Evening star., 1945-11-19
CiviIion Boord Urged
To Decide on Merger
Observer Contends Plan Would
(, Avoid Prejudiced Views
By David Laurence .

= Avoid Prejudlced Views
By David Laurence
The Senate Military Affairs Commit
tee might as well give up trying TO get
objective testimony from admirals and
generals on the subject o. q single
department of defense, and ask the
President to appoint an impartial
commission of civilians to study this
whole problem disinterestedly and to
make recommendations.
The country is becoming confused by
the statements Of the big name generals
and admirals.
For instance, Gen. Macarthur wrote
Congress only few years ago that q
single department OF defense would
actually be dangerous for the United
States. Now he says he has changed
his mind.
A year or so ago, Admiral Nimits
thought a single department would be
a good thing. Now he, too, says he
has changed his mind.
The truth is that the Army has
banded its big names. together to
sponsor the merger idea and the Navy
has felt compelled to do the same
thing to oppose it.
Criticism Of President Suspected.
The testimony being given, moreover,
is in large part muddled. Gen.
Eisenhower, for example, testifies that
unified command in the field cannot
be separated from unified direction at
home and he warns that we might enter
another emergency like Pearl Harbor
unless We follow the Army plan.
But isn't this an implied criticism
of the late President Roosevelt, who
gave Gen. Eisenhower unstinted sup
port? Everyone who knows the inside
story of the war knows that Mr..
Roosevelt performed a great service in
unifying the Army, Navy and Air Forces
by means of the United States Joint
Chiefs of Staff. Is it being limited that
President Truman doesn't possess the
common sense or judgment to und-
stand the major policies of the future
affecting national defense? If so, then
he ought to be voted out OF power In
l94s and another President chosen.
A paper plan isn't going to make .
competent President and commander
in-chief out of an incompetent one,
any more than 3 single department of
defense in Washington could have
averted the blunders made by American
generals under Gen. Eisenhower in
getting caught last December when the
Bastogne and cost many thousands Of
American parents the lives of their
sons.
Experts In Different Fields.
When Gen Eisenhower says there
is no such thing as = separate land,
sea or air war" he is playing with
words. For many long months in the
! Pacific there was sea war against
japanese seapower and the United
! States Navy and the Marines took It
on the chin when there was no United
States Army and no land-based air
forces near enough to help them out.
Gen. Eisenhower never commanded
| task forces Of the size commanded by
Admiral Nimitz or Admiral Halsey.
I Naturally he thinks in terms Of q con-
tinental war, in which land power is
predominant. That's his specially. and
it would be equally illogical for Admiral
Nimitz now to say that his experience
in the Pacific gave him the right to
testify that the land forces no longer
were important enough to have their
own spokesmen at the cabinet table or
that they should be subordinated to or
merged with the sea forcesA -.
The testimony that has not yet been
brought forth from any source Is: What
was wrong about the management Of
the War and Navy Departments by Sec
retaries Stimson and Forrestal that
would have been better done if there
had been only one civilian secretary in
stead of two? What failure in furnish-
ing money or supplies can Gen. Eisen-
hover point to which interfered with
his operations in continental Europe
and if such failure occurred how would
this interference have been overcome
by single civilian secretary In Wash
ington?
Civilians Could Evaluate.
The truth is We won the war by team
work. There was, of course, some In
efficiency in Washington. But this was
due to the overwhelming size of the two
| major departments and their topheavi-
ness, and not because they were not
large enough. An impartial investiga-
ton of the War Department would dis
~ cir efnxio llxy iv~.y, 80
| cheney there.
The way to fnd out more on this
phase is to summon some of the civilian
officers who donned uniforms and who
are now back in civilian life. They may
be able to tell how the War Department.
in Washington really functioned and
whether merger wouldn't make it even
more difficult to get rid of duplication
inside the Army and Air Forces.
If Congress would put the whole prob
lem up to a civilian commission Of out.
standing citizens, the American people
might get some truth instead of the
prejudiced testimony of military cliques
who boldly say they may not get for
their respective services enough appro-
priations of taxpayers money. -
Surely Congress can lift the discus.
sion to higher level by creating a ma
tional commission in consultation with
President Truman.
Reproduction Rishts Reserysd,)
Realism. Well ReolIy!
Prom the st. Louis Post Dispatch.