Mumford Urges U.S. Help in War Against Fascism

"If the Allies win the war, it won't necessarily mean a new heaven on earth; but if Hitler wins, it will mean a new hell. We must resist. We must throw aside the pitiful hypocrisy of our neutrality," Lewis Mumford said yesterday.

The author of "Techniques and Civilization" and "The Culture of Cities," who is at Harvard for a three week stay while he gives six lectures on "The Backgrounds of American Architecture" believes that the United States should actively aid France and England in order to halt "the demonic spread of Fascism, that may yet blot out our civilization."

In an interview Mumford laid down the lines he thinks American participation should follow:

Military Aid Last Resort

"First of all, we should permit a volunteer army to be raised here to fight on the side of the Allies," he said. "Our navy should be used to convoy every available American merchant vessel in order to carry food to France and England. Moreover, we should produce a large number of planes and train a huge corps of pilots in case Russia and Italy join Germany."

"As a last resort, if the situation becomes extremely desperate, we must offer more positive military aid," he added. "If Germany remains alone, this will be unnecessary."

America cannot withdraw into the Western Hemisphere without falling into a "shut-off, parochial culture which would inevitably mummify," he maintained. "The fate of our political and economic system and our culture is tied up with the rest of the world."

But Mumford does not believe in unconditional aid to the Allies. "Every offer of help must be met with the acceptance of principles--the principles on which can be built a lasting framework of peace and justice in international relations," he believes.