Detroit evening times., 1945-12-25
BEHIND
THE NEWS
BY Paul
MaIIon

mACnlndiiOUS OF the navy Top
command mot the young fell
lows TO defeat the unlfcatlon
of\the armed forces Finally
NalN Secrc tary ForreStal
secretly hied himself 20 certain
invisible advisers behind the
White House and sought a deal
against the basic Gen. George
tArCl plan of allgning the bu-
reauS into one department, so
aS 10 increase navy power in
the new setup.
This was the last attempt in
a grandiose campaign which
nayyS Adm King started inn
mcdlately after the George re-
port had been disclosed eX =
cluSivcly in detail in this coll
umn dated oct s. a report
which King had suppressed by
bottlIng II IN the Joint chiefs OF
staff since last April when 1t
was submitted, marked urgent.
IItF. navy IS not luhudinenl-
L ally opposed 10 the theory
OF uultiCation, IN my opinion. II
feels itself slipping. The battle
ship Is not obsolete or even
ob>olescent Its usage has
merely been surpassed IN inn
portanCc by new weapons, re-
cent le-tAe-P+ane- -ahd-fe few-di--
rectcd missiles including the
atomic bomb. It's aircraft car
rierS are valuable for sea COM
merce purposes, but for really
effective bombing, a land-based
plane is needed. Ship aircraft
cannot carry the necessary
heavy loads of today'S big
bombs
The whole navy is going the
same way The frontier of
America is now in Canada and
the northern wastes, TO which
place a defense commission re-
Gently has been dispatched, 10
study the air up to 10000 feet
through which directed missiles
are likely to come from Europe
10 this country
Invasion by ships has become
a minor threat now that il is
feasible for thousands of planes
10 carry armies the shorter air
route across the northlandS.
T OBSERVE this scientific
Il fact is not an expression OF
prejudice against sea defenses,
but merely an acceptance of the
glaring truth that their inn
portance is secondary Uo keep
sea lanes open for supplies, TO
watch the back door of our
Shereline, ete.t
To the navy this means di-
mini hin & appropriations,
power, jobs and rank in the
scheme of defense, and the ad-
mirals have sought 10 beat the
facts of science by keeping their
show separate.
SO they pulled every inner
political wire TO keep the Presi-
dent from getting the George
report, the Congress from act-
ing upon it and the White
House from endorsing it. Faced
now with defeat they want 10
make the unification in such a
way as TO protect themselves as
much as possible.
THE courage of Mr.. Truman
Il IN resisting this connlvance
was firm. He gave but an inch.
This inch suggests the office OF
chief of staff rotate among the
three separate departments Of
the armed forces, at two or
three-year intervals, and that a
coordination bureau work out
the detailed organization under
meath.
The navy may be able 10
make this inch mile and
achieve a political power in the
new department beyond the
realities of its Importance, If
Congress follows Mr.. Truman's
recommendation in these two
instances (and this is possible
because the navy is powerful
inside Congress-.
Around this point, at any
rate, now hinges the inside
Carne. The navy no longer can
hope TO stop unification. In
deed. II cannot delay legisla-
tion beyond 80 days more. The
commander in chief has now
spoken. But il plainly still
hopes 10 keep its old game 60
ing somehow or other in the
new department
What the situation demands
is thorough Shakedown of old
blood and traditions in the new
-siaele--tlep-t't4HeRt,-sn snd--eIeh.-
Eisenhower IS the man to do IT.
WHAT is needed is not a COM
w promise between the forces
OF air, army and navy, and ro-
tating influence, hut command
-tJy- Il 5T75u-wt10 ikr6ws the proper
value of all three and how to
keep each IN It's right place.
Eisenhower as supreme Allied
commander IS the only man who
has used all three - IN North
Africa, Italy and France Mac
Arthur : command Mas -di--
videdl He is not bound by
partisan obSesSionS, but prop
erly encouraged, would WELD
ludlciouS authority. fair TO all.
Imagine navy man who had
never directed land-air opera
tons functioning two or three
years As chief Of staff over all
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