Evening star., 1945-09-10
Propaganda Use Seen
By Chiefs of Stuffs
Writer Points to Yokohama
Dispatch on Single Defense
By Dapid Laurence

By Dapd Laurence
Out of Yokohama the other day came
a strange dispatch. It wasn't at all
about the occupation Of Japan. It was
g. repetition of an old story, namely
that the United States Joint chiefs of
staffs had been studying the problem
OF a single department of national
defense and was divided about It,
Along with the dispatch came con-
fident predictions concerning the fu-
ture OF the Army Air Forces and of its
desire for autonomy in any future setup.
| What the public doesn't realize is
that this sort q propagandizing has
been going on during the entire war-a
use of the accredited correspondents at
military posts to further the postwar
interests of certain branches of the
armed services.
Congress can/make up its own mind
on what to do about a single depart
ment of national defense without propa-
ganda inspired by high Army officers
who are supposed to be giving their
undivided attention to matters concern
lils JIlc OCCupdtlOIl OF Japan.
And when Congress begins to make
| up its own mind on how the armed
services shall function in the future,
both Houses will presumably wish to
examine all the facts about how these
! same armed services really functioned
during the war itself.
| Nazi Generals Stories.
No sooner had the European war
ended than the Army Air Forces inter-
rogated all the German generals. Press
correspondents were given these ex-
| pressions on how the war was won by
air power. An expensive piece Of liter
ature in color reproduced these testi-
monials from the German generals. The
material was prepared and distributed
! in Washington by the intelligence
branch of the Army Air Forces at public
expense.
The American Air Forces have done a
wonderful job and have played a de-
cisive role in this war. There can be
not the slightest dissent from the en-
| thusiasm of the Army Air Forces for
their own particular weapons and their
| own achievements with them. There
are many good reasons why the Army
| Air Forces should be separate and inde-
| pendent, especially in strategic air
bombings, but no branch of the armed
service should claim credit for winning
this war. 1t only serves to embitter the
| personnel of the other armed services
which have contributed so abundantly
| to the same result-victory.
There were plenty of mistakes made
| in this war. The armed services may
wish to forget these, though the parents
| of the American boys whose lives were
sacrificed because of such errors would
| prefer to have the mistakes fully ex-
posed so that at least the public may
know what happened and corrective
measures be taken in order that our
armed services will benefit by this ex-
perience in the future.
During wartime a convenient censor
ship bushes up the inside of blundering
campaigns, Or else the cry is raised
that to tell all is to give aid and COM
fort to the enemy. But the war is over
now and the armed services should not
object to thorough investigation of
the mistakes made.
Way Militarism Starts. -
Perhaps military tribunals will not
| wish to go into these things The pub
lie lately seems to have turned to Con-
gress to ferret out the facts about Pearl
Harbor. That tragedy Is important in
more respects than the mere clearing of
personalities or fixing the blame. 1t is
important because there was lack Of
coordination in Washington between
our diplomacy and the use of armed
force as well as between high officials
in Washington and field commanders.
To claim that the operational prob
lem now has been solved through the
device of overall commanders in each
area as the Yokohama dispatches
argue-is not to tell all the story. For
the truth Is that on the subject Of
unified command. Gen. Eisenhower has
one idea, Gen. Macarthur has another
idea and Admiral Nimitz has still an
other. President Truman in his recent
message, it will be noted, didn't use the
phrase single department of defense" ="
He spoke of the "unifcation of the
armed services" This is wise charac-
terization.
Meanwhile, the public should examine
carefully the propaganda for the single
department of defense no matter from
what source it emanates, for along with
it goes the idea of single commander
in chief, who will not be the President,
as provided in the Constitution This
is how militarism gets its start in inno-
cent democracies.
The armed services can retain their
Identities and be unified" whenever
joint operations are necessary. There
is no need for one-man control of the
Army. Navy and Air Forces, for while
the heroes of today among the high
officers are estimable men and would
not abuse the power, the introduction of
the one-man military system will be
opposed by all liberals as the beginning
OF Fascist reaction in America.
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