Evening star., 1943-09-21

who has solidified sentiment behind
our fighting forces. He has superior,
far-reaching knowledge of the world
battle fronts and fine mental and
physical capacities. Certainly he is
high in the estimation of Congress.
I don't know of any other man who
could fill his place"
Reynolds Gets Protests.
He said he had received a number
Of indignant kilograms from private
citizens opposed to Gen. Marshall's
transfer.
Aroused over the reported shift,
other members of the Senate Mill
tary Affairs Committee have pro-
tested to Secretary of War Stimson
and to other high officials of the
Government.
1t was learned that the War
Department admitted that the
transfer had been under consid-
Grafton" 1t was denied, however,
that the transfer was yet IAN ac-
complished fact"
Meanwhile, the House Military
Affairs Committee is understood to
have discussed the reports infor-
mally in executive session today, but
no action was taken One member
said individual committeeman ex-
pressed supreme confidence in Gen.
Marshall. The discussion is believed
to have been incidental to other
| business.
In the opinion of the Senators
it would be great mistake to re-
move Gen. Marshall from his pres
ent duty-which is overall command
Of the American military forces and
which concerns itself with military
policy.
For this job they consider Gen.
Marshall the most eminently fitted
man in the American Army.
Further, they contended, the whole
Congress and the country have
great confidence in Gen. Marshall
To remove him from his present
position, they insisted, would be to
stir up further controversies in
Washington and to cause reports
of disunity.
If Gen. Marshall is to be placed
IN command of combat troops in
Europe, the members of the Military
Affairs Committee believe he should
be made general of all the Amer
lean armies, wherever located, as
we'll as of all Allied troops in the
European area. They do not be-
lieve he should be in a measure de
noted" by being placed in COM
mand OF merely the European area.
Barring that, they say Gen. Mar
shall should be placed in command
OF all Allied forces as Gen. Foch
was in supreme command of the
Allied forces in the World War.
Agree on Qualification.
The reason said to have been given
for placing Gen. Marshall in COM
mand of the Allied forces in the
European area is that, having made
the plans for these major operations,
he should have the opportunity of
carrying them out under his personal
direction, and that he is qualified
in every way for such a command.
To this the Senators agree, but they
nevertheless insist that his services
as chief of staff are of even greater
importance.
This insistence on the retention of
Gen. Marshall as chief of staff is
not confined either to Republicans
or Democrats, but is shared by both,
it was said. Emphasis was laid on
the fact that the demand that Gen.
Marshall continue in his present
place is in no sense political.
Representative Sumner. Republic
an, of Illinois told the House yes
terday that "a few weeks ago I heard
they were trying to get Gen. Marshall
kicked upstairs because he stands for
our American rights"
And" she said, after Quebec
they started to get rid of Admiral
Leahy william D. Leahy, chief of
staff to the President) for the same
reason"
For the same reason she con-
tinued, they keep Gen. Macarthur
from heading our war effort. Their
technique is subtle. Whenever they
find an officer who stands up for
American rights, they get some
American officer they can handle to
ask that the ofhcer they cannot
handle be put somewhere that looks
like promotion, or sent to South
America. or given a vacation. I
reiterate-they are going too far"