The Dayton Forum

PAGE EIGHT

Are We Prepared To Defend The Americas?

(By Emmett J. Scott)

WASHINGTON, D. C.--A few days ago this writer called attention to the fervent and complete loyalty of the American people in the unified purpose to support the uttermost the Government's defense effort.

Also, that whatever discussions now going on among us are wholly unrelated to the primary and affirmative question of speeding up our productive defense output.

The disquietude now fermenting because of defense lags, to which reference was made, continues to find expression in the public press. The BILLIONS of DOLLARS appropriated by Congress for implements of defense for some unaccountable reason in too large a measure, remain "on order," instead of being "on hand."

The "progress" reports which are so constantly issued are generally found, on examination, to be more optimistic than realistic.

Naturally, after a year's defense effort, there is a general disposition to make inquiry as to why we continue to be so lacking in equipment, and in the main essentials necessary to national security.

Even so conservative a person as Dr. Thomas S. Gates, president of the University of Pennsylvania now serving as a District Co-ordinator for the Defense Contract Service, was aroused a few days ago. Most bluntly, he was led to declare: "Progress is much too slow."

The critical consequences of this lag in defense preparation is now becoming increasingly apparent. There is reluctant acknowledgement that we are wallowing in a morass of complacent apathy.

In the meantime, we have been bravely talking of succoring Britain, and lately, Russia too.

Our state of preparedness, or rather unpreparedness, led a Democratic Congressman in the House of Representatives a few days ago to say, in discussing this subject: "There are many reasons we should not go abroad, but it

is necessary to state only one--we have neither the troops nor the equipment."

It is almost incomprehensible that the richest country in the world, reputed to possess the greatest engineering and plant production resources, should so dismally fail to meet the requirements of this hour.

Failures and delays have resulted in serious lacks of strategic materials. What our situation really is has been graphically described by an expert of national prominence in the following:

"We have an Army of 1,400,000 men. I will give you what such an army needs in equipment.

An Army of 1,400,000 men should have at least 36,000 machine guns. We have only 5,000.

They should have 3,000 anti-tank guns. They have only 126.

They should have 12,000 mortars. They have only 600.

In big guns they have almost nothing, save coast defense guns.

They should have 4,500 105 mm howitzers. They have twelve.

They should have 3,000 155 mm howitzers. They have none.

They should have 300 240 mm howitzers. They have none.

They should have 1,500 155 mm guns. They have one.

They should have 3,000 light tanks. They have 250.

They should have 2,150 medium tanks. They have two.

They should have 100 of the giant tanks. They have none.

They are without any important supply of armored trucks.

And they have only a handful of anti-aircraft guns, most of them not much good.

As for planes, we ought to have 75,000. We have probably 8,000. They are not bombers but mostly planes to train men to fly, not fight. We have only a very small number of combat planes.

We need a two-ocean Navy for this war--692 ships. We have 344.

We have started to build the remaining 350, but only 28 are actually building."

The above is a factual recapitulation of our present resources and also our needs. What are we going to do about it?

It all comes back to the un-American policy of the past fourteen months. With a freak reservoir of unemployed labor at command, on account of race and color, it has been ignored, overlooked, and its requests and demands flouted and disregarded--until lately. Not too lately, we sincerely hope.

These colored men and women could have increased the tempo of production---now 60 per cent behind as to equipment.

Allied to this, of course, has been the loss of man labor hours reaching into the millions occasioned by strikes and other labor difficulties.

Primarily, however, widespread racial discriminations conspired to lose the available energy and skill of Colored men and women who grievously suffered during the eight years of the Roosevelt depression, and who have almost plaintively begged for opportunities of employment during the defense spending of the past 12 to 14 months, only to be denied such opportunities.

And all the while, the country has been declaring for a democratic program for the defense of democracy in America, and for the extension of the Four Freedoms throughout the world.