Evening star., 1944-04-17
Macarthur Incident
Letters May Disqualify General
as Candidate
By David Laurence

Dy DApr0 LUUJeUCe
There seems 10 be a growing belief
here that Gen. Macarthur by reason Of
his correspondence with Representative
Miller has been disqualified not only
for the presidential but the vice presi-
Dental nomination.
Prominent Republicans are saying
that before the letters were made public
there was q very good chance that the
ticket might have been Dewey
Macarthur but that there isn't now.
The reason given is that Gen.
MacArthurs political activity while in
uniform and on active service overseas
in an important military command
would be difiicult to defend on the
stump and surely would be used by the
Democrats to support their argument
that the Republican party condoned
politics in the military services.
The Democrats are unquestionably
going to play up in the campaign the
trials and tribulations of the President
and they will endeavor to show that in
the Southwest Pacific there has been
= political cabal which sought to under
mine the Commander in Chief. 1t Is
known that around Gen. Macarthur are
former political leaders now In uniform
who are thought to have been advising
him not to make any announcement
which would say that he intended to
refuse nomination.
Publication Of Letters Surprise.
Many persons have gone to the
Southwest Pacific in recent months and
have talked with Gen. Macarthur. Until
recently they all said ne did not want
to be candidate and that If confronted
with direct question by any State
where consent is required before ballots
can be printed he would answer def
initely in the negative. It is not be-
leved, Of course, that the general in
tended his correspondence with Repre-
sentative Miller to become public and
it may be assumed that as soon as the
letters were published, the facts became
known to the general, doubtless through
the Australian newspapers. 1t was, OF
course, anticipated that he would an
nounce that the letters were made
public without his knowledge and au-
thorization and that he was expressing
his personal views which every citizen,
to be sure, has right to express and
. soldier also has q right to express but
not in public.
Certainly some comment from Gen.
Macarthur has been regarded as logi-
cal and it would not be surprising to
learn that the Secretary of War had
acquainted the general with the full
text OF what had been published 20
that he would not be compelled to
view the situation on the basis Of
fragmentary cable dispatches.
The Secretary of War might well
have inquired whether the correspond
ence was written with the purpose Of
publication or use in political cam
paign. To this the Macarthur answer,
a denial, now will be accepted as satis-
flying the requirements of the military
regulations.
But irrespective Of the denial from
Gen. Macarthur the incident amounts
to serious indiscretion. For at time
when the American people considered
that their hero of Bataan was devoting
himself Fundamentally to the New
Guinea campaign he Is revealed as
indulging in a correspondence with a
member of Congress on the merits or
dement's of the administration.
No Right to Talk Politics.
II 1t be argued that Gen. MacAr-
thur has right to denounce the New
Deal in public or in private then the
way Is opened to use that device which
so many of the Democrats have beer
searching-a device that will permit an
active campaign to be made to the
troops in the field and in the camps
The Democrats would like to see Presi.
dent Roosevelt speaking directly to the
troops. Certainly If the commander
in chief of the Southwest Pacific is to
be upheld in his right to talk about
political affairs either by letter to con-
gressmen or by any other means that
any other citizen possesses, then men,
bers of the Roosevelt administration
including the cabinet and other high
ofdcials, would feel that they at least
possessed the same right.
The Macarthur precedent may turn
out to be one that the Democrats could
use to their advantage. But it may be
suspected that Henry L. Stimson, Sec
retary Of War and Republican,
man with . military tradition that
extends back to the time he served a,
a commander Of field artillery in the
last war-will lay down the law and
prohibit members of the Army from
writing letters to Congress or the news
papers or anybody else discussing po-
litical issues while they are on active
duty. That's the only safe rule to
apply and it should be applied to both
parties and their partisans.
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