Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-16
MACARTHUR HERE
TOBECOME CHIEF
New Head of Army staff to
Assume Duties Nov. 21,
Succeeding SummeraII.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Mai. Gen. Douglas Macarthur, "the
D'Artagnan Of the United States Army"
arrived in washington last night from
the Philippines to assume his new
duties as chief of staff. He relieves
Gen Charles p. Summeral in that SUI
preme rank on November 81. Gen.
Eummerall, chief since 1926, will reach
retirement age with his sixty-fourth
birthday on March 4, 1881. Gen. Mac
Arthur, coming home from the Far
East. had the advantage of inspecting
most of the important establishments
of the Army en- route to washington.
When designated as chief Of staff by
President Hoover last Summer, Mac
Arthur was on special tour OF In
spection of American forces In China,
Department of the Philippines, from
which the general Is transferred to the
chiefship of staff. On his way to the
Capital from San Francisco, where he
landed on October IS, Gen. Macarthur
visited the 9th Corps Area, headquar-
ters San Francisco; Fort Francis E.
Warren, at Cheyenne. Wyo.; the It'll
Corps Area, at Omaha, Nebr.; Fort
,Eeavenworth, KaFls.:: Fort Riley, Kans.;
'El Paso, Tex; Fort Bliss, Tex, and
Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Tex,
Mexican border duty. Before reaching
California, Gen. Macarthur tarried at
Honolulu to inspect the extensive De-
partment of Hawaii He reported the
army in excellent shape" at our mid
pacific strategic base.
Chief Of Stan at 50.
with the single exceptions of Gems.
Leonard Wood and J. Franklin Bell,
Douglas Macarthur is the youngest man
ever to achieve the blue ribbon of the
United States Army. He becomes chief
Of STAFF at the age Of so. BY practically
choice fell upon the all-around most
brilliant soldier In the establishment
eligible for the rank and still youthful
enough to serve out q full four-year
s-tour of duty Macarthur Is an
engineer, though his military predilec-
tons run along the line of active serv-
ice with troops rather than the usual
routine Of the engineering corps.
As No. ] man of his class at West
Point (1so3), Macarthur was an out
standing academy man, distinguishing
himself particularly as corps leader and
the undergraduate body's representative
in dealings with the academy authors
ties. He always carried punch in
his bag In that capacity" clasSmate
now on duty in washington recalls.
Macarthur was always enthusiastically
interested in athletics at West Point,
and established the system whereby
every cadet was required to participate
in some form OF sport as q part OF his
academy education.
In France, where Macarthur was
commander of the AID (Rainbow) Di-
vision, after having served during most
Of the campaign as its chief Of staff, he
was famed throughout the A. z. F.
for his gallantry as an active fighting
man. MacArthur's ideas Of what
soldier ought to be were instilled in him
by brave father, Lieut.. Gen. Arthur
Macarthur, who achieved q remarkable
Civil War before he was hardly out Of
his tens. Douglas MacArthur's comrades
IN France always used to say that he
invariably went into battle lover there"
as the incarnation Of the fighting spirit
of his revered father.
Won Many Citations.
The new chief Of staff Is renowned in
every post of the United States Army
for his theory that an of1cer should
never ark an enlisted man, either in
peace or war, to do anything an officer
himself wouldn't do. Macarthur car
ried out that notion time and again in
France, and generally to the dismay OF
his superiOrs, for he was fond of court
ing danger under fire and taking risks
with the men who had to obey his
orders. It was under conditions Of this
sor. that Macarthur won numerous
citations for ga1lantry in the face OF
the enemy.
tary of War, has supplied this writer
frl1n N.
Douglas Macarthur:
when I first went to the War De-
partment Macarthur was attached 70
the Secretary's office, primarily TO deal
with publicity matters in connection
with the Mexican situation just arisen.
] at once recognized his brilliance and
his sturdy resourcefulness. He was SUD-
seuuently appointed chief Of staff OF the
Rainbow Division In France upon my
personal recommendation. After the
war 1 selected Macarthur as superin-
tendent at West Point because OF his
splendid career as soldier and the
winsomeness and inspiration of his per-
sonality, which thought would be par
ticularly valuable and attractive to tbs
student body. Douglas Macarthur Y
the son of q soldier with every chtval-
rous soldierly instinct. He has the high.
est traditions of the service bred into
him, improved and cultivated through
out his own life. His personal qualities
are those of gentleman-a term which
probably never will be adequately de.
fined, but which contains. as essential
ingredients. courage, poise and con-
sideration for others"
Soon after the United States entered
the war, in 1917, Secretary Baker tolC
newspaper men: 81 would not hesitat'
o minute to make Douglas Macarthur
Id nN -