Evening star., 1942-06-07
Roosevelt as War President
Civilian Becomes Aggressive Powerful Military Leader
BY ClarkeB Beach,

villain who under the Constitution
has become the supreme military COM
mander of the Nation and one Of the
most potent military leaders in the
world, is not the passive type of war
President
He has shown much of Lincolns bold
ness and aggressiveness and willingness
to assume responsibility. Like Wilson,
he has made himself the spokesman OF
the Democratic cause, has acquired
enormous influence among the allied
peoples.
While he does not face the kind OF
difficulties which confronted Lincoln
holding the Union together amid di-
vided counsel, commencing a war with
an army of only 5000 men-yet nc
other President has had to wage war
on so vast scale. His task is to win
global war, fighting on all the seas
and continents, mobilizing the economic
resources of the Nation as they have
never been modified before, controlling
public opinion here and abroad on an
unprecedented scale, task made pos
sible and necessary by the modern de-
velopment of communications.
His powers are more extensive than
those of any other war President. All
of them since Lincoln have had so much
authority as to make them constitutional
dictators, but the Presidents war pow
ers have been expanded to meet the
needs Of the times. In total war like
this, and with new inventions that must
be fitted into the war scheme, the Ex-
ecutives authority necessarily has been
extended into fields hitherto untouched.
The President. for instance, has been
given authority to seize and operate any
radio broadcasting station in the coun-
try-a necessary measure since In no
other way could the Government control
information which crossed the country's
borders by air.
Can Regulate Lives Of Many.
Mr.. Roosevelt has practically unlimited
authority over factories mines, railroads,
shipping, trucking, air lines, telephones.
If he finds it necessary for the sue
cessful prosecution of the war, he can
seize and operate them all He can de-
clare military area and can regulate
the lives of all the persons living with
In it,
His lend-lease power, giving him the
sole decision which of the qualified ma
tions shall get American supplies and
when and in what quantities. gives him
an influence that no other American
President has had While Wilson had
lend-lease power, he had comparatively
little material to lend or lease, until the
war was about over. The arsenal from
which Mr.. Roosevelt can dole out sup
plies is SO enormous, however, that his
csntrol of it gives him unique in
f1uence among the councils OF the
United Nations.
His authority over American military
and naval operations is supreme. The
Army's chief of staff and the Navy's
commander in chief are in effect only
his professional advisers; he appoints
them and they cannot even resign with
out his permission. While this power
Of the wartime executive is generally
COllCClNC0 VI dS CAClC1oCo ~ lly III
the field of general strategy, he can
dictate specific military operations if he
wishes and can even command the
troops in the field If he sees fit.
This power Of a civilian to control
military operations sometimes appears
incongruous to observers, but eminent
authorities have insisted that it was
wise and necessary.
Principles Of War Not Difficult.
Gen. Karl Won Clausewitz, the great
German military philosopher, explained
it this way in 1889:
THE principles of the art Of war are
in themselves very simple and are quite
within the compass Of sound common
sense" The head of a warning nation
need not be versed in warfare, he says.
Elevation, superiority of mind, strength
of character, these principal qualifica-
tions which he must possess; knowl-
edge of war may be supplied in another
way. The art of war in its highest
point of view Is policy g. e., statecrafD /,
but no doubt a policy which fights
battles instead Of writing notes"
In the constitutional convention, Alex
ander Hamilton and others sought to
provide in the Constitution that the
President shall not take actual command
in the field without the consent of Con-
gress, but the convention refused to
adopt this limitation on the Presidents
powers.
The military powers of the President
in wartime were not clearly proved until
Lincoln's time. Madison in the War of
1912 had a theory that the Secretary of
War should go into the field and advise
and consult in time of battle with the
commanding general He so instructed
Secretary John Armstrong, and Arm
strong accordingly joined Gen. Winder
at Bladensburg, Md, where the United
States forces were about to meet the
British who were advancing on Wash
ington.
Madison told Armstrong that If any
dispute arose, he and the cabinet would
be in Bladensburg shortly to settle it.
But no controversy developed. for the
British swept through to Washington SO
HOrSp-nnH-Cn