The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-02-05


 If you are going to spend a bil- lion extra dollars in big guns and arrnor plate, it becomes of more than passing importance that we have officers competent to steer these toys around. And during the Hoover Coolidge administra- tions the minds of the admirals were so knotted in red tape, and their lives so restricted by an undertaking round of cocktailing, desl--warming and golfing that it would have done the country no good to have built more battle ships even had Congress been willing to pay for them.
 In fact the new cruisers finally built by the admirals during the Hoover administration all rolled so badly that it spoiled the aim of their new eight-inch guns, and suffered from cracked stern posts which had to be mended at an extra cost of $3O,OOO.
 During the eight years ne served as assistant secretary of the navy, Franklin Roosevelt really got to know something about naval per- sonnel, and under his inspiration the navy actually has begun to weed out Some-not all-of the officers whose high rank depend- ed largely upon the size of their wife'S income or their technique on the golf course.
 Chief Weeder
 The man who has done most of the house-cleaning for the Presl- dent is Admiral William D. Leahy, whose title is chief of Naval Op- erations, but who, with sick and aged Secretary of the Navy, is today the actual boss of the Navy Department.
 The above statement must be qualified immediately on one inn portant point. On general policy Roosevelt himself is very much the actual boss of the navy. How ever, Leahy visits the White House regularly twice aaweek and the two men pull together perfectly.
 Leahy is one of the few off, ficerS in either branch of the service who calls the President Franklin. Other naval off cers give the impression of ia miliarity. Admiral AdClphus Andrews, for instance, will tell you how at lunch "the Presi- dent said to me, 'AdOlphus', etc." But you bet your last dollar that most of them don't respond with Franklin.
 Leahy, however, got to know Roosevelt ill 1912 during the first year of the Wilson administration, when, as commander, he served as Director of Target Practice, later was assigned to the Bureau of Navigation. Assistant Secre- tary Roosevelt was then an en- ergetic youngster of 30. Leahy was 37. And to some extent the older man helped initiate his senior executive into the Navy They have been good friends ever since.
 straight C-ShOOCer
 Before the Presidents naval message was sent to Congress, Navy men had doubts whether Congress would stand for large building program. So Representa- tive Vinson, chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee, made this suggestion to Leahy:
 "AdmiraI,' he said, you want five or six new battleships. We'll, Congress won't stand for it. It's too much. But I'll tell you how you can get them. The cOun- try's gone mad on airplanes. So you can ask for five or six big airplane carriers, the size of the Lexington, and when you get the appropriation from Congress you can turn them into battle ships. You can announce that your plans were necessarily changed"
 Admiral Leahy did not hesi- tate a second.
 "Pm no great paragon of vir- tue," he replied, but when I ask for battleships, I'll call them battleships. And it's up to you to get them for us-Or else we don't get them."
 The Admiral is just as blunt and to the point in everything he says. He never beats about the bush. Young officers coming in to see him are scared almost speech less when he says: Well, what's on your mind-shoOt." But un- derneath the surface he is kind, considerate and friendly.
 Prairie Boy
 Like so many other high-rank- ing naval officers Leahy is a mid westener. He was born in the small town of Hampton, Iowa, where they scarcely know dread nEE THE DECADn