cruise outside the atmosphere and launch super-high-speed, atomicarmed rockets on
cities below. Hap Arnold tells his boys to keep their eyes on Buck Rogers. Somebody
is wrong-is it Hap Arnold or his more conservative colleagues?
Compulsory military training-France had that, for both wars. The end was
Vichy.
Aircraft carriers vs. battleships. Look, pals, the aircraft carrier was the
weapon of this war, before Hiroshima. Carriers don’t look so good against space
ships. Let’s build galleons instead; they are cheaper, prettier, and just as useful.
Decentralization of large cities-let’s table this one for a moment. There is
some sense to it, if carried to its logical conclusion. But not with half measures
and not for $250,000,000,000, the sum mentioned by Sumner Spaulding, its prime
proponent.
Bigger and better atomic weapons for the United States-this has a reasonable
and reassuring sound. We’ve got the plant and the trained men; let’s stay ahead in
the race. Dr. Robert Wilson says that atomic bombs a hundred or a thousand times as
powerful as the Hiroshima bomb are now in prospect. Teddy Roosevelt advised us to
“Speak softly but carry a big stick.”
It is a tempting doctrine, but the great-hearted Teddy died long before
Hiroshima; his day was the day of the charge up San Juan Hill. A hundred obsolete
atomic bombs could destroy the United States-if the enemy struck first. Our super
bombs would not save us, unless we were willing to strike first, without declaring
war. If two men are locked in a basement, one armed with a 50-calibre machine gun,
the other with an 18th century ball-and-powder pistol, victory goes
to the man who shoots first, not to the one with the better weapon. That is the
logic of atomics and now is the time to learn it by heart.
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Agreements to “outlaw” atomic weapons? Swell! Remember the Kellogg Pact? It
“outlawed” war.
Consolidation of the armed forces: A proposition sensible in itself, but
disastrously futile unless we realize that all previous military art is obsolete in
the atomic age. The best pre-Hiroshima weapons are now no more than the sidearms of
the occupying military police. Buck Rogers must be the new chief of staff. Otherwise
we will find ourselves with the most expensive luxury in the world-a second-best
military establishment.
Purchase of military aircraft in quantities to insure new development-we
bought sailing ships-of-theline in the 1880’s. This makes the same sort of
pseudosense. Airplanes are already obsolete-slow, clumsy, and useless. The V-2 is
credited with a speed of 3600 miles per hour. Here is a simple problem in
proportion: The Wright Brothers crate at Kittyhawk bears the same relation to the
B-29 that the V-2 bears to the rocket ship of the coming war. Complete the equation
by visualizing the coming rocket ship. Then stop wasting taxes on airplanes.
An efficient intelligence system-Fine! But no answer in itself. The British
intelligence was quite efficient before this war. Mr. Chamberlain’s desk was piled
high with intelligence reports, reports which showed that Munich need never have
happened. This has since been confirmed by high German General Staff officers. But
Mr. Chamberlain did not read the reports. Intelligence reports are useful only to
the intelligent.
Moving the aircraft industry inland-excellent preparation for World War II.
Move an industry which we don’t need for World War III inland where it will be safe
from the weapons of World War II. While we are about it let’s put stockades around
them to keep the Indians out. In the meantime our potential enemies will have plenty
of time to perfect long-range rockets.
Placing key war industry underground-assembly lines underground are all very
well, but blast furnaces and many other things simply won’t fit. Whatever digging in
we do, be sure we do it so secretly that the enemy will never suspect, lest he drop
an earthquaketype atomic bomb somewhere near-by and bury all hands. Let us be
certain, too, that he does not introduce a small atomic bomb inside the underground
works, disguised as a candy vending machine, a lunch pail, or a fire extinguisher.
The age of atomics is a field day for saboteurs; underground works could be colossal
death traps.
No one wants this new war, no sane men anywhere. Yet we are preparing for it