◆ SpookStack

aortas rs vd 1 wey caied a =r Seas ar tt se a pee an aerate ae errs! ie See fay = Sens eS, ae . Burope and Asia As bound to have more or less effect on Americas: a foythens yo “possibly 1 We can ‘appreciate the ‘significance ‘of eir power 7 Be and fortunes of nations, The comparison 1s not exact, but it is enlightening, shipping developed over a period of centuries. | ‘ a are CT ade ae To, el Millan a REE a Weg yo . a4 oe aot er : . : 7 ° fe eae an us. If we use air power intelligently, we can increase our mational safety, - a i ~ world, e and that the changes ‘which take 9 placa in’ ‘one portion of the world are bound to affeot in some degree all other portions. Whatever | certs io amen. an ce fhe ‘aa ee aspen, potter by considering the effect that sea power has had on the relationship. And one must remember that aviation has developed « as s mach in * generation as - Yow ‘when great changes in methods of warfare take ‘plese, ics hi story shows that enpires and nations fall, and other rise instead. The im - portant problem for us in this country to solve, is how to turn the changes ~/ as of this modern era to our advantage and how to avoid having them used against. = add to our standard of living, and improve the quality of our civilization.” But if we do not use air power intelligently, if we expose ourselves unneces=" sarily, if we fail to understand ite limitations as well as its advantages if. _ We allow some foreign nation to turn the developments of modern warfare sgainet ms. Paes ce ne us we may find our national safety in jeopardy, und our standard of living | oo far lower than it is today. In fact, air power if unintelligently handled, - could bring the downfall of the very civilization which created ite OPE ar caae te “after « careful stady of this problen, both in America and ; ¥ 4, Zurope, over a period of years, I was forced to the conclusion that France and England were not in a position to win a war against Germany, and that the domi- - nant position in Europe had shifted from England, as a sea power, to Germany as a land and air power, The same study brought me to the conclusion that-- as “ while aviation greatly strengthened our position in America from the stanipoint of defense, it | Ereatly weakened « our position fran the oa pematie of pcre ~ _ Baropes. Doge Gs PAE "EF based these eonolusions upon many “cbervetions « ana 1 tact, — _ there is not time to outline all of them tonight, but T would like & 0 bring ca sone (of the most outstanding to ‘your attentions Pa PUM Maw ey wee "Tt was obvious, even before ‘this. war started, “that ait power. i made it costly, if not impossible, for naval forces to operate within effective bombing range of an enemy coast adequately protected by aircraft. This meant thet troops could not be landed and mainteined on any coast where an enexny had cles strong supremacy of the air, These facts have been confirmed by the resulte Sat of naval and air battles off the coast of Norway, in the Skagerrak, in the on North Sea, off the coast of Greese, and in the vicinity of Sicily an¢ Crete, Wherever sea power and air power have clashed during this rs there | is mot eel ~ @ sigle instance whore sea power has Won ° It was obvious, before the war started, : that Germany had ty Ter. o the strongest air force in Burope, and that air power could strike across the -- | -Englian channel and behind the Maginot line, regardless of the strength of the” ate