The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-06-07
Air Force Can Bomb Enemy At viii Almost
Anywhere In Ko1ea" Says President Truman
Tells Of Amazing
Ne,U Technical
Developments
In The Nary
By ERNEST 8. vAccARo

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. R-Presi
lent Truman declared today the
United States Air Force in Korea
''can bomb the enemy at will
almost anywhere in his territory
He coupled this obvious reply te
Sen. Robert A. Taft and other
critics Of administration air policy
| with the declaration that ''short
sighted politicians" are playing
with fire" by slashing defense ap'
preparations while Russia may be
plotting '.new Koreas in other
parts of the globe"
In a major address to the annual
convention of the 35th Division
with which he served in World
War /, Mr.. Truman emphasized
''the cold fact that we are. still
in danger" from Russia and his
point that talk that our Air Force
in Korea is Eat the mercy of Rus
sian made enemy planes just
isn't true at all"
Taft, candidate for the Republi-
can presidential nomination, said
in talk several days ago that
our planes "are outnumbered to
/, our ground forces To 1 and
that administration neglect has
left us with about 5000 planes
while Stain has 20. 900 in organized
combat groups and is building
them faster than we are"
The President struck back
at congressional opponents who
forced a reduction from about 81
billions to 46 billion dollars In his
military recommendations and a
cut Of his foreign military and
economic aid program from ST.
800, 00O, 900 to $6,447, $50, $50.
I'VE cannot tell what the Krem-
lin is planning. There may be new
offensives in Korea. There may
be new Koreas in other parts of
the globe. The Communists may
even be planning greater attacks
than we have seen UP to this
point. We do not know. We can
not be sure.
"TheIe is no justification for
slashing appropriations for defense
or for aid to our allies. But that
is exactly what a group of short
sighted politicians is trying TO do.
This is not the year to play
around with meat axes in the field
of national security. The Commu.
nists are building up force in 10.
rea and other paorts of Asia. Ii
Europe the Russians are threaten.
ing Berlin. Communist parties are
staging riots from Paris to Tokyo. y
Mr.. Truman spoke in the Shrine
] Mosque to wind up a day spent
with the buddies of 1918 in France.
particularly members of his own
Battery d of the i29th Field Ar
tillery.
He spoke bitterly of 'ioose talk
lately to the effect that our de-
Tense program has been failure
and said much Of ii sis politically
inspired-the kind of talk YOU
would expect in an election year. +"
To set the record straight" he
declared:
/. The United States now has
81 Air Force wings in operation.
viii have IS in operation within
two months and 1ss air wings ''in
two or three years. He said the
u. s. had IS wings two years ago.
2. The United States Army has
been doubled in size in the last
two years and is being re-equipped
with the finest modern weapons -
shich are being delivered nov.
in quantity
;. One Of "our best new tanks
is now coming off the production
line at the rate at well over 300
nonth--and the rate is rising
fast
I. The Navy not only has twice
as many ships In full operation
nov as before Korea, but ships
and weapons are improving al the
time
There are some amazing new
technical Developments il TIE
Navy" he added. II shah have
more 30 say ca that subject next
week. up in New Lo1d0n, Conn =
Mr. Truman w5n speak again
next Saturday. - New London. AZ
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