Evening star., 1943-04-16
Services Advised
To Admit Mistakes
Major Eliot Urges Policy
Of Frunkness in Behalf
Of Inter-AIIied Harmony
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.

VI Inter-AIIied normony
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.
AS the war proceeds, we shall be con-
fronted more and more with the prob
forces will be operating either in direct
association or close coordination with
the forces OF our Allies-by land, by sea,
and in the air. The possibilities for
friction are infinite but SO also are the
possibilities Of the development of that
true spirit Of coalition founded on mutual
confidence and good will, which Is the
hope of the future of mankind.
In the development of this spirit the
American public has its part to play as
well as the generals and the soldiers.
Petty jealousies and recriminations
should have no place In our hearts or
in our minds. All our ventures will not
60 well; some of our battles will be lost;
there will be blunders and there will be
differences of opinion as to who is re-
sponsible for the blunders. If every such
instance is taken up in public discussion
here and abroad in q controversial and
fault-finding spirit, not only will there
be a direct and immediate evil effect on
the efficiency of military operations, but
the seeds OF future dissension will have
been sown and those seeds will sprout
noxious growths in the days to come
when postwar unity amongst the men,
bers of the United Nations will be essen
tial in the building of just and lasting
peace.
The complexities of the situations to
be dealt with are of course greatly in
creased by the complex nature of modern
war itself. In the two principal inter-
Allied commands now existing, North
Africa and the Southwest Pacific, not
only must forces of different nationalities
be brought together under a single COM
mand but there must likewise be group
ings of ground, sea and air forces under
combined commands, the whole respon-
sible to a single commander in chief.
To take North Africa as an example,
the commander in chief in that theater
is an officer of the United States Army
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower Directly
under him are the commanders of his
ground, sea and air forces, who are all
British-Gen. Sir Harold C. Alexander,
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Browne
Cunningham and Air Chief Marshal Sir
A. w. Tedder. Under Gen. Alexander
are two British Armies, the 1st and 9th,
together with troops Of the American 5th
Army and of the French Army OF Africa
Under Admiral Cunningham comes the
British Mediterranean fleet and the
United States Naval forces in the Med
iterranean. Air Chief Marshall Tedder's
command includes American Air forces
under 1t. Gen. SpaatZ and British Air
forces under Air Marshal Coningham
1t would be difficult to imagine situa-
ton which would afford better opportu-
mites for blaming the other fellow when
things go wrong and claiming all the
credit when things go we'll These are
opportunities which will be exploited by
the irresponsible and hopelessly preju-
diced sections of the press, quite regard
less of the fact that in so doing they are
giving vast aid and comfort to the enemy
by affording ready-made material for
his propaganda machine. The highest
hope of the Axis is, of course, to cause
the United Nations to fall out among
themselves.
If we are to avoid falling into such
traps, however, it does seem essential
that correct and balanced official atti-
tudes shall be maintained. There is
altogether too much tendency, in the
services and elsewhere, to cover up mis-
takes under the blanket Of censorship
and to pretend that everything that is
done is we'll done. There Is altogether
too much tendency to resent criticism Of
any sort and to maintain the attitude
immortalized in a recent New York
Herald Tribune editorial under the title
"Aunty Knows Best
But the record of all our wars shows
conclusively that Aunty does not always
know best and the record of every war
that has ever been fought shows that
even in the best and most veteran of
armies or navies everything does not
always go well. 1t will be far better for
the services, far better for the country,
and far better for the cause of the United
Nations if we can have policy in which
mistakes are frankly admitted, incapable
officers promptly relieved of their COM
mands, and proven merit made the only
avenue of advancement. Secretary of
War Stimson and Gen. Eisenhower made
first-class start in this direction in their
frank statement regarding the earlier
fighting in Tunisia it is to be hoped
that this is an indication of future policy,
and that the example they have set will
be widely followed
copyright, 1943, N. Y. Tribune, Inc)
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