"What needs to be emphasized is that a great change has come over conflicts betwee ions since the World War ended, and especially in the past five years. Those of us who took part in the conduct of the World War remember that in preparation of the American armies for actual combat, the United States—which entered the war on April 6, 1917, took no part whatever in any major engage ment until the end of May, 1918. In other words, while other armies were conducting the actual fighting, the United States had more than a yea of absolute peace at home, without eny threat of attack on this continent. to train men, produce raw materials and process them into munitions and supplies, and to forge the whole into our fighting forces.
"It is even a matter of record that as late as the autumn of 1918, American armies on the European front used almost exclusively French and British artillery and aircraft.
"Calling attention to these facts does not remotely intimate that Congress or the President have a thought of taking part in another war on European soil, but it does show that in 1917 we were not read; 10 conduct large-scale land and air operations.
"Relatively, we are not much more ready to do so today than we were then—and we cannot guarantee a long period free from attack in which we could prepare.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.