Evening star., 1932-07-29
MACARTHUR LAUDS
+ HOOVER IN CRISIS
Further Delay in 0uSting
Bonus Men Dangerous,
Says Chief of Staff.

Asserting 1T was a badlooking mot
which we faced on Pennsylvania avenue
and it was animated by the essence OF
revolution" Gen. Douglas Macarthur
chief of staff of the Army. expressed the
belief in a statement late last night that
'the Government would have been
threatened" had not President Hoover
ordered the troops out.
The chief of staff and Secretary OF
War Hurley talked with newspaper men
shortly after they had reported to Presi-
dent Hoover on the evacuation tactics
and success.
1T is my opinion" Gen. Macarthur
added, that had the President permit
ted this thing to go on "a hours more
he would have been faced with a grave
situation which would have caused a
real battle
Had he let it go On another week, l
believe that the institutions of our Gov
ernment would have been very seriously
threatened.
Praises HO0VeT'S Patlence.
'I think it can be safely said that
he had not only reached the end of an
extraordinary patience, but he had gone
the limit in his desire to avoid friction
and trouble before he used force"
After declaring that in his opinion
Mr.. Hoover would have been "derelict il
his duty had he not called out the
troops, Gen. Macarthur said the Presi-
dent had at stake the safety Of the
country" and had he not acted with
the force and vigor that he did it would
have been very sad day for the coun-
try tomorrow"
Referring to members of the mob,
which he termed 'insurrectionistS," the
Army leader said there were not more
than $500 real veterans yesterday in
the camps on Government property. He
explained that crowds of curious spec
tators had been confused all the time
with the bonus marchers.
Not one man in 10 among those who
were active about the So-called veterans
camps was a real veteran" he declared.
No Provisions for Future.
That is was Gen. MacArthur's inten-
ton to rout the bonus marchers from
the District in the shortest possible time
without regard to what was to become of
them after they were routed was evident
In a statement he made to newspaper
men on Pennsylvania avenue yesterday
afternoon as his troops were clearing
the last remnants of the Bonus Army
from the Pennsylvania avenue camp.
Gen. Macarthur, standing in the
middle of the street, his eyes still smart
ing from the effects of the tear gas,
was asked:
General, has any provision been
made for these men after they have
been run out of their camps?"
Not by me-" he retorted, turning on
his heel.
The chief of staff asserted in his in
terview at the War Department that
he found the veterans in bad mood
and that they had come to the con-
clusion because of the kind treatment
thev had received that they were about
to take over direct control of the Gov
eminent, or to gain control by indirect
methods"
Avoids Camp Bartlett.
The Army leader one of the out
standing heroes of the Worl| war and
division commander of some of the
rioting veterans In the days Of 1917
and 1918, said the troops had no plans
for removing the bonus marchers from
Washington.
He explained the Army was merely
assisting the District officials in eject
ing squatters from Federal property.
He said there was one group at Camp
Bartlett. which is on private property,
do with clearing that camp.
"The President played it pretty fine,
waiting till the last moment" Gen.
Macarthur continued, but there was
not much margin. So far as I can
learn, not a single person was seriously
hurt after the Army entered the clear
ing work"
At this juncture Gen Macarthur was
asked by newspaper men who set fire
to the camps On Pennsylvania avenue
after the troops had cleared them of
veterans.
Fired Their Own BilIets.
ITO go back to the incidents" the
general replied, after we cleared Penn
sylvani3 avenue the insurrectionists fired
their billets. l again sent word by Gen.
Glassfcrd to the group at Thirteenth
and c streets that we would be there
within an hour. We were. But they
we're not. They had evacuated. They
also burned their area"
He said none of the buildings occu-
pied by the veterans had been set on
fire, but the torch had been applied to
the "fimsy shacks they had con-
structed themselves"
After the troops had cleared the
camps in the downtown area, Gen Mac
Arthur declared, attention was directed
on Camp Marks in Anacostia. Continu-
1ng, he said:
The Anacostia Camp was large. It
fHOK fir1p IN pyoPffofa 7 d. -
want to cause physical harm and want
ed to avoid as far as I could any hard
ship. l halted my command and
waited until about pm. before mov-
ing on Anacostia
All Of these moves. of course. had
been at the solicitation Of the District
Commissioners. They requested not
only that those areas should be evacu-
ated by the military, but they requested
through Gen. GlaSsford, speaking for
Commissioner Reichelderfer and Com
missioner Crosby that we proceed from
Anacostia and evacuate the areas at
Camp Meigs and at Camp Sims, at a
location near the Seventh street docks
and location near the library in the
200 block of A street.
Veterans Not on Move
when We reached Anacostia the
camp was practically abandoned. The
control lines of shacks were fired. There
were few people in the interior Of the
camp still packing and they were given
full opportunity and time TO go"
The newspaper men again interrupt
ed Gen. Macarthur to question him as
to who fired the Anacostia camp.
They must have fired it themselves, "
he replied. 1T was burning when we
got there. They we're the front line
shacks I think had we been there an
hour later the whole camp would have
been burned. Those people at the
camp evacuated when I arrived, They
were apparently bound for Camp Bart
lett.
As the shacks on the fats of Ana
costa burned fiercely, the chief OF
staff ordered a temporary halt TO the
troop movement last night. A bat