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WOODROW WILSON AND THE LOST PEACE. By Thomas A. Bailey. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1944. 381 pages. $3.00.
Reviewed by Lieutenant William W.
Jeffries, U. S. Naval Reserve
This is a “must” book for Wilson lovers and Wilson haters alike. Professor Bailey, who is well qualified to offer his interpretations to the public because of his years of study of American diplomacy, has attempted neither to whitewash Wilson nor to criticize him unjustifiably or pointlessly. Rather, this book gives an honest, straightforward account of the part played by President Wilson in the framing of the treaty ending the first World War. Secondly, and more importantly, it analyzes, interprets, and then either substantiates or brands as invalid the various criticisms that have been levied against Wilson during the last thirty years.
Mr. Bailey does not claim to offer a set of hitherto unknown facts about Wilson’s diplomacy. He does, however, insist upon getting the actual facts accurately presented. Then he proceeds to offer his explanation of how and why Wilson made vital errors of judgment or tactics in his treatment of either the American public, the American Senate, the Allied powers, or the Germans. Mr. Bailey is admittedly an admirer of many of Wilson’s qualities and a firm believer in Wilson’s ultimate goal. He does not, however, let this partisan feeling cloud the issue. Criticism accompanies praise. Suggested alternative steps for Wilson’s blunders accompany criticism.
In addition to being informative and thoroughly enjoyable, this book will give its readers some insight into the problems of making any peace which is to be lasting after a war of great intensity and magnitude. Throughout his book, by implication and by direct statement, Mr. Bailey suggests points that must be considered by the framers of the peace following the present war. Among these are the necessity of gaining the confidence of the American public, of informing it of the war aims and the peace program, and of educating it to any proposed deviation from traditional American policy. Political parties and the Senate, especially, must be consulted and be allowed to participate. A friendly press must be cultivated. We must have capable and trusted delegates who know when to make demands and when to make concessions. The Allied governments must have a fairly definite plan upon which to work at the conference, and there must be general agreements beforehand on its major points. The defeated nations must be given some form of representation.
And, above all, the treaty must not be just one that we would like to have or one that is possible only in the ideal; it must be one that is actually workable and one that the American Government and the American people will accept and be willing to give full co-operation to in order to gain a lasting peace.
STRATEGY OF PEACE. By Henry M.
Wriston, President, Brown University.
Boston: World Peace Foundation. 1944. 159 pages. $1.00.
Reviewed by Professor Allan
Westcott, U. S. Naval Academy
This is one of the many recent volumes which seek to draw public attention to the difficulties of peacemaking, and particularly to the difficulties of making a peace that will “stick.” The book is divided info two main parts: one dealing chiefly with “elements of war and peace,” and the other with “American commitments”—in relation to Canada and Greenland, the Caribbean, South America, the Pacific, the Far East, and Europe. Of the second part there is little to be said in criticism. It covers familiar ground and is written with a scholar’s knowledge of the field, though it may be said, perhaps, that Dr. Wriston views with too much complacency the adoption of foreign policies which the nation has neither the intention, nor the means, to support if necessary by force of arms. Such policies generally get nowhere, and they may even be dangerous in creating a false security. A nation may have to fight, even for peace.
In the treatment of “elements of war and peace,” the author’s chapter headings are “Reason,” “Culture,” “Emotion,” “Economic Activity,” and “Force.” This is a rather heterogeneous collection of elements. Reason and emotion, for instance, are of course factors affecting our approach or attitude toward international as to all other problems. And “force” is a well-known method of “making reason and the will of God prevail.” But “economic activity” falls in a very different category; the actual causes underlying most recent conflicts resulting in wars, and most recent conflicts of foreign policy, lie ultimately in this field. Frank recognition and grappling with this fact might have clarified Dr. Wriston’s approach to the peace problem, and it would have helped to clarify also the very real and deep difficulties involved.
BRAVE MEN. By Ernie Pyle. New York: Henry Holt & Company. 1944. 474 pages. $3.00.
