Evening star., 1946-09-14
Eisenhower 10 Testify
In Hearing for Officer
Relieved Of Command
By Nelson M. Shepord

theater, has succeeded in gettin,
the Army court of inquiry now in
Vestigating his demotion to sum
mon Gen. Eisenhower, Chief of Staff
as witness when the inquiry re.
sumes at 10 am. Tuesday.
Announcement that Gen. Eisen
hover would appear was made lat,
yesterday after it was learned tn,
court had refused Col. Sylvester
request that Field Marshal Viscoun
Montgomery be asked to, testify be.
fore his departure from the Unitec
States.
Col. Sylvester. who is fighting tt
clear his record of what he claims
are unfair accusations of lack o1
aggressiveness" was relieved of his
division october, 1914, by Gen
Omar N. Bradley, then commander
of the 18th Army Group, after he
had been sent to serve with the
British forces of Montgomery in
Holland.
Appealed TO Montgomery.
NOuAloSl SdAQ tildb SOl. oIlNcSIel
earlier had appealed to the British
commander "on your honor as a
soldier" to appear before the court
for questioning. His attendance
was desired, it was said because of
previous testimony that Mont
gomery had stated to Gen. Bradley
and Gen. Eisenhower that he had
lost confidence" in Sylvester and
had recommended his removal.
With Gen. Bradley under cross
examination by Attorney Samuel T
Ansen, chief counsel for Col. Sill
vester, the court sat for more than
three hours yesterday behind closed
doors in the Pentagon. The press
was excluded.
Reasons for the closed sessions
1t was believed, is to avoid public
airing of the testimony of such
hi2h-ranking officers as Gen. Eisen-
hover and Gen. Bradley, particu-
larly under cross examination. Mr.
Ansell, a retired West Pointer ano
former Judge Advocate General OF
the Army, when asked about regu-
lations governing such courts o1
inquiry replied that there is nc
authority under law to hold closed
hearings"
Call Eisenhower Tuesday.
Gen. Eisenhower, prevented earlier
from testifying because of the death
of his mother on Wednesday, will
be the principal witness Tuesday
and Gen. Bradley also will be called
again. The former Allied Supreme
Commander, it was said, will be
asked about conversations he had
with both Montgomery and Brad
ley on the matter of Col. Silvee ter S
removal from command and re-
duction to his permanent rank of
colonel.
Counsel contends that Col. Sill
vester, then major general, was
relieved on "oral complaints" from
his corps commander, 1t. Gen. Wall
ton H. Walker to the late Gen
George C. Patton. The 7th Di-
vision is said to have spearheaded
Gen. Patton's dash across France
until it was stymied before Metz
No written communications were
submitted to Gen. Bradley, it i,
claimed, and the complaints were
based on "hearsay and gossip"
Mr.. Ansell intends to offer in evi-
dence certain letters from two OF
Field Marshal Montgomery COM
manders highly commencing Col.
Sylvester and the 7th Division for
their services with the British. Sim
liar letters, it was contended, had
been written by both Patton and
Walker before the divisional COM
mander was relieved. The British
commanders were 1t. Gen. M. C.
Dempsey Of the 2ld Army and Lit
Gen. Sir Richard N. O'Connor of
the 9th Corps.
Didn't See Messages
Pressed under cross eXaminati ton,
Gen. Bradley was said to have testi-
fed yesterday that he had not seen
any written communications COM
planning against Col Sylvester. Ac-
cordirg to Mr.. Ansell, the general ad-
mitted that if he had seen them he
would have called on Gems. Patton
and Walker to reconcile their oral
statements which were contrary to
the written statements they had
made to the division commander.
After Sylvester was ordered to the
British front, counsel said that Gen.
Bradley explained that he was told
by Montgomery, orally, the 7th Di-
vision commander was mo good.
Again, it was said that he had testi-
fed that he had not given Sylvester
an opportunity to know what the
British Field Marshal was saying
about him.
1t was on these pertinent points
that counsel had desired further
enlightenment from the Field Mar
shall.
Asked by counsel to explain how
1t happened that Montgomery and
his two commanders seemed to differ
on Silvester's capabilities. Gen
Bradley was said to have testified
that the commendatory letters had
been written Gin the interests Of
Allied cooperation" He quoted the
field marshal. it was claimed, as
having said they had given the let
tiers to Sylvester with their tongues
in their cheeks"
The officer who replaced the ther
Gen. Sylvester as commander of the
7th Division was Brig. Gen. Robert
W.. Hasbrouck of Kingston, N. Y.
who will be called eventually as q
witness. He was formerly assist.
ant chief of staff to Gen. Bradley.
Mr.. Ansell charged yesterday thai
Hasbrouck was transferred to the
division a month before Silveste,
was relieved and that Gen Bradley
was "greasing the skids to slide Sill.
vester out and put Hasbrouck in.
The division at that time was before
Metz.
Gen. Hasbrouck was anxious tc
20 with division, Gen. Bradley wa.
said to have testified, and for thai
reason was willing to accept a sub
ordinate assignment at the time
He will be questioned along thest
lines. no doubt, when called as 6