Evening star., 1946-10-23
Letters to The Star
Criticizes Army-Navy Combine
From Sea.Air Anele
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
I am one OF many members OF the
American Legion (and the Veterans Of
Foreign Vars who join with the United
States Senate Committee on Naval Al
fairs in opposing:
A single department of common de-
fense with single secretary at its
head. zone man control over, strategic
planning and military operations is q
form of organization associated with
dictatorship and other autocratic
regimes. 1t also is associated with mill
tary defeat The greatest war in history
has been won by employing demo-
cratic processes on the home front and
unified command In the field Of opera
tions)
The placing of single military Of
ficer in supreme command of all the
armed forces. Ut deprives the Army
and Navy Of representation in the
cabinet. 1t reduces the Secretary Of
War and the Secretary of the Navy to
minor positions In which they would
be concerned, apparently, only with
propaganda for their respective armso
1t divests the Marine Corps of its
important function of maintaining a
feet Marine force to support fleet op-
erations. 1t permits the executive
branch OF the Government, without
prior reference to or approval OF Con-
gress, either to abolish the Marine
Corps outright or to divest 1t OF most
|, of it's vital functions. Qn divesting
the Marines of amphibious functions
we would be making the same basic
error which was made by the British
when they reduced the Royal Marines
to impotency so that the Marines were
unable to make landings in Norway
and other places in support OF fleet
action.)
It transfers the vital functions OF
naval aviation to the Army Air Corps
or to a separate air corps. each sery-
ice must have full control over the
development and employment of all
weapons necessary to the efncient op-
Grafton OF that service. 1t is realized
that the Army Air Force has achieved
a high degree of autonomy within the
War Department. 1t also is realized
that for numerous reasons, practical,
psychological and historical, the Army
Air Force probably never will become
integrated into the Army to the ex-
tent that naval aviation has become
integrated into the Navy. This is a
subject which should be handled by
the War Department and the Senate
and House of Representatives Commit
tees on Military Affairs. In trans
ferring vital naval aviation functions
to the Army Air Corps we would be
guilty of the same mistake made by
the British when all air functions were
consolidated in the Royal Air Force.
This made possible the sinking Of
H. M. s. Prince of Wales and H. NJ. s..
Repulse, and rendered the British naval
air arms so ineffective that the British
we're forced to call on the United States
Navy for planes, equipment and forces,
to combat the German submarine
menace in the Atlantic)
1t removes from the Secretary of War
and the Secretary Of the Navy the re-
sponsibility for initiating the budget Of
their respective departments and sup
porting these budgets before the Con-
gress.
In my opinion, any Army or Navy
measure which does not embody most
of the views Of those members of
Congress who have made study of
the Importance of sea air power in our
national defense structure, and which
in general does not conform with the
views expressed by the Navy Depart
ment and members of the Senate and
House of Representatives Committees
on Naval Affairs would not be in the
best interests Of the United States.
r. E. TURIN.