Evening star., 1943-02-14
Bv Carter Brooke Jones,
Star STAFF Correspondent.

Star STAFF Correspondent.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.-They're
preparing for military victory, here on
the University of Virginia's tradition
haunted campus.
In this citadel of classic lore, the Army
Is making ready not only for the ulti-
mate triumph that eventually will bring
peace, but for the days Immediately
ahead, for every advance through enemy
held territory.
It's not that the Army is concerned
with the peace terms, with the shape
of the postwar world. That's job for
statesmen, not for military men. But
soldiers are vitality concerned-they must
be-with what happens, between battles
and the peace treaty, to the territory
they conquer, mile by mile.
Thus, at the school of law, from which
50 many students have gone to win
eminence in the courtroom or on the
ment the first of its kind, is teaching
carefully selected groups of officers to
administer, during the interim between
the fighting and the peace, the towns
and settlements which our forces already
are capturing in various parts of the
world. Eventually these military ad-
ministrators will have whole provinces,
TRANQUILITY as possible, as the fighting
men sweep onward.
And for the first time in Americas
military annals, these officers picked for
an extremely difficult assignment are
learning, practically, how to carry it out
successfully. During the 16-week course,
as extensive and intensive as it can be
made, the students have all the resources
OF the university Thomas jefferson
founded. They have the benefit of visit
Ing faculty members from other great
universities and colleges, of all the books
and other research sources they need
here and elsewhere; of the Army's top
flight administrators and lawyers.
Lessons of Past Wars
In Americas past wars, this admins
tration Of conquered territory was an
improvised affair, a hit-or-miss proce-
oure. There was no special training for
the ofrcers detailed to the job and no
particular plan. After the armistice of
1918, we occupied a sizable slice of Ger
many for several years. At the Coblenz
br1dgehead alone, more than 200 officers
were assigned to civil affairs duties AS
Brig. Gen. C. w. Wickersham, COM
n1andant Of the School of Military Gov
srnment, recently expressed it: Hastily
organized, wholly unprepared, with no
definite plan, they succeeded better than
we had any reason to expect. Owing to
economic and other conditions, the Ger
mans were willing to: accept our gov
ernment and, with few exceptions TO
obey its DEGREES"
But Col. T. L. Hunt, in a remarkable
report on our military government in
Germany, expressed hope that this Army
never again would be found unprepared
for this essential duty. The report rel
posed in the War Department archives
for many years. 1t was dug out shortly
before the present emergency. Col
Archibald King Of the Judge Advocate
Generals Department and other officers
quickly saw its value, and II was made
the basis for the first manual on military
government. This manual led to the
School Of Military Government under
the general supervision Of Maj Gen.
Allen w. Gullion, the provost marshal
general Here it's the basic textbook
The schools third class is just getting
well under way Already graduates are
IN foreign service. some administering
places which Americans have wrested
from the foe in North Africa.
No Governors.
1t should be emphasized that the school
does not turn out military governors
The only military governor in an entire
campaign is the commanding general of
the theater of operations. He neces-
sarily must make all final decisions of
military policy, whether in tactics or in
measures affecting civilians in conquered
country. But, with his thronging re-
sponsibilities, he has TO delegate the de-
tails to his staff, and a high-ranking
member of this staff is in immediate
charge Of civil affairs for the whole the
ater. And he directs, in a general way
the work of all the other civil affairs Of
ficers scattered over the zones of op-
Grafton whom the situation may require
The school trains administrators. not
governors or policy-makers. There have
been printed illusions to the effect that
populations some way OF life nsfT and