Evening star., 1947-05-09

tended in a general way to achieve
what the President had in mind and
what the Nation hoped for, will
probably be adopted by the Congress
within the next week or two.
If and when this bill becomes a
law, let no one be fooled. Under
it the Army and the Navy will not
be merged into one unified fighting
force. The bill does not even pro-
vide for unified command except
in the higher echelons of super
brass, and even then only on a
purely pIatonic basis. Secretary of
the Navy Forrestal and his ad-
mirals and the Air Force, with
tongue in cheek, have pretended to
favor a unification, but they never
have. Where new and strong bone
was needed to be grated into the
skeletal structure, they have seen
to it that cartilage was substituted.
If and when this so-called merger
bill passes, one of the great hoaxes
of the Goth century will have been
perpetrated. For the country, after
the passage of the merger" bill, will
have not one defense establish
ment. 1t will not even have the two
that it now has. 1t will have three
"a department of the Army, q
department of the Navy and a de-
partment of the Air Force.
Look at the Salaries.
Many former soldiers and sailors
who witnessed the wasteful duplica-
tions by the Army and Navy dur
ing the war, are supporting the bill
in the belief that it will save the
country money while strengthen
ing it. The last war proved how
expert the armed forces are in the
way of spending money recklessly.
The bill does establish a secretary
of national defense, complete with
four special assistants at $12,0o(
each year, but it gives him little
or no power over the three depart.
ments. 1t provides for new Secre.
tary for the Department of the All
Force at $4,000 a year, complete
with an undersecretary and twt
assistant secretaries at $4,000 tt
$12 900 a year. 1t sets up a Munition.
Board headed by a chairman whit
may receive $4,000 a year. It car.
ries in its cornucopia National Sc,
curity Council, complete with stat
and an executive secretary at s12, ,00|
a year. 1t ordains Central Intelli
gence Agency, complete with a di
rector at $4,000 a year. And i
creates National Security Re
sources Board, complete with .
chairman, at $4,000 a year.
OF course, the bill provides that al
| of these secretaries, undersecretar
les, boards, councils, agencies, chair
men, directors and wfat-nots shall
| in vague way, coordinate all owe
the national-defense lot. What thi
so-called merger bill amounts t
can best be illustrated by drawinl
on the imagine ton. For the pur
poses of Illustration, consider Pres
lident Truman as farmer who j
having difficulty getting his field
| plowed because his two horses d.
not get along together, and becaus'
even though hitched to the sam,
plow each horse has its own driver
If the farmer approached the prob
lem sensibly, he would get rid o
one of the plowmen-that woul,
make for unified command. Then
if he could not get the horses Il
pull together, he would either ge
rid of one or, more likely, substitute
a tractor.
How Not to PIow q Field.
What he is about to get Is quit
different. He turned the problem
over to the Congress. It called y
the experts and advice was tax =
from every one in sight, includik
1.-THE horses. The result, as set folTi
y