Evening star., 1942-02-15

II want them to know that have done
my best, that I have kept the soldier
faith"
With those words In 1884, Gen. Doug
las Macarthur offered his farewell as
Chief Of STAFF OF the United States Army
to "the officers and enlisted men, their
wives and families, with admiration and
affection"
Today. eight years later, when this
same man Is fighting under tremendous
odds in the far-on Philippines against
the hordes of Japanese invaders, those
words seem even more appropriate than
when he penned them. because then he
was asked to continue on as Chief of
Staff, and did for more than another
year. Now his fate hangs in the balance
on the field of battle.
If Gen. Macarthur continues his fight
in the Philippines to the bitter end, as
many military observers here believe he
will, and If he refuses to give up until he
and most Of the men in his command
have been killed. the words he penned in
1884 may prove fitting epitaph on the
tombstone in Arlington Cemetery of the
soldier who now is showing that he
learned well the lessons he was preach
ing years ago.
A study just made by this writer of
the annual reports, submitted by Gen.
Macarthur as Chief Of Staff of the Army
in 1884 and 1885, shows that he visual
lied the very conditions he has to strug-
gle under today on the far side of the
Pacific; that he was then urging Con-
gress to give him the very things he lacks
today, airplanes, fast-moving tanks,
modern equipment. He knew then that
war was in the ofiing.
Pleas Fell on Deaf Ears.
Although Gen Macarthur was men,
Der of the military court which tried
Gen. William L. Mitchell when that Of
flcer threw naval and Army tradition
to the wind, campaigned for aircraft and
insisted planes could sink modern battle
ships, his reports show that he had the
same foresight as to aircraft in this war
that Gen. Mitchell had.
Like Gen. Mitchell, Gen. Macarthur
found that most of his earnest pleas fell
on deaf ears in the days of peace. Con-
gress was in no mood to build up large
Army. 1t was resting comfortably on the
conviction that the First World War had
been fought and won that there would
never be another. Economy was the
watchword in Government An Army of
165.000 enlisted men was being asked and
denied them today we are building fran
tically toward one of 100000.
Crises that result finally in the en-
ployment OF defense forces give little
warning of their approach" said Gen.
Macarthur prophetically in his report
of 1884, "and it is futile to hope that
there might be accomplished a reason
able preparation after growing tension
once indicates immediate danger. Armies
and navies, in being and known to be
efficient, give weight to the peaceful
words of statesmen, but feverish effort
to create them when once a crisis is
imminent simply provokes immediate at
tack.
Moreover, individual proficiency in
the profession of arms and development
of efficient fighting organizations both
require time, no matter what the in
tensity of the effort or the lavishness of
expenditure. Reasonable preparation
constantly carried forward as a feature
of national policy is not only necessary
to assure avoidance of the bitterest con-
sequences of war, but it is wise invest
ment in the maintenance of peace"
Program Recommended.
After proposing program, which he
all other major powers in strength of
organized land forces" because our rel
ative standing would be no higher than
18TH" Gen. Macarthur said it might,
because Of our geographical isolation,
Justify assurance in freedom from at
tack" Then he said:
The proposals of the general staff
have been formulated with regard for
current governmental economy, as well
as in full realization of the fact that
retrenchment that cripples national de-
fense is extravaganza past the point of
folly. They are conservative to a degree
and for that reason difficult to popu-
larize.
They have not the emotional appeal
either of the ill-advised and deplorably
provocative statements of the jingoist or
the stupid utterances and specious argu-
ments Of the extreme pacifist. They are