646 , State Papers and Addresses

countries, had the demoralizing experience of seeing clouds of enemy para-
chutists dropped from the skies, forces against which they had no adequate
defense.

If we prevent it, no such thing will ever happen to Maryland. Certainly
no such attack will ever find us unprepared. Many of the leading men in Mary-
land, men of the highest standing in their communities, have joined the Minute
Men, and are assisting vigorously in the organization of new units, because
this service gives them a real opportunity to devote to the defense of their
State and Country special talents and abilities which they possess.

To every person here tonight, and to every Marylander in this county and
throughout the entire State, I repeat again, because it cannot be said too often,
that Maryland and the Nation have need of your services, no matter what
capabilities you may possess.

If you cannot join the active armed forces of the Nation, you can enroll
either in the Minute Men or some phase of Civilian Defense. If, through
physical disability or otherwise, such service is not open to you, you can con-
tribute to the financing of our Country's war burden, directly in the ratio of
our ability to buy. Generous response in the matter of purchasing Defense
bonds and stamps, will help to assure sufficient quantities of the guns and tanks1
and planes and ships that your sons and brothers or your neighbor's sons and
brothers, will need to win through to Democracy's* greatest Victory.

I wish every person present here, and every citizen not only of our State
but of the entire Country, could see and understand the full implication of a
communication that came to my desk only yesterday.

It was a draft of a proclamation that has never been issued, one that, with
the help of Divine Providence, we can all hope will never be issued. It is a
specimen of the type of proclamation that would be issued in this) Country
should Germany or its Axis partner ever gain dominance here. The reason
we can be sure such a proclamation would be issued here is that this draft is
acomposite of Axis proclamations that actually have been issued in occupied
France, Belgium, Norway, Czechoslovakia and Poland.

Can you imagine going to your Court House some morning and finding
posted on the outside thereof a huge proclamation declaring that all powers
of State are now in the hands of the Army of occupation; that all executives,
office workers, laborers, who disregard German orders will be executed; that
anyone attempting sabotage, or refusing to go wherever he is sent to work,
will be put to death; that in all occupied territory, Axis money will be the
medium of exchange; that all political activities must cease; that all public
meetings are forbidden; that anyone trying to leave the United States without
permission will be deported or shot; that all males from 16 to 60 must register,
giving all data as to education and vocational aptitude, and that all females
between 16 and 45 must do likewise; that school children must be registered
by their teachers as a first step towards transfer to National Socialist Youth
camps; that weapons of all kinds, radios, cameras, must be turned in; that the
death penalty will be invoked against all persons who listen to foreign broad-