NEED OF REALISM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 May 1941, Page 5

NEED OF REALISM

“I have said on many occasions that the United States is mustering her men and resources only for the purpose of defence, and only to repel attack,” Mr Roosevelt continued. “I repeat that statement now, but we must be realistic when we use the word attack. We have to relate it-to the lightning speed of modern warfare. Some people seem to think we are not attacked till bombs actually drop on New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, or Chicago, but they are simply shutting their eyes to the lesson we must learn from the fate of every nation that the Nazis have conquered. “The attack on Czechoslovakia began with the conquest of Austria, the attack on Norway began with the occupation" of Denmark; the attack on Greece began with the occupation of Albania and Bulgaria; the attack on the Suez Canal began with the invasion of the Balkans and North Africa. An attack on the United States can begin with the domination of any base which menaces our security, in the north or south. “Nobody can foretell just when theS acts of the dictators, will ripen intoj an attack on this hemisphere and us, but we know enough by now to realise that it would be suicide to wait till they are in our front yard. When your enemy comes at you in a tank or a bombing plane if you hold your fire till you see the white of his eyes you will never know what hit you.