every new war brings, or fail to appreciate the tremendous influence which air 

 transport may have on the future, we must not lose sight of the fact that for over- 

 seas military movement we are now, and will be for the forseeable future, largely 

 dependent upon our shipping resources. 



It is well to remember that a professional Army and Navy are merely nuclei of 

 the armed forces needed to wage war. The all encompassing deadliness of another 

 conflict and the suddenness with which it might be initiated make it imperative 

 that no vital national asset such as shipping be allowed to atrophy during times 

 of peace. To do so is merely to invite a repetition of the impotent situation with 

 respect to shipping in which we found ourselves between the two world wars. 



Since ships cannot pass by our front doors or come under the same public ob- 

 servation as the trains, trucks and motor cars, which daily impress themselves 

 upon our consciousness, there is a natural tendency to forget the vital relationship 

 which the Merchant Marine bears to our individual and collective welfare, in 

 peace as well as war. It is my sincere wish that Mr. Farrington's informative and 

 interesting story of the ships of our Merchant Marine will serve to focus the 

 attention of all Americans on a subject which it is perilous to neglect and a mat- 

 ter of pride to remember. 



Washington, D.C. 

 June 25, 1947 



