Evening star., 1945-08-05
New CHALLENGE
|0n Army'sSiz
Sent 10 Stimson
Johnson Asks Him to
Refute Arguments;
Toft Joins Fight
By ]. A. O'LEARY.


5000, 900 American soldiers will
be deployed in the Pacific by
the end of l946.
Resuming the fight he started
Wednesday in the closing session
of the Senate, Senator Johnson.
Democrat, of Colorado made public
a letter to Secretary Stimson. Civ
ing the figures by which he ar
rived at the 100000 estimate and
then asking:
What is wrong with these calcu-
lations? Are they not in truth ex-
tremely optimistic? No 'mumble-
tumble answer will do this time.
Please be brutally frank with Con-
gress and the country
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio
also joined in demands for more
rapid rehabilitation. He urged in
radio address last night that the
drafting of new men be stopped, par
ticularly those between 26 ans 80 in
essential industries. and declared
that "the stupid. stubborn policy Of
the War Department in maintaining
an Army as big as it was on We
day should be overruled. 1t is i'm
possible to see how even 1000, 900
men can be used in the war against
Japan, and we still have about
$500, ,000."
johnson Sees Confusion.
Senator Johnson, who is second
ranking Democrat on the Military
Affairs Committee, denied he ever
suggested the immediate release
of 5000, 900 men. He assertd, how
ever, that an overall Army of T.
000, 900 for the war against Japan
would mean millions of bitter, dis
contented men milling around the
United States in uniform during
the next 18 months"
He also asserted that soldiers
marking time on this continent
are not going to help Macarthur
or hurt the Japs."
Secretary Stimson said Thursday
that the Army's own demobiliza-
ton program is the most liberal
which circumstances will permit
1t calls for force of about 1000, 900
men by next June and Mr.. Stimson
said 1t had been checked over in
detail with Gen. Macarthur and
his commanders.
Demanding that the Army scale
down its maximum requirements,
Senator johnson urged that they be
based on logistics and not on the
military fortunes of high officers
who do not relish the idea of being
busted
Says 3,000, 900 Enough.
Senator johnson in raising the
issue in the Senate said "one does
not have to be an expert on logistics
to realize that we can never use an
Army of 100000 or 5000 900 men
against Japan. The maximum num-
Der of men that we can transport,
supply and use on the Japanese
front by the end of 1916 cannot be
more than 10000 men. Then why
in the name of common sense must
we maintain an Army of 8,000.00
men? I am told that the Army has
approximately the same strength
today which it had when Germany
surrendered
Senator Johnson's letter to Mr..
Stimson came only "a hours after
Senator Thomas, Defocrat, of
Utah, chairman of the Military
Affairs Committee, rallied to the
defense of the Army's redeployment
program. Without mentioning Sena-
tor johnson, Chairman Thomas
said, TT is high time for the Nation
to stop enjoying the peace in Eu-
rope and get on with the grim war
ahead"
Senator Thomas added that IF
we need an indeterminate number
of men under 100000 to finish the
war, and 1000, 900 is a safe figure,
let us give the Army 100000, just
as we would provide weight-carry-
ing capacity margin in building
bridge or dam"
Letter Quoted.
The text of Senator Johnson's
letter to Mr.. Stimson follows:
Dear Mr.. Secretary:
TN view of indisputable facts,
your August I'd statement that you
must have an overall Army of T.
000, 900 men is most disheartening.
Your decision means millions of bit
ter, discontented men milling
around the United States in uni
form during the next 18 months. It
means a transportation crisis. 1t
means serious manpower shortage
in vital industries. 1t means that
reconversion is stymied. 1t means
that we are to have mass demobil-
ization at the very moment when
unemployment in the United States
Is at its peak.
II want to make it clear that
have never suggested that 5000, 900
men be released from the Army
now. To the contrary, have urged