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220 Annals Am. Acad. Pol. & Soc. Sci. vii (1942)

handle is hein.cow/anamacp0220 and id is 1 raw text is: FOREWORD

THE original title of this issue was
Organizing  for National Defense.
Fortunately the articles were not re-
quested before December 15, 1941, and
it has been possible for the contributors
to revise them in the light of Pearl
Harbor.
When this issue was planned in May
1941, the special editor was forced to
make a basic decision. Should con-
tributors be selected to present opposing
viewpoints or only one point of view on
such questions as the extent of govern-
mental control desirable in a democracy,
the relative optimum strength of the
different arms of military service neces-
sary for defense, and the degree to
which labor should be free to exercise
its right to strike even though working
on a defense contract. On each of these
issues it was planned to present oppos-
ing points of view, and the articles were
originally planned to provide a sympo-
sium of conflicting opinions.
But Pearl Harbor intervened! Frankly
recognizing that the time for conflicting
views on national safety is past, the
articles in this issue have been pre-
pared to present the official statement
of Government.     Fortunately, those
most directly responsible for govern-
mental policy frankly recognize that
many problems need yet to be solved;
that there are weaknesses in any na-
tional organization; and that there is
still the basic question, How far can
democracy abrogate the freedoms of
democracy and at the same time pre-
serve national integrity in the face of
world foes of every democratic prin-
ciple?
Believing that total war creates the
necessity of suspending many of the
basic tenets of democracy, the editor is
willing to assume full responsibility for
presenting a consistent point of view in

this issue. Consequently, the articles
included are prepared almost exclusively
by those who are directly responsible
for the administration of the basic pro-
grams so essential in total war. The
special editor recognizes that there are
many who would disagree with his point
of view, but he has no apology to offer.
A national crisis in which the very se-
curity of our Nation and of our homes
is at stake demands national unity.
Criticisms of national policies must be
reserved for the postwar period.
It has been impossible in this issue
to include all the fields which are vital
to total war. Many agencies of govern-
ment and of private organizations are
conducting programs vital to the suc-
cessful operation of an all-out war ef-
fort. The State Department has a pro-
gram of intercultural education among
the Americas that is playing an impor-
tant role in the unification of opposition
in the Western Hemisphere to Axis ag-
gression. The Treasury Department is
conducting an extensive program in
schools and colleges and for the general
public in the stimulation of sale of De-
fense Savings Bonds and Stamps. The
Office of Education is seeking to deter-
mine fields in which essential financial
aid should be provided for the continu-
ous or emergency training of men and
women in occupations essential to na-
tional safety. The Work Projects Ad-
ministration and the Department of
Justice have projected an extensive edu-
cational service to the more than five
million registered aliens.
Of private agencies there is no end.
Each is seeking earnestly and sincerely
to promote the national interest. It is
significant to discover the extent to
which the number and types of such
organizations may be wisely extended
without adequate co-ordination of effort.

vii

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