Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-05
Byrd Dic+um
On Defense
Called Right
Failure Due to Leaders,
johnson Declares
By HUGH S. JOHNSON

'
CENATOR BYRD'S dictum
~ that, judged by any stand
ard, our defense effort is fail
ure may cover a little too much
territory. There are some
bright spots though. even as to
these. Postwar post mortems
are sure to show some terrible
extravagances.
But, generally speaking. the
senator ss"striking pretty close
to the bulrs-eye as every impair
tial non-political observer will
be likely to concede.
OF course there are good
many causes for this. The one
that appeals most to me is
rather difficult for personal rea-
sons to write about. Yet on
little reflection it should be too
obvious to be obscured by any
personal considerations.
Where are the unquestionably
great men and leaders, either in
the legislative or the executive
departments. whose demon
strated success and leadership
have put them into positions of
unquestioned authority?
That there are some OF that
quality / do not question. but
that there are any who, because
of that quality, have been given
their heads, remains TO be
shown.
TT is getting far along enough
L in this emergency for this kind
of man to begin to appear. At
this stage in England they had
certainly emerged both in this
and in World War I.
Grant. Lee. Jackson and Sher-
man had their heads well above
the ruck at this stage in our
Civil War. In Germany dead
wood seems TO have been sifted
out and true leadership devel-
oped at the outset.
II took us over year in
World War /, but at this stage
the men who finally did the
great jobs were already known.
Who are they here now?
There is too much possibility of
Hnfairness in naming either mis-
fits or promising performers.
But the mere question is enough.
Who are they now? The ques-
ton defies an answer and every
reader can supply his own.
THE fact is that we have not
Il developed more than a few
of even demonstrated fitness
and none of those has been
given a chance 10 do his stuff.
II is a system of checks and
balances, divided authority and
one man set against another
until none goes Fundamentally
into his Job. II any one does
get too rambunctious he gets
his.
Generally speaking. IL is a gall
lery of echo-men. The labor,
farm and fiscal policies are such
as TO make full speed ahead diff
ficult If not impossible, and the
constant changes TO new and
ever more indefinite goals show
a great lack of planning and
definition of purpose.
This is hardly the fault of
subordinates but in such Situa-
ton any development of the
kind of subordinate leadership
we are discussing here is next
TO impossible.
MUCH the same thing is true
AVA in the Congress that is so
apparent in the executive de-
partments. Really great men,
in both houses. are so intent on
listening for This masters voice"
that the great domestic legisla-
tive policies. without which even
an execution of foreign policy is
impossible. are neglected.
There used to be stereotyped
subject for high school ora
ton, The Eternal Stars Shine
Out When it Is Dark Enough"
1t certainly is getting pretty
dark, but the eternal stars seem
10 have missed the train.
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