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OCR Page 1 of 6-
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE RADIO AUDIENCE:-
ARCNIVES AND
REDERDS
. SERVICGIA
and
This great country of ours is facing a great emergency, perhaps the
most serious in itschistory. This condition was brought about by factors
over which we had no control and which we tried strenuously to avoid. The
Dietator countries have brought about a war in the Lastern Hemisphere which
has an effect on every person and country on the globe, no matter how remote
they may be from the center of the conflict.
To show how anxious we are to stay at peace, we enacted the Neutrality
Act, voluntarily giving up some of our rights for which we had fought bloody
battles. It became necessary for us to amend that Neutrality Act in order
to help the Democracies maintain their independence, and finally to declare
ourselves the Arsenal of Democracy.
ne suddenly decided in the Spring of 1940 that we were totally un-
prepared to face a world at war and began a frenzied attempt to remedy that
appalling situation. We decided to build a two ocean Navy, and to train
and arm a million men a year for a period of five years. We have begun to
spend money by the billions to accomplish those two purposes. We propose to
give all-out aid to Great Britáin, Greece and China and are getting ready to
spend more billions to do it.
Our National Defense machinery, never adequate nor very strong, has
had to be suddenly expanded to enormous proportions. Contracts for con-
struction, for supplies and for munitions have been negotiated in desperate
haste. Washington has been filled with people seeking contracts -- some
sincerely desiring to be of help to the Government, others seeking to serve
only their own selfish interests.
It has become necessary to let enormous contracts for expansion of
airplane plants and for the construction of new ones. Munitions plants are
throught are the nation
being constructed 8 Zover the place. Clothing, supplies, munitions, battle-
ships, airplanes, land and everything are being purchased at
necessary octhe defease program
a
rate never before dreamed of except in 1917 and 1918. Some sixteen and one
half billions of dollars in appropriations have been authorized and appropriated
for defense. This does not include the appropriation of seven billions for
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