Democracy Can Do It

Abstract

SOME have publicly wondered if democ racy can properly function in an emer gency. In Europe, one democracy after an other has fallen-Norway, unprepared, defenseless, an easy prey to fifth column ists; France, split into factions, bereft of adequate leadership, seeking the least costly and least painful, the easiest course of ac tion always; Belgium and Holland gone, and now Britain threatened. It is not only that the leading democ racies abroad were divided internally and blind in their foreign policy, but in prepar ing their most elementary defenses they lagged and procrastinated. When we in the United States were pre paring the first big boost in our airplane production, in January 1939, a British pur chasing mission came to this country. That was a few months after Munich, and it had then become apparent that a policy of ap peasement had not brought peace. It was seven months before the war opened. Louis Johnson, former Assistant Secretary of War, tells a story of that mission, which may be symbolic. Johnson says that, with war ahead for Britain an absolute certainty, he spoke to the head of the visiting mission. Since the visitor had been asking what Ameri can industry could do to help Britain, John son said he was going to make one sug gestion. If were representing your govern ment, he said, I would immediately can vass the possibilities of American produc tion of aircraft, and would buy all the loose productive capacity of first class planes available in America. Johnson pointed to American aircraft fac tories which were then comparatively idle. But, according to his story, the head of the visiting mission, representing the might and majesty of a great government, said to him, Are you one of those aviation cranks, too? We have a few people in our country who think we ought to go all the way out in buying all the aviation power possible, he continued.