Evening star., 1941-07-06
Marshall Plan Fiqht
Expected, but Can Be
Won, Backers Feel
Roosevelt May Discuss
Proposals With Congress
Leaders Tomorrow
By GOULD LINCOLN.

BY GOULD LINCOLN.
Although a fight is expected ir
Congress over the proposals OF Gen
George c. Marshall. Army chief o
staff, to extend the service perioe
for selectees beyond the year fixet
by law and to make it possible t.
send these men beyond the confinel
of the Western Hemisphere ane
United States possessions, it doe!
not mean the fight can not be won
in the opinion of some members o.
me Senate Military Affairs Com.
mittee. Three or four month:
before the enactment of the Selec-
tive Service Act last year, op-
position to the legislation seemed
insurmountable. The wisdom of the
proposal, however, gradually over
came that opposition.
The recommendations of Gen
Marshall may be discussed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt with congressional
leaders at a White House confer
ence tomorrow. So far there has
been no comment from the White
House on the chief of Staff's re-
port, but it is believed the admins
tration will support the proposals
when 1t is ready to do so.
While Congress continues 10 hold
informal debate on the merits of
the recommendations the contro-
Versy grew last night with the inter-
lection Of a Joint statement by
Clark M. Eichelberger, acting ma
tional chairman of the Committee
10 Defend America. and Uric Bell,
chairman of the Executive Com
rittee of Fight for Freedom, Inc.
Urge Support of Knox.
They demanded that Gen. Mar
shall's plan for making the Army
more effective be enacted into law,
and at the same time urged that
Congress support Secretary of the
Navy Knox in his call for using the
Navy to clear the Atlantic of Ger
man raiders and submarines.
Senator Thomas of Utah, rank
ing member of the Military Affairs
Committee, and Senator Hill of Ala
bama both expressed yesterday their
approval Of Gen. Marshalls recon-
mendations. although Senator
Thomas preferred that they be mod
ified to permit the selectees to VOL
unteer for Army service. In that
way. he said. it would be possible to
take these trained men into service
and at the same time make room
for additional selectees needed for
training
Too much emphasis. in the opin-
Ton of these Senators. has been
placed on the particular recon-
mendation of Gen. Marshall that
the law be changed to make it pos
sible to send the selectees any,
where the President. as commander
IN chief, can now send the Regular
Army. Gen. Marshall. in making
this recommendation, was not seek
ing to fix policy. Senator Thomas
said. Any policy would have to be
determined by the President and
the Congress, What he was doing,
Senator Thomas insisted, was to
prepare for better administration
of cohesive United States. Army.
Wants Greater Efficiency.
Gen. Marshall, in his report to the
Secretary of War, said. Whatever
we do for the national defense
should be done in the most efficient
manner. Differences of views re-
garding national policy should not
be permitted to obscure the facts
relating to preparation of the armed
forces for service. When and where
these forces are to serve - should
not be confused with the problem
Of their readiness. In his opinion
the armed forces will be made more
efficient if his recommendation are
adopted And that, Senator Hill
feels, Is the reason for enacting the
legislation necessary to make these
recommendation law.
Representative Thomason of Tex
as, ranking member OF the House
Military Affairs Committee, said he
was opposed. at this time to- any
thing like an expeditionary force
being sent out of the Western Hem
isphere. He said, however. he was
ready to keep the reServists and the
National Guardsmen in the service
beyond year, since they were viz
tually volunteers when they went
into the Federal service. He was op-
posed. for the present any way. to
retaining the selectees more than
. year, since they had been taken
into the service for a specified per-
,od of one year under the law. He
favored discharging them at the end
of the year, and taking new men for
training, Those discharged he said,
could be called back if it became
necessary
Senate Minority Leader McNary
yesterday aligned himself with op-
ponents of the Marshall recommen-
dations. He indicated many of the
Republicans in the Senate would
stand with him. Senator Adams of
Colorado, who was the author of
the provision in the selective service
law which prevents sending the
selectees beyond the Western Hem
isphere, said that to give the au-
thority asked by Gen. Marshall would
In substance be a vote for au-
thority to make war.
Quick Action Asked.
The Eichelberger-Bell statement
said in part:
Gen. Marshall said that Congress
should move quickly to enable the
Army to retain selectees and Ma
tional Guardsmen in service for
whatever period required and to pro-
vide for whatever defensive meas
ures that may be necessary by the
armed forces of the United States
for the security of the American
people"
Our chief of staff asked that
this be done only in order that We
have a fair opportunity-mark
those words-to protect ourselves
against the coldly calculated, secret
and sudden action that might be
directed against US
I'VE know by now what this Sc
cret and sudden action can be. We
know by the mounting toll of other
nations murdered by the cold and