Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-07
BAKERS WARTIME
PROPHECY REALIZED
Predicted Gen. Macarthur
Would Some Day Be
Chief of staff.
BIZ DAVID LAWRENCE.

Thirteen years ago. when Douglas
Macarthur was major Of engineers,
Newton d. Baker, Secretary of War
during the World War, predicted that
some day he would be chosen chief Of
stan of the United States Army.
with the announcement by President
Hoover that he had selected Mai, Gen.
Macarthur to be the head of the Amer
lean Army, newspaper men recalled the
remarkable impression made by Mac
Arthur when he first came to the War
Department When the PerShing eX-
petition went into Northern Mexico
Macarthur was in charge in Washing
ton Of the relations between the Army
and the press. He had been on the job
only q few weeks when the newspaper
men recognized that he was perhaps
the most outspoken and at the same
time careful dispenser of news they had
ever seen In the War Department. In
fact when the United States entered
the war they looked forward to the
solution Of all news problems by Mac
Arthur.
But within one month after the dec
laration of war Maj. Macarthur was
restless to get to France.
You see all these generals In the
Offices along this corridor" he remarked
one day. well, in few months not
one of them will be here. but younger
men will be In their places. War is
young mans game"
Promotions In France"
"And you are going to stay here?"
he was asked, land occupy one of these
important positions on the staff?"
"Oh, no" was his reply, 1.-The real
promotions will come to the men who
20 to France It was that way with
those who saw active service in the
Civil War and 1t will be that way with
the World War. Why, they had briga-
der generals and major generals in the
twenties and the thirties in the Civil
War, they viii have them in the World
War"
Macarthur said at the time that the
most important incentive to the mill
tary man IN war was to know that pro-
motions would come irrespective of Sc
niority of rank
Sometime when you are talking to
the Secretary Of War, he said to one
OF the newspaper men, ask him what
his policy is going to be with reference
to seniority. win they make major
generals irrespective of their grade or
rank? That's the thing the military
men will want to know"
So the question was asked of Secre-
tary Baker and he revealed that actual
service would be the determining factor
IN selecting officers for promotion.
incidentally, he remarked, why I
wouldn't hesitate q minute to make
Macarthur chief of star, notwithstand-
ing his youth. And predict he will
be some day."
Training in Engineer Corps.
Maj. Men. Macarthur has bis train
ing IN the Engineering Corps which
His service in France, however, was
with the Infantry. He was wounded
twice and was awarded the Distin-
gliished Service Cross for gallantry in
action. He comes from q family of
soldiers, his father having been Lieut.
Gen. Macarthur of Civil War fame.
There were other major generals
ahead Of him in rank, but every one Of
them was due TO retire before he could
possibly finish o four-year term as
chief of stan. Mr.. Hoover was i'm
pressed with the fact that Gen. Mac
Arthur vas the only man on the list
Of major generals who could serve
four-year term as chief Of stan and still
remain in the Army. It is not un-
likely, too, that with the effort to
make the peace time army more useful
Ia governmental projects and with q
large responsibility Of an engineering
character to be imposed on the War
Department in the next few years the.
President considered It advisable to
have some one who could be continu-
ously familiar with the large under
takings.