ms_0466_s2_v4_312 |
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President I felt strongly about this, since it would not do to place ourselves
in an attitude which might make us an ally of Germany.
I had an opportunity of talking to Secretary Daniels at the Cabinet Din-
ner. I obtained enough from him to know that my worst fears as to our un-
preparedness were confirmed. I asked Daniels how well our coast was defended
by mines. He replied we were getting mines now from England, but he was in-
sisting that they permit us to manufacture them over here under their patents. I
asked how well we were prepared for war if it should come tomorrow. He said
"war with whom?" I replied with Great Britain. There was no need to await a
reply since his face told the story. He thought in a year we should have
enough mines to protect the coast fairly well.
I am convinced that the President's place in history is dependent to a
large degree upon luck. If we should get into a serious war and it should
turn out disastrously, he would be one of the most discredited Presidents we
have had. He has had nearly three years in which to get the United States
into a reasonable state of preparedness and we have done nothing. Neither
the Army nor the Navy are in condition to meet an enemy of the class of Rou-
mania or Bulgaria, provided they could reach us. The few machine guns we
have in the Army are borrowed or requisitioned from the British. If we had the
75,000 or 100,000 we need we have not the men to use them. We have no large
guns. If we had them we have no trained me<add>n</add> who would understand how to handle
them. We have no air service, nor men to exploit it, and so it is down the
list.
A combination of Great Britain and Japan could put us out of business
just as rapidly as they could march through the country. It would be utterly
impossible in these days of secrecy and censorship to know what troops Great
Britain and Japan were transporting to Canada. They could assemble a large
army there without our knowledge and we should be as helpless to resist them
| Title | ms_0466_s2_v4_312 |
| Transcript |
President I felt strongly about this, since it would not do to place ourselves
in an attitude which might make us an ally of Germany.
I had an opportunity of talking to Secretary Daniels at the Cabinet Din-
ner. I obtained enough from him to know that my worst fears as to our un-
preparedness were confirmed. I asked Daniels how well our coast was defended
by mines. He replied we were getting mines now from England, but he was in-
sisting that they permit us to manufacture them over here under their patents. I
asked how well we were prepared for war if it should come tomorrow. He said
"war with whom?" I replied with Great Britain. There was no need to await a
reply since his face told the story. He thought in a year we should have
enough mines to protect the coast fairly well.
I am convinced that the President's place in history is dependent to a
large degree upon luck. If we should get into a serious war and it should
turn out disastrously, he would be one of the most discredited Presidents we
have had. He has had nearly three years in which to get the United States
into a reasonable state of preparedness and we have done nothing. Neither
the Army nor the Navy are in condition to meet an enemy of the class of Rou-
mania or Bulgaria, provided they could reach us. The few machine guns we
have in the Army are borrowed or requisitioned from the British. If we had the
75,000 or 100,000 we need we have not the men to use them. We have no large
guns. If we had them we have no trained me |
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