Evening star., 1947-12-07
Maj. Gen. A. D. SurIes, 81 Dies;
Wartime Public Relations Chief
Eisenhower, RoyoII
Join in Tributes to
Old-Line CovuIrymon

Maj. Gen. Alexander D. Surles, 81,
whose wartime direction of Army
public relations brought him COM
mendations not only from his su-
periors but from the press, radio and
public, died yesterday of a pull
monary ailment at Walter Reed
Hospital.
Gen. Surles, with almost two
score years of a soldiers career be-
hind him, still was on active duty
at the time of his death, serving on
an advisory group for the Army
Chief Of Staff.
Funeral services will be held at
3 pm. tomorrow at Fort Meyer
Chapel with burial in Arlington
Cemetery.
Eisenhower, Royal Praise Him.
He was a close friend of Gen.
and Gen. Eisenhower
and the latter said yesterday that
he was model of all an officer
should be-selfless, courageous and
in his devotion to duty.
An old-line cavalryman, he contrib
uted much to the development of
our wartime armored force"
Secretary of the Army Royal said:
Gen. Surles" leadership as war
time director of information of the
War Department was an outstand-
ing contribution to the war effort.
Possibly in no time in the Army's
history was there such a close re-
lationship between the Army and
the American public. To a large
degree, this was due to the untiring
effort and ability of Gen. Surles."
Trained as cavalryman and
the general took over the
Army's complex public relations
shortly before the United States en-
tered the war and handled them
with a brilliance, tact and energy
which did much to "sell' the service
to the public and build up morale
within 1t. He was given the Dis
tinguished Service Medal for this
duty, the citation pointing out that
he had had a difficult task weigh
ing the value Of releasing informa-
tion against the possibility of It's
affording valuable information to
the enemy"
Retired, Then Recalled, Last Year.
His sincerity and frankness won
him hundreds of friends among
writers and radio men,
Gen. Surles was especially we'll
known in Washington, having served
many tours Of duty here. For the
last year he and his wife, Mrs. Anne
Lee Surles, had lived at the Wyom-
ing Apartments, 2022 Columbia road
NV. He was retired for a physical
disability in March, 1916, but was
recalled Immediately to active duty
to serve on the advisory board.
Born in Milwaukee August IA,
1886, Gen. Surles entered West
Point in 1907 Commissioned in the
cavalry, he served at various posts
in California, Texas, Arizona and
elsewhere in the Southwest before
going to the Philippines for two
years duty. He went to France in
1918 where he was assigned to the
general staff of the expeditionary
force. In 1880 he was assigned to
Fort Myer.
Between war he had much to do
with the development OF the ar
mored cavalry and in World War
II requested permission to return to
that force overseas. However, Sec
retary OF War Stimson held him in
the public relations post.
Organized Broadcasts.
Gen. Surles was credited, as much
as Irving Berlin, with the success
of the Army show, "This Is the
Army" which they planned to-
gether. He also helped organize the
popular Army weekly broadcasts
and to supply news from home and
the battle fronts to the troops all
over the world.
Gen. Surles, who attended the
Of Michigan before going
to West Point, also was trained at
the Cavalry School advanced course,
the Command and General Staff