Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-22
Will Fill Army and Navy
Posts Irrespective OF
Adopted Policy.
CRITICISM OF MOFFETT
RETENTION is RESENTED
Precedent Cited-Fries' Term Near
End. Presidents Action
Eagerly Awaited.

President Hoover has no intention OF
departing nom the policy which calls
for the appointment by rotation of Of
fcers in the Army and Navy to bureau
assignments in the two departments,
but while he favors this policy in time
Of peace for the purpose of acqua1ntlng
as many officers as possible with the
work of chiefs of the bureaus, he is not
going to commit himself to 1t as set
plan.
when the occasion calls for the reap
pointment of an officer to technical or
semi-technical post in the service Presl-
dent Hoover will not hesitate to con-
tinue that officer irrespective of any
adopted policy of rotation:
1t has been revealed that the White
House reSentS criticism of President
Hoover's recent reappointment OF Rear
Admiral William A. Moffett as chief OF
the Bureau of Naval Aeronautics as
departure from the accepted policy OF
rotation. The White House CONTENDS
that there Is no ground for such criti-
cism and can point to precedents IN
support of Admiral Moffett's reappolnt-
ment. In this connection. 1t was point
ed out that President Coolidge reap
pointed Admiral Moffett to his second
term. as we'll as Mai. Gen. LeJeure TO
his second term as commandant OF the
Marines. The White House has been
advised Of other incidents as well.
Fries Action Awaited.
President Hoover is inclined to feel
that there should be no fixed rule Tor
rotation appointments regarding the
technical or semi-technical bureaus OF
the Army and Navy, where knowledge
and experience of particular type are
necessary. in his opinion, to efncient
administration.
Considerable interest is now neng
shown in the forthcoming expiration OF
the term of Mai. Gen. Amos A. Fries,
as chief of the Chemical Warfare Serv-
ice of the Army. The latter's term ex-
hires next week and President Hoovers
action toward 1t is being awaited with
more than ordinary interest. Gen. Fries
has served eight years on his present
assignment.
President Hoover has not yet named
the two men whom he will appoint to
the two vacancies on the Federal Radio
Commission, although It mas oeen
learned definitely that Maj. Gen. Charles
NICK. Saltzman, former chief Of the
Army Signal Corps. has been selected
for one of these places. He will be APP
pointed as the representative for the
commission from the fourth zone. which
Comprises the Midwestern States. And
his appointment Is being withheld until
the other appointment has been de-
cided upon.
The latter will be appointed to rep
resent the first zone, which includes
New England and the Middle Atlantic
States, and must be Democrat.
Two Not TO Be Named.
It has been definitely established that
he will not submit to the Senate the
names of Arthur Batcheller and c. NJ.
Jansky. who we're named by President
Coolidge for these two vacancies on the
commission, but whose nomination
failed to be confirmed by the Senate.
Gen. Saltzman is native OF Presi-
dent Hoover's native State, Iowa, and
his retirement from the Army came
about two years ago, when he was not
reappointed for another term as chief
of the Signal Corps, because of the ro-
tation policy then being followed in the
War Department.