Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-29
British Forces Supply Example
For US. in Unity Of Command
Admiral Cunningham Willingly Accepted Orders
From Gen. Eisenhower, His Junior
in Military Rank
By Marquis ". ChiIds

Defense College was suspended. The
staff officers who had directed the work
of the college were taken over by the
Imperial War Committee which, in
sense, superseded the college The COM
mittee has tried to achieve the same CO.
operative direction in solving the real
problems of war as was formerly applied
in working out the theoretical problems
of peacetime.
Here is how British command operates
in the Middle East. There are four men
of more or less equal stature. Gen.
Harold R. L. G.. Alexander is in COM
mand for the Army, Air Marshall Sir
Arthur w. Tedder for air, and Sir An
drew Brown Cunningham for the Navy.
The highest ranking civilian officer is
Richard G.. Casey, formerly Australian
Minister in Washington. who was dele
gated by Prime Minister Churchill to
represent the cabinet in Cairo.
These four men have a close working
relationship. If the major phase of an
action is to take place on land then Gen.
Alexander is in charge as he was in the
He tells the navy man and the air man
what he wants of them, not in the form
Of command but as request to work.
ing partner with equal status. Mr.
Casey is completely in their confidence
on every important move.
Africa Supplies Pattern.
The action in Africa is an excellent
,H1a of Nrl; >f
not only as between the several branches
of the British force but as between Brit
ish action at one end of the Mediter-
ranean and American action at the OPP
posite end Tie British provided most
of the naval protection for the Amer
lean invasion of French North Africa
with an armada of small and large war
ships under Admiral Cunningham.
Hardly more than year ago. 1t. Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was only a COL
onel. Yet Admiral Cunningham was
perfectly willing to serve under the
junior officer
The question that invariably arises
with command by committee" is what
happens should one of the committee
refuse to comply with the request of the
officer in immediate charge of partic-
ular operation. The British answer is
that such refusal is impossible Men
are chosen for commands because of
their ability-among other reasons-to
cooperate in common action. Should
such a refusal occur. however. it would
Immediately be reported to London and
i'll all probability the recalcitrant COM
mander would be relieved of his COM
mand.
That is the point the British stress
above all others-that men with ca
pacity for cooperation must be chosen
If any system is to work With the
stlf1-necked type of officer determined
to do it on his own no system of Joint
command, however perfect the system
may look on paper, will function. 1t is
here, Of course, that they feel the habit
of cooperation is important.
One lack in Washington is effective
collaboration between military and civil
ians. The pattern has not been clearly
established. There is still to be cultivated
the mutual trust on which such a re-
lationship must rest. There is still too
much suspicion.
In this respect the military tend to
take on functions that would be much
better left to civilian authority.
Your military men are moving in
where We would never dream of moving
in one British officer who travels fire.
quently between London and Washington
declared. He was speaking not from the
point of view of whether such arrogation
of authority could be effective in Amer
lea. In Germany, where there is a long
(See CHIIDS. Page B-3)