Evening star., 1936-12-29
PROMOT|0NREPORT
OF NAVY SOUGHT
Secrecy Yelling General
Boards Stand on Selection
System Attacked.

With the opening of Congress only
o week away, interested officials are
growing apprehensive over the con-
tinued secrecy shrouding the Gen.
eral Boards report on the promotion
system in the Navy and Marine Corps,
and members Of the House Naval
Committee we're represented today as
threatening a demand in the legisla-
tive halls to make the recommended
tions fully public.
The Navy Departments explanation
Is that the General Board report,
which has been under study for sew
eral weeks, has been going the rounds
of the Bureau of Navigation, the
Judge Advocate Generals Office and
other interested authorities. Secre-
tary Swanson has announced that the
report, with the Endorsements or criti-
cisn1s of the various admirals con-
cerned, has not yet reached his desk.
The General Board advises the Sec
retary of the Navy on matters Of
policy. The selection system, under
which officers must be picked for ad-
vancement to the next higher rank by
the time given age is reached after
graduation from the Naval Academy.
has been in effect for senior officers
of the Navy since the World War and
in recent years has been extended
down to embrace junior naval Off.
GERS and the Marine Corps.
Charges of Favoritism.
There have been charges of favorit-
ism and the statement has been made
that many good officers are lost to
the service because they fail of selec-
ton. The General Board was in
structed to study the whole subject
and this it has done. inviting sug-
gestions from the entire service on
its views. with the proviso that any
officer might submit his ideas on the
system. in confidence, without fear of
reprisal.
The Secretary Of the Navy convenes
selection boards. composed, for the
higher officers, Of rear admirals for
the Navy and majors and brigadier
generals for the Marine Corps, with
captains and colonels choosing those
in the lower brackets for Advancement
These reports. after getting the stamp
of approval from the Judge Advocate
General for legality, usually are
ratified by the Secretary Of the Navy
and transmitted to the President for
his Endorsement. If this be obtained
names to the Senate as his nominal
tons for confirmation. The selection
boards, under the law. must be in ses-
sion at least 10 days and their deliber-
ations are highly secretive and no
reason Is ever given as to why an
officer Is or Is not selected for pro-
motion.
1t is known that many officers IN
the service are apprehensive over the
continued secrecy of the General
Boards findings. Newspaper men at
the department have tried, without
success. to have the authorities release
only the boards report at this time
leaving the recommendations of the
bureaus for later date. Many officers
feel that the recommendations-w
ever they may he-rnay be "railroaded"
through Congress. before the public
has an adequate opportunity to scan
and discuss them thoroughly.
This. it is believed, is the basis for
the present agitation for the fullest
possible publicity on the General
Boards report. The morale of the
service may be disturbed, it is felt,
if it continues to be kept in the dark
for every officer in the service who has
not reached the grade of rear admiral
or brigadier general is vitally and
personally affected by the outcome,
The General Boards report is not
unanimous. it has been learned. and
1t is known that feelings run high on
the subject. No inkling of the con-
tents of the boards report has leaked
out and this adds to the suspense. for
usually some hint of what it going on
behind the scenes passes around the
department, by word or mouth.
The convening of Congress will
likely see a determined effort to bring
the whole report into the open-unless
Secretary Swanson and his advisers
should see fit to release it in the
interim.