people outside Washing.
ton.
For the truth is that the
United States cannot wait til
Russia strikes first and then au.
thorize the President to order 6
mobilization which would con,
sumo at least 80 days of valuable
time. This might be very costly
in lives.
Much less expensive in the Ions
run would be a limited mobiliza.
: tion at once, which could make
Europe secure against attack. De-
!. mobilization would presumably
not be ordered again until after
/ the Red army had demobilized
and an assurance of peace hac
8 come to Europe.
The first step in a limited mo-
) bilization may come this week. II
would be call for volunteer re.
serves" to active duty at once
This is imperative if the Navy, fol
example. is to get the personne
: to man the ships needed this very
month.
Gen. Macarthur is an abb,
commander and has plenty of au.
thority, but he has limited force
I at hand in the Far East. He ha.
no trained amphibious forces
The U. S. Marines are at Sar
Diego, all packed up ready to sail
and will be invaluable as rein.
forcements for Gen. Macarthur;
troops, especially ifNthe Chimes,
Communists start sending theil
} hordes into North Korea.
More aircraft carriers must b,
put into commission at once S,
as to begin ferrying fighter plane
and tactical airplanes across tn
Pacific to reinforce or replace tn
planes OF the U. s. Air Force whicl
already have been lost or dam
aged. The B-29s are fine for high
level strategic bombing, but the
do not do low-level bombin
against tanks and moving troops
Questions Being Asked.
Ships must be gotten out o
"mothballs" Immediately, thougl
no such orders had been given III
to today at least. It takes weeks
not days-to transport men an,
supplies across the Pacific.
Already questions are bein,
asked as to why, when it cost
only SIS million year to operat,
and maintain a middle-sized car
Srier OF the Essex type. there ar,
only three in commission out O
the rs available. These three SUD.
plement the\ three of the Cora
Sea type now in commission
each OF which costs not muci
more to operate.
Likewise. although we hay
about IS small-sized carriers an,
1t takes less than So million.
year to operate and maintai,
each Of them. including paw fo
personnel. there are hardly an
in service. Surely, it will be sale
out of the SIS billion spent an
nually for armament, these sma
sums could have been allocate
l.s-