Reviewed by Lieutenant John C. Reed,
U. S. Naval Reserve
Brave Men stands head and shoulders above the crowd of war books that in spite of paper shortages continue to roll off the press. It is first-rate in all respects; it shows us our armies and navies for what they are, assemblies of individuals. Ernie Pyle has been everywhere and seen everybody, from three-star generals to privates—and he tells us more about the privates than the generals. Here is the book for everyone who wants to know what the individual soldier has to endure, what he thinks about, what he does, what he is. It is not true to call Pyle the glorifier of the comman man: these men are not common; they are brave. Pyle knows them, has lived with them under battle conditions, has seen their courage, their humor, their humanity.
It is impossible to single out stories—all are excellent. The book begins with the invasion of Sicily and ends with the liberation of France. The stories of each campaign are all here—and all different. It is an amazing achievement. The material is so compelling that it is only on reflection that the reader realizes the brilliant literary skill that has produced this masterpiece. Pyle is an individual, and he writes about individuals. He does not concern himself with military strategy or political trends; his lack of interest in big names is spectacular. The fighting man is his material; he flashes before us in innumerable unforgettable scenes. Reality and truth are on every page, as is high heroism based on very human action. Brave Men is a fine job.
DOGS AT WAR. By Clayton G. Going. With an Introduction by Lowell Thomas. Illustrated with photographs. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1944. 179 pp. $2.50.
Reviewed by Chaplain Wilson Bennett, U. S. Naval Reserve
The creation of America’s first and extensive war dog program and the service of
these four-footed heroes at home and abroad ls the story of this book.
Shortly after Pearl Harbor an organization was formed and incorporated as Dogs For Defense which has provided the Army, Marines, and Coast Guard with more than 22,000 canines to act as attack or police dogs, messengers, land-mine detectors, pack carriers, scouts, sentries, and casualty or Red Cross dogs for our war effort. These loyal animals are “volunteers” from the homes of every state. Put through rigid examinations and an exacting training period, they are then sent to battlefront or home- front to play their unique and peerless part m total war. To be accepted for duty a dog must be in good physical condition between one and five years old, more than 20 inches at the shoulder, and weigh a minimum of 50 pounds; he must be aggressive, alert, steady, and neither gun-shy nor storm-shy. Almost every breed of dog is recruited, but Boxers, Collies, Dalmatians, Dobermans, Bull Mastiffs, and Shepherds are regarded as best for most military purposes.
It has been demonstrated that dogs have keener senses of smell and hearing than man or any of his mechanical inventions and through the K-9 Corps this knowledge has been put to work for us in the fighting in Italy, France, Bougainville, Guadalcanal, the Philippines, and elsewhere. Many an American boy will survive this war owing his life to some dog giving him timely warning of an approaching enemy, or successfully seeking him out while helplessly wounded and summoning medical aid.
If you like dogs—and who doesn’t—you will enjoy this account of America’s dog army serving gallantly, even unto death, wherever Yanks are stationed or fighting.
GERMANY WILL TRY IT AGAIN. By Sigrid Schultz. New York: Reynal and Hitchcock. 1944. 238 pages. $2.50.
Reviewed by Captain H. H.
Smith-Hutton, U. S. Navy We know now that German military political and economic leaders began organizing and preparing for World War II even before World War I was over. They attempted to divide the victorious allies, made reparations payments as small as possible, and began rearming as soon as they were able. Only 21 years were required to complete their preparations.
This book, written by an American newspaper correspondent who spent more than 25 years in Germany, gives in great detail the remarkable story of how the Germans accomplished their aims. What is more important, she gives convincing proof that the same forces are now at work to prepare for a revival of German political and military ambitions after the present war is lost. German leaders plan not only for tomorrow but for generations to come. Their weapons for this “war during peace” include the usual moral, mental, economic, and political subversions.
The author warns that Germany will be an even more formidable problem now than in 1918. Present-day Germans are fanatics whose decent instincts have been warped or destroyed by years of Nazi education. Most Germans believe that Germany is destined to rule the world. Their leaders consider the United States to be their principal enemy for they know that as long as the United States is free and strong they cannot complete the subjugation of Europe and the conquest of the rest of the world. The only way we can keep the peace is to remain strong and vigilant, for at the first sign of weakness on our part Germany will try it again.
UNTIL THEY EAT STONES. By Russell Brines. Philadelphia and New York: J. B. Lippincott Company. 1944. 340 pages. $3.00.
Reviewed by Lieutenant William E. Wilson, Jr., U. S. Naval Reserve
“We will fight,” the Japanese say, “until we eat stones.”
