The Torrent

The most impressive sound in the world, the thunder of the U.S. production machine, was heard on millions of radio sets one night last week. Mobilizer Charles Wilson had gone on the air to make "my first report."

After eight weeks on the job, he could report a country fairly outdoing itself with git-up-&-git. "Our basic economy," he said, "has never been more healthy. More than 60 million civilians are gainfully employed--a figure that sounded fantastic only a few years ago. Incomes average higher than ever before. Our factories are turning out a torrent of products."

The pace of U.S. mobilization, even its first stage, said Wilson confidently, will provide the U.S. with enough war materials for a "major combat." In stage two, the U.S. will have enough for "all-out war--or all-out peace." He cited two examples : "We are establishing a production capacity of 35,000 tanks a year and intend to be able to produce 18,000 jet engines a month." (The figure, for jets alone, almost equaled peak U.S. production of aircraft engines in World War II.) The size of that goal could best be measured by Russia's arms-in-being: an estimated 40,000 tanks, 19,000 planes, of which 9,000 are post-World War II fighters, some 5,000 are jets.

What will all this do to the civilian economy? Said the calm voice of Charlie Wilson: practically nothing. With a population increase of only 15% since 1939, the U.S. has doubled its productive capacity. There will be some sacrifices, some dislocations, some curtailment of metals for automobiles, refrigerators, etc. But the effects will hardly be calamitous.

"After all," said Wilson, "we built nearly 8,000,000 motor vehicles in 1950, and our streets are filled with shiny new cars. Barring all-out war, we still will be producing more cars in 1951 than we turned out in 1948--and that is a lot of cars.' And, barring World War III, the cuts will only be temporary. Inside of three years, he said, the U.S. will have superimposed on its 'economy a $150 billion armament program, but it will scarcely feel the effects in the supply of civilian goods.

Awed by the immensity of his own vision, devout Baptist Charlie Wilson appealed for "faith in Almighty God. Let's bow our heads in supplication," he said, "and then do the job to be done."

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