The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-03-09
Combined Staff
BY ARTHUR KRoCK

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registered higher point OF open appreciation
than the suggestion will receive at this time
from those in charge Of our foreign policy
Though it is obvious that, since the President
knew in advance what Mr.. Churchill was 60
ing to say, he did not object to it as a
trial balloon, Mr.. Truman's silence on the
subject drew official line which will be
carefully marked in Washington.
But there may be one important and i'm
mediate effect Of the Missouri speech by the
former Prime Minister OF Great Britain. It
may dispose of projected attempt by some
influential persons here, some Of them In the
State Department, to dissolve the Combined
Chiefs Of Staff at an early date. For If the
President had been looking with favor on this
proposal he could not prudently have lent his
presence to an occasion in which most ef-
fective arguments were made for strengthen
ing, not weakening, the links between the
United States and Great Britain And very
important and useful connection would be
severed if the Combined Chiefs Of Staff or
ganization were abolished. Also, coming at
any time soon after Mr.. Churchill's speech
at Westminster College, 1t could be construed
as an open reputation Of the speaker and
the theory
The Combined Chiefs Of Stat. is an Anglo
during the Second World War to coordinate
the overall strategy of the Western Allies.
The uniformed heads OF the United States and
British armies, navies and air forces are the
managing directors. For example. General
Eisenhower's opposite number is Field Mar
shall Lord Wilson. as Field Marshal Sir John
Dill was the British counterpart Of General
Marshall.
Though hostilities with Germany and Japan
have ceased for some months, the Combined
Chiefs group has continued to function in the
building here which is known as the "new
War Department. Security regulations gov
erning the admission OF visitors to this build
ing are in some respects even more rigid
than they were during the war, for the mill
tary supervisors of atomic bomb develop
ments, headed by Maj. Gen. Leslie r. Groves.
are quartered In the same place. The natural
assumption is that the group is deeply en-
gagged with military problems in which the
United States and Great Britain still feel
common concern and in which their activities
remain or joint basis.
From time to time during tina war sug-
gestions were made that representatives Of
other Allies be added to the high command
Of the Combined Chiefs, notably those Of So
Wet Russia and France. But President Roose-
welt. in agreement with Mr.. Churchill stead
lastly rejected this idea, and the institution
was and is confined to the military leaders
of the United States and Great Britain.
At the peak Of the administrations policy
toward Soviet Russia which some classified
as "appeasement" the suggestions began to
be heard In influential quarters that the Com
bined Chiefs be dissolved. An impression grew
that this proposal was stimulated by knowl-
edge or belief that the Russian authorities
disliked the continuation Of an Anglo Russian
military combination after the end Of the war,
and that It's advocates believed the effect Of
dissolution would be favorable on the Russian
official nnird and policy.
This was generally the situation when Mr..
Churchill discussed his Fulton, Mo-, speech
with the President at the White House some
time ago, and that was also period In which
some Britons here were expressing concern
over the future Of the Combined Chiefs, which
they want maintained as a joint enterprise
until the world has settled much deeper into
the ways Of peace.
Now that the White House discussion has
been followed by the speech ITSELF, in the
presence Of Mr.. Truman, and by increasing
tensions created by Russian policy in Man.
churia and Iran, 1t is reasoned here that the
Combined Chiefs Of Staff organization has
weathered for the time being all proposals
that it be broken up, that this is somewhat
to be traced to Mr.. Churchills theme at West
minister College and that therefore he can be
credited with helping to maintain the existing
status of Anglo-American military cooper
alton. The former Prime Minister IN his
speech at Harvard College during the war
urged that the Combined Chiefs he made a
permanent establishment of the two nations,
50 1t is to be noted that the fate OF the
group has been long on his mind.
To continue its existence is especially sat
isfactory to those who contend that, ever since
the late Nineteen Twenties Russian foreign
policy has been based on these three con-
cepts: 1, there can never be thorough unity
among the Western Allies; 2, there can never
be domestic unity on foreign or home policies
in those countries; and 3, the war that was
sure 10 come would bring upheavals in the
French ard British colonies, with which there
would be much sympathy in the United States
and offer every opportunity for Russia to ex-
plot that situation to its own aggrandlzement
The concepts still have the force OF truth
but that truth would be greatly intensified IT
the Anglo American military combination
should be abolished at this time.
The Russian bases Of policy have been
STRENGTHENED by successive events, and cur
rent protests by churchmen here against our
use of atomic and mass bombing again prove
how shrewd was Moscow's calculation that
domestic disunity in the West can usually be
expected when it serves Russian policy most
opportunity View York Times.
QUOTATIONS