Secretary of navy Swanson asked for a strong United States Navy according to the Dutch newspaper Het Vaderland: staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad daily edition dated 3 December 1933

The American secretary of navy Swanson (1) demanded clearly in his annual report that the United States needed a strong navy. It was not longer an issue to continue the global disarmament caused by the naval Treaties while other countries obviously neglected this treaties. One of the most important guarantees for a (global) peace was that the United States Navy was the most powerful on the world. He supposed a naval shipbuilding program to increased the navy to a level as permitted by the treaties.(2)

Notes

1. Claude Augustus Swanson (31 March 1862-7 July 1939) a Democratic politician and secretary of navy in the period 6 March 1933-7 July 1939.

2. The London Naval Treaty between the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy and the United States dated from 22 April 1930 with as main issues to limit the naval shipbuilding and to regulate warfare with submarines. So were the United States allowed to built 18 heavy cruisers with a total tonnage of 180,000 tons. The Washington Naval Treat between the same countries signed on 6 February 1921 with as main issues to limit the number of the so-called capital ships and aircraft carriers and their maximum individual tonnage.