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CHINA AID CAN SHORTEN WAR, HOFFMAN SAYS

Relief Drive Will Seek $20,000 in County. 

Paul G. Hoffman, president of the Studebaker corporation and national chairman of United Chine Relief, Inc., warned today that China must be maintained as a fighting ally of the democracies in the far eastern war theater and that the fall of China would mean a war of long duration which would crumble free enterprise in America. 
Mr. Hoffman spoke at a breakfast of about 80 prominent South Bend executives, professional men and religious and social leaders this morning in the Oliver hotel under the auspices of the South Bend committee of United China Relief. 
The meeting was designed to promote a successful China relief campaign which will be concentrated on a county-wide basis for one week beginning Saturday.
Speaking in terms of a seven-year war which many American leaders have indicated may be in store for the United States, the Studebaker corporation executive declared that such a war, and even a longer war, would mean that the national federal debt would exceed this nation's national wealth. 

Threat to Free Enterprise. 
"Such a condition would mean the destruction of our free enterprise system. When this occurs there will be no possible way of beating our way back to free enterprise," Mr. Hoffman said. 
"A long war will have to be fought on seven seas and seven continents. America will lose a high percentage of the flower of its youth. Without them we cannot reconstruct a free society successfully for the youth of the land makes it possible to rebuild," he added. 
Mr. Hoffman asserted that China is the key that will lead to a short war for the democracies. "If China's fighting front holds, chances for a short war in the far east are great. If China's fighting front collapses, we won't see the end to this war," he warned. 
Mr. Hoffman pointed out that China has tied up more than 1,000,000 Japanese soldiers with her resistance. These soldiers, he noted, if free could menace Russia, Australia, and even the United States. 

Front Depends on Morale. 
"Holding of the Chinese front will depend on maintenance of Chinese civilian morale which has allowed her to hand on and fight back at Japanese aggression for five years. We can help keep China's morale high by aiding her in every possible way," Mr. Hoffman said. 
Pointing out that faith in American friendship also is vital to Chinese morale, Mr. Hoffman declared that that faith has been kept by China because of the stand made by Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his fighting men in the Philippines, because of the work of the "flying tigers" in Burma and the American expeditionary forces working in China proper. 
Mr. Hoffman praised the influence of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, of China, in world events and described him as "a great world leader and the key to the treacherous situation in India at present."
The Studebaker corporation executive urged the county to subscribe its full $20,000 quota in the relief drive. "We can't fall down now when China needs us most and we need China. We won't fall down," he said. 

Corporation Gives $10,000.
Mr. Hoffman revealed that the Studebaker corporation has given $10,000 to the drive and that many large corporations throughout the nation are rallying to the drive's support in every way possible. 
"By giving now we can maintain Chinese morale which will play a great role in winning this war quickly," he said. 
Miss Lee Ya-Chine, a native of Hong Kong and China's first lady of the air, also made a strong appeal for aid to China. Miss Lee, who for three years has been touring the United

Continued on Page Three, Column Five. 

The South Bend Tribune. 
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 8, 1942.