Evening star., 1942-03-22
War Cabinet Declared Need,
Not Super General Staff
Such Organization Should Represent Every
3. Interest Engaged in Prosecution Of Struggle
By MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
EI.10T-

s
BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.
Many Of the proposals for unity
Of command, q combined general
stan, and 20 on, which currently
are being presented do not appear
to have been thoroughly thought
through.
The Constitution Of the United
States provides for unity OF COM
mand, and vests that command in
the President. AS for a combined
general staff, there seems to be some
misunderstanding OF a stairs func-
tions. A sten does not direct. 1t
carries out directions; it does not
command, 1t assists commander
BY getting him the information he
needs in order to make his decisions,
and by working out details OF those
decisions once they are made.
In this sense the President, as
commander in chief, does not have
. combined staff at all. He may,
and does, consult with the chief
OF stan and the chief Of naval
operations, and questions OF joint
activities may be threshed out by
the joint board.
But there is no general" STAN
completely divorced from the con-
troll Of the separate services giving
its whole time to the consideration
of the war as a whole and to aiding
the President in major decisions OF
strategy and policy as affecting
strategy.
Other Considerations.
A moments thought, however,
will show that decisions OF this sort
cannot be guided wholly by military
considerations. Political, financial
and economic elements enter and
must be weighed as no soldiers or
sailors can weigh them. Military
men are not trained to such matters;
hence, If we are to speak OF a presi-
Dental general staff. beginning IN
the realms Of the highest echelon OF
decision, we really are talking hrst
Of all about . war cabinet.
We are talking Of group composed
largely Of heads Of departments, or
Rsnized for team work with proper
secretariat and the necessary means
of liaison, with clear-cut lines OF
responsibility as to each member
within his own sphere OF activity,
and with q joint and several re-
sponsibility for advising the Presi-
dent on the conduct Of the war.
Such a war cabinet should represent
every important interest" engaged
in the prosecution Of the war. or
necessary to its efficient conduct.
These are foreign relations, finance,
the Army, the Navy. industrial pro-
duction, internal security, economic
warfare. information, shipping.
Components Of Cabinet.
The war cabinet should. therefore,
include the Secretaries Of State,
Treasury, War and Navy. chairman
Of the War Production Board and
additional officers of like standing
and authority, each supreme in the
other fields mentioned and respon-
sible directly to the President. Every
related activity should be brought
under one Of these heads OF depart
ment, so that there would be no
overlapping and no conflict OF au-
thority. All this is we'll within the
existing powers of the President and
can be done by executive order,
without legislation.
It should be obvious that an Or
eanized war cabinet, working to-
gether as a team and provided with
the necessary machinery to enable
1t to function as q supreme national
general stad, must be the founda-
ton Of all planning on . national
scale. A mere military stan could
not cover . wide enough range OF
subjects, nor command the necessary
sources Of information, nor advise
on matters outside Its proper
functions.
Once the war cabinet Is accepted,
however, the beginning is made from
which all else In the way Of staff
work In joint planning will naturally
and easily flow. The principle is
perfectly clear-the war cabinet. as
such, gives considered and CO.
ordinated advice; the President de-
cides: the several members OF the
cabinet. as heads Of departments,
execute his decisions, still in CO.
ordination and with daily discussion
Of the results obtained.
It is clear that as to the war cabi-
net and its members, there are two
classes Of responsibility: A joint re-
sponsibility for advising the Presi-
dent and for supervising the execu-
ton Of the Presidents decisions, and
q several responsibility as to each
member for seeing that his par
ticular department does its part OF
the Job properly. It is likewise clear
that the war cabinet will need a
great deal Of technical advice and
that this advice must be so or
eanized as to be effective in both the
above categories Of responsibility.
Naturally, as to each department.
there will exist a staff charged with
the duties of informing and advising
the head of department. formula
ton of plans and carrying out OF
decisions. But the war cabinet, as
such, also will require advice as to
its work within the field of its joint
responsibility.
II is at this point, as to military
affairs in particular, that the joint
general staf makes its appearance.
It's heads must necessarily be the
chief of staff and the chief OF
naval operations. The responsibility
and position of these officers Is such
that no joint staff can be put In
any position of superiority to them.
They, too, must function in position
Of both joint and several RESPONSE
bility, and must assume the burden
eunprxce a. rllrl