Evening star., 1945-09-12
Macarthur Opposition
To Unificution Quoted
Views Given in 1882 Letter to
Congress, Writer Points Out
BY David Lascrence

Although there has been agitation
recently for one-man control Of the
Army, Navy and air forces in single
department of defense, the proposal
is by no means novel. Gen. Douglas
Macarthur when serving as Chief of
Staff of the United States Army, ex-
pressed himself vehemently in opposition
to it and it is presumed that his voice
will be raised again to prevent what he
said could become a national disaster.
The generals views were given in a
letter written to Congress in April, 1882,
and published at that time. He said
in part
you have asked for an informal ex-
preston of my views concerning the
project for amalgamating the War and
Navy Departments into a single bureau
of Government
mo other measure proposed in recent
years seems to me to be fraught with
such potential possibilities Cor the
United States as is this one. The proven
agencies which have successfully con-
Quoted this country through six wars
in period of 125 years are now under
the apparent dictation of a measure Of
economy to be launched on an adven-
ture which, under certain conditions,
might involve the very life of the Ma
ton.
Proof in History.
mot only the military history of this
country but Of every other country
gives indisputable proof of the advan-
tageS of maintaining in time of war
the integral control Of the two great
branches of national defense the
Army and the Navy. Each must be free
to perform its mission unhindered by
any centralized and ponderous bureau
cratic control. To those who have had
practical experience in the conduct of
war this principle is so basic and clear
that it seems almost impossible that
serious thought could be given to any
other arrangement.
Il know of no responsible soldier or
sailor in the whole gamut of history who
has advocated such a plan as is now
proposed. From the beginning of armies
and naVies the whole mass of testimony,
not only of the great captains of history
but of all those students who have
written upon the subject, has been prac-
tically unanimous in this matter
fighting on the sea and fighting on the
land have no elements in common eX-
Cept insofar as they are both engaged
in the ultimate mission of victory. Sep
arate commanders, specialized stats,
particularized training and individual
supply arrangements must remain as
essentials for each. I will not attempt TO
burden you with a repetition of the
manifold arguments along this line
which have already been advanced I
merely wish to emphasize that I give it
as my fixed opinion that such an ANAL
gamation as proposed would endanger
victory for the United States in case
OF war.
Cost, Loss of Morale.
Formation Of the great organiza-
ton proposed would not materially les
sen the necessity for the separate logis-
tical, administrative, and training staffs
now existing, but would at once attract
to itself a group of officers, civil officials,
clerks and others, which would prob
ably exceed in cost and size during the
course of time anything that this Ma
ton has ever experienced :. . the super
cabinet officer at its head could not fail
to be the acquisitor of one of the largest
and undoubtedly the most powerful
governmental organization the United
States has ever known. New buildings,
new schools for the training of the
composite soldier-sa new stats, all
with their additional cost, would be
built up at the top OF such groupment.
Rather than economy this amalgama-
! ton would, in my opinion, represent
one of the greatest debauches of ex-
travagance that any nation has ever
! known.
| Il cannot emphasize too strongly the
| inadVisability of the serious considers-
| ton of this change in the face of the
| international situation that now exists.
! The instability, the uncertainty, the loss
! Of morale among the combatant forces
/ that would be entailed by acrimonious
/ discussions along this line, seem to me
! to be fraught with such peril to tbs
! Government that even if everything
/ that were said in favor of this bill by
| its proponents were true, still would
| give my most solemn counsel to suspend
action until the world has reached con-
| dition of approximate normalcy. ="
There have been intimations from
| abroad recently that members of the
| Army Air Forces have been boosting
| Gen. Macarthur to be the first head of
| the proposed department of national
! defense, but there has been no indi-
cation as to whether he would be in
terested in such proposition especially
in view of his explicit opposition to it
now in the record. For the reasons
which Gen, Macarthur wrote while Chief
of Staff are very much in line with
what various high officers in Washig-
ton feel today.
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