of Governor Herbert R. O'Conor 623

Let us see for ourselves. The Burma Road is virtually closed, the Mediter-
ranean is no longer, (by Mr. Churchill's own admission) a safe passage for
British convoys.

Where else can China's embattled people look for supplies except to Amer-
ica? Australia is under seige. Where else than from America can the re-
inforcements to come?

Russia is girding herself against the inevitable Spring offensive which
Hitler must make. Where can the Soviet armies get the tanks, the planes, the
ammunition they will need in stupendous quantities, save from us?

With our great industrial citadels, with our vast pool of manpower, we are
the only hope for our Allies in China, Australia and Russia. And, likewise,
we are the one big threat to our enemies in Japan and Germany. They know
that. They will act accordingly. We must expect that the Axis will use every
conceivable means of blocking and destroying our output, both in men and
supplies.

How then shall we combat these forces—how shall we fight back against
their threatened encirclement? Well, there is such a thing as an aggressive
defense. It is the very opposite of passive resistance, the very antithesis of the
sit-and-wait, the grin-and-bear-it policy. Largely it is a matter of attitude.
The spirit of aggressive defense is in the worker who puts that extra ounce of
effort and diligence into his job. The spirit of aggressive defense is in the
taxpayers who, instead of grumbling at wartime increases, says "Here's another
dollar to go where it will do most good. " That same spirit is in, every
citizen who says in his heart—"This is my fight, too. Let my Government ask
what it will of me, and I shall not fail to respond. "

There are many, many ways in which we can respond. One means of so
doing is to open and to maintain a counter-offensive against propaganda and
defeatism. The Axis-inspired rumor which goes into your ears but not out of
your mouth, is one that has backfired on the enemy. Information regarding
the sailing of ships or the movement of troops is valuable to our foes. It is
valuable, that is, if it reaches them—it is our business to see that it does not.
Living here, as you do, this close to our National Capital, you are bound to hear
some over-spilling of confidential talk. It will not hurt you to hear it, but it
may hurt us all if you pass it along.

And then there are the several phases of civilian mobilization. The black-
outs, in particular; the rationing of foodstuffs and means of transportation; the
rearrangement of traffic and time schedules. By their very nature these things,
while not spectacular, are important phases of fighting the war; and they re-
quire, above all, the cooperation of every citizen.

I wish it could be impressed upon the people of America, that the blackout
is not altogether a measure for saving the lives of the people who perform it.
Blacking-out a town or city means obscuring the vision of the enemy. It means
denying him the advantage of a landmark. Baffle your enemy and you have
robbed him of the initative. You have given him a vanished target at which to
shoot. A bomb that misses its mark is a bomb wasted. If we can make Axis