There are problems ahead—very serious ones, Every plant we visited has some shortage to complain about, No one would admit that He is behind schedule. He always pushed it back on someone else down the line, The final assembly plant blames it on the sub-contractor or the fabricator of metal, He blames it on the supplier of rough metal. He blames it on the supplier of the raw product, And he blames itin one case—on the weather, But these shortages are being surmounted every day, No one is seriously worried now about machine-tool shortages, The Priorities Board is getting the raw material situation into order, It means cutting out the civilian, But if Washington will be ruthless in denying unnecessary things to the civilian there will be enough for national defence. The thing is moving, and the whole picture is awesome in the sheer power of America to arm itself which it expresses, The most spectacular single thing we saw during this entire trip was the vast naval establishment at Norfolk. Newport News. and Hampton roads. Ya. There war seems closer than any place we visited. And there progress is most obvious and impressive because itis measured in naval might, In the harbour. when we were there on June l4 were two new American aircraft carriers grim in dark grey war paint, Near them were two sleek destroyers. and the fighting tops of a battleship showing above a supply dock, We were told that none of these ships were in the day before, They come and go, On the streets people talk casually about "the Labrador patrol," This is the operating base of a fleet in action.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.