Evening star., 1945-11-17
Serious Flaws
In Merger Plan
Seen by Nimitz
ForrestuI's S Security
Council Proposal
Backed by Admiral
(Tert on Page All
b the Associated Press.

Do LAS hsoOCidteu FIee5.
Admiral Nimitz asserted today
the theoretical advantages" OF
merging the armed forces "are
unattainable, whereas the dis
advantages are SO serious that
it is not acceptable.
Events which led to the Pearl
Harbor disaster. the Pacific Fleet
commander told the Senate Mill
tary Affairs Committee, have
shown clearly enough that not only
between the War and Navy Depart
ments but between both of them
and the State Department there
should have been more co-ordina-
ton of thinking and action"
But to bring this about in the
future, Admiral Nimitz said, he
favors not a single department of
defense but a National Security
Council, composed of the Secre-
taries of State, War and Navy, as
proposed by Secretary of the Navy
Forrestal.
Based on Further Study.
Acknowledging that this stand
against merger reverses his opinion
OF year ago, he said:
For this change of opinion
make no apology, since it represents
my conviction based on additional
experience and further study of the
proposal and its current implica-
tions."
AS witness, Admiral Nimitz fol-
lowed by a day Gen. Eisenhower,
the European theater commander,
who urged strongly that air, sea and
land services be placed under a
single department headed by a
civilian.
After reviewing the successful
prosecution of the war in the Pacific.
Admiral Nimitz said.
1T is clear from this brief sketch
of the last year that many opera
tions by many forces-land, sea and
air-were closely integrated in our
strategy.
Convincing Evidence.
'It is also clear that the defeat
of japanese sea power, and the pre-
ponderance of our own sea power,
played tremendously important
part in the result.
Il feel that the successes which
led to this result are convincing
evidence of the merit of the system
under which they were accom-
plished.
"Our successes were more rapid
than had believed possible a year
ago. believe we should have very
good reasons-better reasons than
any offered so far-before we change
a system that has proved itself SO
effective"
| In the Pacific victory, Admiral
Nimitz declared, Il believe there is
credit enough for ALL In particular
I wish at all times to give full credit
to air power, which I have consist
emily held to be as essential in war
as ships or troops"
He remarked, however. that the
Navy provided and protected the
ships which supplied the bomber
bases land would be required to pro-
tect such shipping in the future" for
the maintenance of bombers based
outside the United States.
Control of Seas Emphasized.
'T do not believe our people are
sufficiently aware of the Importance
to America of the control of the
seas" he said Perhaps this is
something well understood and VAL
ued by the Navy's sister services,
but if so we are not often given
that assurance"
The admiral conceded that unity
of command in a given area had
worked we'll and expressed belief it
should be continued in peacetime.
But, he added, ''it is not necessary
to consolidate the departments for
that purpose"
When he testified before a Joint
Chief of Staff Committee last year
that he favored a single defense
department, Admiral Nimitz con-
tinued, he did so because he though
decisions might be more speedily
reached"
But looking back at the war now,
he said:
IT am impressed as much by the
soundness of the decisions that were
made at the top as by the success
with which our forces in my own
and other areas put these decisions
into effect.
Germany's Experience Recalled.
Unity of command and swift
ness of decision are more necessary
in the direct conduct of operations
than in the planning at the top. At
that level, where almost every de-
cision must take into account q wide
range OF factors including those Of
national policy, deliberation is per-
haps as important, If not more inn
portant, than speed.
/ TT may be aggravating at times,
fCon NKIpCEp nor. .