The Wilmington morning star., 1946-02-04
Fair Enough
Rv wEsrBRooK PEGLER
Copyright, 1916, BY King Features syndicte.

Copyright, 1916, BY King Feapures eyndicte.J
The propaganda which began by foment-
ing contempt for the ''big brass" in the Ameri-
can Army and Navy, has now spread until
it includes all commissioned officers.
The campaign was begun by the communists,
nanv Of whom filtered into the Army, and
is now raging in their publications. 1t now
frankly nromotes hatred of the entire officer
"class."
Earlv in the war, both the Army and Navy
openly excluded communists and telow
travellers from the commissioned ranks. Can
didates for commissions who had such poll
teal background were quietly out ilrmiy
turned down; one such candidate, with Whlte
House backing, was rejected by the navy ana
forced to take his turn in the draft. Beng
presently called to the Army, he Immediately
was the subject of ostentatious social calls
that would have been hurniliating to manller
soldier. In due time he got his commission,
being cited, meanwhile, for bravery on non
hazardous missions in an area IN Wnlcn tnere
was a possibility that the enemy might be
lurking
The communist files were closed, and pre-
sumably dispersed, and the sitting bureaus
were abolished with the explanation that tne
oath of loyalty to the Constitution prevailed
over the notorious mental reservations OF all
Most of the communists, however, aspired
to become sergeants at the highest and plant
themselves in the propaganda publications. in
intelligence and headquarters jobs.
Two years ago service paper called the
Mid-P acifician, published in Honolulu, carried
loaded question which its inquring reporter
had addressed to selection of enlisted men,
ostensibly approached at random, obviously
picked because Of their known attitude. It
was a personal attack on a civilian at home
who had been vigorous fighter against
thieves, racketeers and communism in the
unions. Soon afterward the Communists Press
Association, in an inter-office query between
the New York and Washington bureaus copy
of which fell into outside hands, plainly
revealed that the question was ''plant'' and
that the communists had at least one of their
own on the Mid-Pac ifician.
General Richardson, in command there,
received copy of the message and an inter-
probation Of the little coup. He made known
his decision to permit no political motivation
in the publications under his command. He
could try but Of course he couldn't suppress
such motivation or keep the communists out Of
jobs in the service press. The only way to
keep them out is to abolish all such papers
which have no legitimate place in any force
under military law and discipline.
The Peoples Daily World, Of San Francisco,
a communist organ in It's issue OF Friday,
Jan. 18, carried bitter article entitled 'Why
Soldiers Hate Officers"
This head, be it noted, includes all officers,
not merely the 'big Brass
The story carried the name Of John Lord
and foreword said:
"John Lord was sergeant In the Army. In
Honolulu, he served as editor of the Mid
Pacifician, second largest Army newspaper
in the world. He is now on the staff OF the
Peoples Daily World"
In this piece, Lord related an alleged incl
dent, naming no Names although he is now
no longer soldier, in which an enlisted
man was said to have been blown up by fumes
from an airplane belly tank which. by means
of q blow-torch, he was converting into
bath tub for a colonel. He said, however, that
the colonel, like the soldier, did not know
that heat would create and explode the fumes.
He related further that soldiers in lie Shin1a
got mad because their officers had a mess
hall while they messed in the open and that
a rurnor went around that the officers mess
had been mined with hand-grenades and was
to be blown up at night.
There were plenty Of reasons to feel
personal hatred for the enemy" Lords story
said. And the GI's did But most soldiers
hated their own officers more actively than
u1ey ever Hdteu Tie JdPduSst. IL Is JuotlA1Co.
Until a change is made, any man or woman
who enlists in the U. S. armed forces-Army
Navy Or Marines-can expect to be fed, housed,
clothed ard treated like a servant
The current line Of the communists, Of
course, is consistent with the old purpose Of
weakening the government OF the United
States until the point is reached from which
violent rebellion, anarchy and the communist
dictatorship would ensue. The program is
not only to- foment mutiny in the ranks and
soldier ard sailor riots against the government
itself, but to discourage recruiting for the
occupation forces which might put a restraint
against communist expansion in American
areas Of occupation.
This hatred Of all officers includes thousands
Of idealistic patriots who began as enlisted
men, won their commissions on merit and
fought all the way through, and against the
fomented organized hatred of West Point and
Annapolis officers, the fact still stands that
these academies are ancient American 1nsti-
tutions maintained to produce just SUCH pro-
| fessionals, without whom the amateurs could
not have won the war. They included some
| incompetent strutters, stupid, arrogant tyrants
and possibly a few towards. But under their
general direction in practically all the posi-
lions of high command the United States
alone annihilated Japan after sneak punch
and knock down to start the fight and IN Africa,
Sicily, Italy and France performed Keats Of
military audacity and power without parallel
in military history.
Editorial Comment