An Associated Press reporter who was returned to the United States aboard the Gripsholm after more than two years of internment in the Philippines and Shanghai, Russell Brines is firmly convinced that the Japanese should be taken literally in this boast. “If, in two generations, we can eliminate the militaristic training of centuries, we shall be doing well,” Mr. Brines concludes in his consideration of what should be our post-war treatment of the Japanese. “All the while our watch must be constant against countermovements, for today’s youth already have been handed the torch for that one hundred-year war. In short, our methods must parallel those of the militarists themselves, without the brutality.” The “torch” of which the author speaks is being “handed” systematically not only to Japanese children but also to the youth of Japanese-conquered countries—Burmese, Siamese, Chinese, and Filipinos. Combating the effects of this indoctrination will mean a long and difficult struggle for the United States even after the war lords of Japan themselves have eaten stones.
The first half of Mr. Brines’ book is devoted to an account of what happened to the American civilians stranded in Manila after the fall of Corregidor. Seldom actively mistreated by their conquerors, these civilians survived, however, by their own ingenuity and their talent for organization and selfgovernment rather than by any aid or supervision from the Japanese in the Santo Tomas internment camp. The remainder of the book is not such a completely firsthand account, but it treats clearly and adequately of the Japanese methods of conquest and domination in what Mr. Brines calls “the Southern Empire,” “the Continental Empire,” and “the Homeland.”
Thumbnail Reviews
Seabee Roads to Victory. By William Bradford Huie (text) and Ervine Metzl (maps). New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. 1944. 28 pages. $1.50.
This book contains ten beautifully colored maps of islands or other areas which have been the scenes of Seabee operations. Each map is illustrated with typical Seabee activities, while the page opposite gives explanatory comment. The whole forms an attractive supplement to Lieutenant Huie’s Can Dot The Story of the Seabees, recently reviewed in these columns.
Russia and the Peace. By Sir Bernard Pares. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1944. 293 pages. $2.50.
A veteran British correspondent, student, and friend of Russia writes wisely of Soviet relations with England, with America, and with the world organization of the future. On ethnic and historical grounds, the author favors the Curzon Line. As regards the future, he believes Stalin will be occupied with his lifework of building up a new
Russia, not with “the task which he has opposed and rejected—of world revolution.”
New Perspectives on Peace. Edited by George B. de Huszar. Chicago: Chicago University Press. 1944. 261 pages. $2.50.
In a series of lectures given last winter at the University of Chicago, and here published, the contributions to the peace problem of ten special sciences or fields of knowledge are presented by a distinguished representative in each field—a geographer, historian, anthropologist, economist, sociologist, international lawyer, educator, psychiatrist, and finally a philosopher and a spokesman for religion. The idea behind the book is that peacemaking has been left too much to the politicians and boundary experts, and that help may be gained by broadening the point of view. The book is indeed both interesting—except perhaps the philosophy chapter—and illuminating, though it can hardly be said to present ideas not already taken into account in public discussions. All the contributors are for some kind of international organization backed by force, though each points out a different set of difficulties involved.
The Technique of the Terrain: Maps and Their Use in the Field in Peace and War. By H. A. Musham. New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation. 1944. 228 pages. $3.85.
An authoritative treatment of the construction and interpretation of maps, written primarily from the standpoint of their military use. There are helpful chapters on “Aerial Photography,” “Tactical Topography,” and “Military Geography,” and an appendix with tables for the conversion of various linear and square measures.
Important Professional Books
Ayling, Keith. Semper Fidelis; the United States Marines in Action. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 1943. $2.00.
Barton, Samuel G. Guide to the Constellations. Third Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1943. $3.00.
A popular handbook for the amateur astronomer.
Bloch, Henry S. and Hoselitz, Bert F. The Economics of Military Occupation. Revised and Enlarged Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1944. $1.25.
Churchill, Ruel.V. Modern Operational Mathematics in Engineering. New York: McGraw- Hill Book Co. 1944. $3.50.
Footner, Hulbert. Rivers of the Eastern Shore. New York: Farrar & Rinehart. 1944. $2.50. The author discusses the lore and legends cling-
ln8 to the seventeen rivers of the Eastern Shore °f Maryland.
