Evening star., 1943-11-26
Press Stuff Blamed
In Patton Incident
BIZ Maj. George Fielding Eliot.

~ MUJs SVOf W sVe~ssS SssSSs
It is certainly unfortunate all around
that Gen. Eisenhower could not have
had the benefit Of the advice, in the
current episode involving Lieut.. Gen.
Patton, Of a public relations officer well
acquainted with the journalistic facts
of life. If he had such advice, he would
have been told that, given the wide
publicity throughout the Army afforded
by Gen. Patton's public apologies, the
incident Of the striking Of the she'll
shocked soldier by the 7th Army's COM
mander would inevitably, sooner or later,
get into print or on the air in this
country; which being so, 1t would be
better to make public statement Of the
pletion of the Sicilian operations in
which Gen. Patton was then directly
concerned.
At the risk of becoming highly un-
popular, will say that in my own judg-
ment 1t would have been far better had
the incident never become generally
known at all. Having served through
the last war as a company officer of
infantry, I am we'll aware, as is every
old soldier, that things happen under
the stress Of battle which would not look
well in cold type, especially when read
by people in comfortable armchairs Cor
well-padded swivel chairs in congress
sional ofilces) far from the sound of
whistling bullets and the crash of ex-
ploding shells 1t does no good to pub
lish these things. The public at large
Is in no position to judge them real
istically or judicially. They appeal to
the emotions, and they can never be
considered in connection with all the
circumstances which brought them
about.
So with this particular incident, we
are told what happened in the evacua-
ton hospital, when Gen. Patton struck
the soldier who told him that he could
hear the shells going over but could not
hear them land. But we are not told
what kind Of day Gen. Patton had
had. We are not told what other occur
rences had taken place that day to
arouse In the general the feelings to
which he gave such unfortunate express
sion. We are not told whether he had
seen that day instances of actual malin-
gering and straggling-and such in
stances occur in every army. no matter
what we may like to think
All this does not, Of course, excuse a
general of1cer or any ofiicer for striking
a soldier, especially in a hospital. On
the actual battlefield. a skulking soldier
may be harshly dealt with. He may
even be shot by an officer who has
reason to feel that the example of the
skulker is bringing danger on the COM
mand. But there is apparent evidence
that this soldier was a genuine she'll
shock case, and being in hospital under
the care Of responsible medical officers,
Gen. Patton was bound to accept the
medical opinion. That he did not do
50 put him definitely In the wrong and
Justified disciplinary action by his SUI
perior. But 1t would have been far
better II this action could have closed
the incident, without having the case
tried all over again In the newspapers
&IlO III tlle SENATE.
However-and here is where Gen
Eisenhowers public relations staff fell
down-it should have been apparent as
soon as Gen. Patton made public apolo-
gies In six divisional areas, that there
could be no avoiding publicity in the
United States. 1t would seem that in
80 doing, Gen. Patton exceeded his in
structions, which were to apologize to
the persons Immediately concerned.
Emotional IN reparation as In ofYense.
Gen. Patton went beyond his instruc-
t1ons and made far more widespread
apology. Perhaps he felt bound to do
80; but whatever the reason the mo-
ment Gen. Eisenhower's public relations
stan heard Of 1t, they should immedi-
ately have advised their general to make
public statement giving the facts.
1t Is one thing for Gen. Eisenhower
and his public relations officers to have
the fullest confidence In the correspon-
dents serving with the Army who have
learned to understand the things which
men may do on the battlefield.
1t Is quite another not to realize that,
with omcers and men and even civilians
OF various categories constantly moving
from the Mediterranean area to the
United States, there would be talk of
the incident here. and that this talk was
bound to come to the ears of some
journalist or some radio commentator
more eager for the bubble reputation
OF being the first to break sensational
news than actuated by the feelings of
responsibility Of the accredited cores
pondents at the front. That this has
happened was inevitable: it ought to
have been foreseen.
Gen. Eisenhower was Of course en-
tlrely right In not relieving an Army
commander OF Gen. Patton's ability in
the midst OF campaign which that
ofncer was conducting with admirable
energy and success. To have done so
might have been to endanger the lives
OF many American soldiers by the mere
delays and uncertainties which change
OF command at that high level would
inevitably bring about. But the mo-
ment the Sicilian campaign was over
should have been the moment at which
frank ofncial statement on this un-
fortunate incident should have been
made. The effect on Gen. Patton's
reputation and career would have been
Tar less serious and there could then
have been no possibility of any criticism
OF Gen. Eisenhower himself-criticism
which Is in fact unjustified except on
hn