502 State Papers and Addresses

FREDERICK COMBINED CIVIC CLUBS
FRANCIS SCOTT KEY HOTEL

October 8, 1941
Frederick

BECAUSE of the gravity of the world situation today, and in deference to
the unusual gathering of serious-minded men and women before me, it
occurs to me that this is the time and the occasion to discuss seriously with you
several topics of pressing interest that should challenge the attention of leaders
of thought and action everywhere.

Undoubtedly, many millions of Americans and many thousands of people
in our State are interested, in greater or less degree, in the fact that Nazi
Germany has unleashed a history-making assault of 3, 000, 000 men in an effort
to capture the key Russian City of Moscow before the dread Russian winter
sets in.

The more imaginative among you can picture vividly in your minds the
dreadful sight of thousands of German planes devastating that great city with
their bombs. It is so frightful a development of the calamity known as modern
warfare that it over-shadows completely a defense undertaking in Maryland
that deserves far more attention from our people than I believe it is receiving.
I refer to the first air raid warning tests in Maryland, scheduled to begin to-
morrow morning and to continue until Thursday of next, week.

To the many patriotically-minded citizens who have volunteered their serv-
ices as Air Raid Spotters at the observation posts, the significance of these tests
apparently has been brought home most definitely. However, among the great
majority of our people, we might think this week of tests will cause but the
slightest ripple of interest, further indicating the lack of general appreciation
of our National situation that seems to be prevading this Country.

Unfortunately, there is still too great a tendency among us to belittle the
idea of the possibility of any situation that would require activities such as
the Air Raid Warning Service or of some of the other functions that have been
or are being organized under the leadership of the Maryland Council of Defense.
Simply because there is an ocean between us and the havoc in Europe is no
assurance that we will be spared attack, particularly when we realize how little
space means to the bombers and combat planes that are being developed in con-
stantly improved fashion as the weeks roll by. There is another danger which
comes very much closer to us, and that might well affect the lives of the great
majority of the people of our State.

When the sirens sound, in the air raid warnings, they may not be heralding
the approach of enemy planes, but to anyone who thoughtfully and conscien-
tiously studies the National situation today, they might well sound warning of a
different type of "blitzkrieg" than that which some day may be threatened
from the skies.