Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-06-16
TrumanEnds Army-Navy Dispute
With 12-Point Plan for Merqer;
Urges Quick Action by Congress
Proposal Preserves
Integrity Of Three
Military Branches
(Tert on Page A-4.)
By joseph A. Fox

President Truman last night
asked Congress to merge the
armed services in a Department
of National Defense, under a
single cabinet officer, declaring
this step would preserve the
integrity" of the three compo-
nent units-Army, Navy and Air
Forces.
The President recommended 12-
point unification program which he
said would have the support of
top military and naval leaders, who
have been at odds on the issue.
Stepping into the controversy and
reaching his own decision on four
points in dispute by Secretary of
the Navy Forrestal and Secretary of
War Patterson, after they had
agreed on eight President Truman
told the chairmen of the Senate and
House Naval and Military Affairs
Committees that "a plan of unihca-
ton containing these twelve ele-
ments has my unqualified indorse-
ment." He added:
The Secretary of War the Secre-
tary of the Navy, the Chief of Staff
of the Army and the Chief of Naval
Operations have assured me that
they will support such a plan.
Hopes For Early Passage.
at is my hope that the Congress
will pass legislation as soon as pos
sible effecting a unifcation based
upon these twelve principles"
The President added that unifica-
ton Is vital"
Mr.. Truman ruled generally in
favor of the Army position on three
points the Secretaries told him they
could not settle. He went most of
the way with the Navy on the fourth
major point in dispute.
Along with the letter to the chair
mel of the House and Senate COM
mittees, the White House made pub
lie letter to Secretaries Patterson
and Forrestal advising them that
the disagreements are herewith
decided"
While the program fundamentally
is the same as that proposed by the
President in his message to Con-
gress on December 10, it discards
the plan for a single chief of staff;
places Army. Navy and Air Forces
under secretaries rather than as
sistants, with the fullest measure
of autonomy consistent with single
control, and recommends creation
of a Council of National Defense
ito integrate our foreign and mill
tary policy"
Council Organization Outlined.
This council would be composed
of the head of the new department,
who would have cabinet status; the
civilian heads of the three services,
and the chairman of the National
Security Resources Board, another
projected unit in the overall
scheme. The three secretaries
would not have cabinet rank
The Navy would lose the land
based air force it has used for re-
connaissance. antisubmarine war
fare and shipping, the President
overriding objections and direct
ing that these functions 90 to the
Independent air service.
Tie Navy, however, won it's point
to keep the Marines, with their air
support "for service with the fleet
in the seizure or defense of ad-
vanced naval bases or for the con-
duct of such limited land operations
as are essential to the prosecution
of naval campaign"
Had Urged CURLING Marines.
The War Department had pro-
posed limiting Marine operations to
service with the fleet in the seiz-
ure of enemy positions not involv-
ing sustained land fighting"
These were two of the four dis
puted points on which the President
passed.
The other two concerned the uni
fication itself, and the matter of
&C.. NErn 49, A oI