Evening star., 1952-10-03

|isolationists." the President said
I'VE have had them with us for
"a long time. But the most danger
Gus thing is that they have now
made captive of the Republican
candidate for President, and that
too bad.
Just a little while ago, Senator
Taft and the Republican candi-
date had breakfast together. Up
to that point, had never guessed
that the Republican candidate
was on the isolationist side. But
after that breakfast. the Senator
came out and said that the gen.
|eral agreed emphatically with him
that there ought to be tremendous
cuts in our expenditures for de-
fense.
They had agreed to cut SIC
billion off the budget in the fiscal
year 1854, and about $40 billion
off in the following fiscal year.
Neither of them knows a thing
about a budget.
"A few. days later, the general
made a speech-on his own this
time-making it plain that the
largest part Of these budget cut.
had to come out of our defense
program, and he has been helping
to build up the defense program
'Now, my friends, this is very
serious business. In a time o.
crisis like this. a general, ever
one who is running for office
should not promise such cuts il
the defense budget without telling
where they are to be made"
Cites Eisenhower's Actions.
'"The Republican candidate say
he can make great economies il
the operation of the armed serv'
ices by eliminating waste and in
efficiency" Mr.. Truman said
Perhaps he can, although h,
didn't do anything very spectac
ular along that line when he wa!
chief of staff.
I'm fact, he did Just the op.
posite. He eliminated the Arm,
service forces, the combined pro.
curement agency that had beer
so successful during the war, ane
re-established the old system O
letting each branch of the Arm,
do it's own buying. We have beer
struggling ever since to get som,
sort of combined control owe,
Army procurement. And are a
last succeeding.
But whether he is an exper
on efficiency or not, even the gen
eral doesn't claim that waste il
the armed forces amounts to ST.
or $40 billion a year.
This whole proposition is ire
sponsible politics. No such cut
are possible without impairing ou
security-without in fact wreck
ing it. Any such savings woul.
have to come out of the bone an,
muscle and sinew of the Army
Navy and Air Force. Cuts lik,
these would reduce our whole eff
fort to keep the peace.
"This would be sheer folly Il
the face of the known dangers O
Soviet aggression.
Says Taft Wrote Directive.
At Tacoma Mr.. Truman devel
|oped a similar theme in connec
ton with what he described a
Gen. Eisenhower's unfamiliarit
with "the great issues betwee
liberalism and reaction that W
have fought out and decided i
this country over the last 2
Years"
"The general told the Repub
llican convention in July that h
would lead them in a great cru
sade," the President said. "Bu
he didn't tell them what the cru
SADIE was to be about.
Like all good generals, he wa
waiting for his objective to be Sc
by higher authority. He was read
to lead the troops, but he didn'
know what the campaign was fol-
or what it was to accomplish. Tha
was problem that he, as a mill
tary man. had never before had t.
decide for himself. =
80 the Republican Old Guar,
moved in, and wrote his orders 70
him. The directive was drafted b
Senator Taft, and subscribed t