Evening star., 1945-11-23
Trumon's S Praise Seen
As Army Fovoritism
Partisanship May Relegate Navy
to Subordinate Place in Merger
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
Did President Truman Intentionally
or unintentionally snub Admiral Ernest
j. King at the press conference earlier
this week when lavish praise was be-
slowed on Gen. George Marshall and
not word was spoken of the brilliant
work done by the man who commanded
our victorious naval establishment?
Many persons in the armed services
have been wondering about it, This
correspondent believes that it was an
oversight, for Mr.. Truman has always
spoken to visitors in private in compli-
mentary vein about Admiral King.
What, then, was the reason for sim
Cling out Gen. Marshall for special
comment when the press conference
ter w. Nimitz and Gen. H. H. Arnold,
all of whom figured in the announced
changes?
The most plausible answer is that
ever since the official Army Board Of
Inquiry on Pearl Harbor, Mr.. Truman
has felt that somehow he must take
the sting out of that criticism Of Gen.
Marshall and show his disbelief in it.
Greatest Military Man."
1t was, of course, the responsibility Of
the Army and the Army Air Forces to
defend Pearl Harbor when the ships
were at anchor there and the special
board of inquiry made a point of the
failure of the Chief of Staff at Wash
ington to transmit proper information
to Gen. Walter Short.
Notwithstanding this background Mr..
Truman authorized the following quo
tation this week about Gen. Marshall:
II have said that l think he (Gen.
MarshalD is the greatest military man
that this country ever production any
other country, for that matter"
Gen. Marshall is very likeable per-
sonality and he has done very fine job
as Chief of Staff, but. Mr.. Truman is
stretching it quite a bit to call Gen.
Marshall the greatest military man
this country ever produced
Some students of history feel Ulysses
S. Grant and Robert E. Lee were our
greatest generals and there are some
who think a man named Napoleon and
another named Wellington might be
entered in the contest covering the
history of all other countries.
Partisanship Seen.
There are observers who think that
Marshal Foch was a great general and
hi,,ly vii eI,
slams have had some great generals in
this war and, maybe, Gen. Dwight
Eisenhower rates a place at the top,
too. Then there are some persons in
America who think Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur is a great military genius and
that what he did with comparatively
little resources against great odds in
the Far East entities him to be ranked
with the best strategists and organ
izers in all our military history. Mr..
Truman's adventure in superlatives was
none too happy.
Actually, Gen. Marshall has made
powerful impression on Mr.. Truman,
having won him over not only to the
plan for one-year compulsory military
training but to the idea of making one
man generalissimo over the Army.
Navy and Air Forces and reducing the
amount of civilian control over the
armed forces. Mr.. Truman seems to
stand in awe of military men and
apparently is swept off his feet by them
For some reason, also-maybe it is
his own relationship to the Army in
the World War - he has become q
partisan of one armed service as against
another. That's why it is beginning to
be reported around Washington that
the President has developed some
prejudices against the Navy and Marine
Corps which cause him to disregard
their wishes and to force them to be-
come subject to the control of the Army
and Army Air Forces who will dominate
the single defense department.
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