Fraenkel, Osmond K. Our Civil Liberties. New York: Viking Press. 1944. $3.00.
Gallup, George. A Guide to Public Opinion Polls. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1944. $1.50.
The techniques, the objectives, and the usefulness of public opinion polls.
Itayek, Friedrich. The Road to Serfdom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1944. $2.75.
The author claims that the tendencies in the democracies today resemble alarmingly the early stages of totalitarianism.
Hutton, Sergeant Bud, and Rooney, Sergeant Andy. Air Gunner. New York: Farrar & Rinehart. 1944. $2.50.
A book about the men of the U. S. Army Air Forces.
Jordanoff, Assen. Power and Flight. New York: Harper's. 1944. $3.50.
Fundamentals of aviation power plants and how and why they work.
Kraus, Rene. Winston Churchill in the Mirror. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. 1944. $2.75. Life of Britain’s war leader in pictures and story.
Lane, Carl D. What You Should Know about the Merchant Marine. Second Edition. New York: W. W. Norton &. Co. 1944. $2.50.
Lasser, J. K. Your Income Tax. 1945 Edition.
New York: Simon & Schuster. $1.00.
Luckeish, Matthew. Light, Vision and Seeing. New York: D. Van Nostrand & Co. 1944. $4.50.
The results of more than thirty years of research on the part of the author.
McIntosh, Colin H. Long-Range Flight. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1944. $2.50.
A textbook for training pilots and navigators in the essential techniques of aircraft operation for long distance flight.
McWilliams, Carey. Prejudice; Japanese-Americans, Symbol of Racial Intolerance. New York: Little, Brown. 1944. $3.00.
A history of the Japanese in America.
Mellor, William B. Sank Same. New York: Howell, Soskin. 1944. $2.50.
The story of the modern minute men who drove the Nazi submarines from American shores. Michie, Allan A. Keep the Peace through Air Power. New York: Holt. 1944. $2.00.
A specific plan for keeping the peace in the post-war years.
Miller, Douglas. Via Diplomatic Pouch. New York: Didier Publications. 1944. $3.00. Confidential reports sent to the United States Government concerning Nazi Germany.
Price, Jack. A Guide for Military and News Photography. New York: Falk Publishing Co. 1944. 75*.
Raff, Col. Edson D. We Jumped to Fight. New York: Duell, Sloan & Pearce. 1944. $2.50.
The story of United States paratroopers in training and battle.
Shotwell, James T. The Great Decision. New York: Macmillan. 1944. $3.00.
A discussion of how nations are to build a world order to keep the peace.
U. S. Army Air Forces. The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1944' $2.50.
A directory, almanac, and chronicle of achievement.
A War Atlas for Americans. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1944. Paper. $1.00.
A guide to the nature and course of the war, containing 84 new maps and 60,000 words of interpretative text.
Williams, John H. Postwar Monetary Plans and Other Essays. New York: Knopf. 1944. $2.50. Willkie, Wendell L. An American Program. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1944. $1.00.
This book contains seven articles on current problems written just before the author’s death.
MAGAZINE ARTICLES
Admiral Benbow; Fact and Fiction. Part II. By Sir Geoffrey Callender and C. F. Britton. Mariner’s Mirror, October, 1944.
Airborne to Battle (Gliders). Skyways, January, 1945.
Amphibious Aspects of the Normandy Invasion. By Hanson Baldwin. Marine Corps Gazette, December, 1944.
Astralidade . . . For Fast Position Finding. Aviation, September, 1944.
Carrier Air Support. By Captain Miles R. Browning. U.S.N. Marine Corps Gazette, December, 1944.
Changing Odds in the Pacific. By Foster Hailey.
Marine Corps Gazette, December, 1944. Correlation of Aircraft Take-off and Landing Characteristics with Airport Size. By Alan L. Morse. Aeronautical Engineering Review, December, 1944.
Fighting Truths for Marines. Marine Corps Gazette, December, 1944.
Gas Turbines for Tomorrow’s Superpower. By G. Geoffrey Smith. Aviation, December, 1944. A Helping Hand; “The Navy Takes Care of Its Own” Might Well be the Slogan of Navy Relief. By Ralph Barker. Our Navy, January 1, 1945.
Japanese Aircraft. Aeroplane, November 24,1944.