Evening star., 1948-11-22
By John A. Giles

AAA
the fon-year-old Smith-vs.-Smith
battle of words over Pacific war
engagements with the release OF
certain" Marine and Navy secret
documents, and indications are that
the cease-f,re order has not been
given.
The controversy, with It's charges
and counter charges, originally
arose over the removal of Maj. Gen
Ralph Smith from command Of the
Army's 9th Division by 1t. Gen.
Holland M. CHowling Mad Smith
Of the Marines during the heavy
fighting on Saipan in June, 1914.
The latter charged that Army Gen.
Smith contravened his orders and
that the 9th Division was not
keeping up with q general advance
between two Marine divisions on
the island.
In releasing the apparently Sc
lected documents. 1t. Col. Robert
D. Heinl of the Marine Corps his
torical division said that this Is
only the first installment" Of for
mer Marine and Navy documents
on Pacific fighting. However, he
maintained that the Marines saw
no profit to be gained in ref1ghtins
the battle Of Saipan."
Richardson Criticized.
The latest documents take up in
some critical detail a visit to Saipan
by Lt Gen. Robert C. Richardson,
top Army commander in the Cen
trail Pacific, after the removal Incl
dent and memoranda from both
Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, war
time chief of naval operations, and
Gen. George c. Marshall then
Army chief of staff.
Admiral King wrote, on November
Is, 1914, that Gen. Richardson's
"unilateral handling of this prob
lem Of joint command by an ex-
parte investigation was, in my opin-
ion, improper and prejudicial to
inter-service relations. - Gen.
Richardson should have known that
the investigation would inevitably
involve joint command questions
that were not within his province. !"
Gen. Marshall. now Secretary OF
State, replied that "in appointing
an Army board to examine persons
and records within his jurisdiction,
Gen. Richardson followed Army
precedent. The board served
to advise him, rs senior Army COM
mander in the theater, on the as
poets of the case from the point
of view of Army ofl1cers."
Smith Writes Turner.
The correspondence between Ad-
miral King and Gen. Marshall
originated with . report from Ma
rine Gen. Smith himself to Vice
Admiral r. K. Turner, the over
all commander Of the joint task
expeditionary force.
When he called on Gen. Richard
son on July Is, Marine Gen. Smith
reported he was astounded to see
troops of my command being pa
raded and decorated by Gen. Rich
ardson all without my knowledge
or consent"
After the ceremony, he reported
that Gen. Richardson started be-
rating me in the presence Of Maj.
Gen. Harry Schmidt" He quoted
Gen. Richardson as saying that
you cannot push the Army around
the way you have been doing" that
Marine Gen. Smith and his corps
commanders were not qualified 70
lead large bodies OF troops, etc.
He wrote that Gen. Richardson
next berated and criticised my
conduct of the operations stating
that not q single co-ordinated at
tack had been made and that We
being nothing but beach runners
did not know how to conduct opera
tions beyond the beach,.
Authority Lacking.
In his Endorsement of Marine Gen.
Smiths letter. Admiral Turner added
that Gen. Richardson had conducted
his questioning of both Army and
Marine officers without having been
given authority to do 80" and with
out the presence Of Gen. Smith.
The correspondence then went to
Admiral r. A. Spruance. then COM
mander OF the Sth Fleet, who asked
for clarification of the command
functions of Gen. Richardson.
Also included was an excerpt
from original copy" Of q report on
the Marianas Islands operations by
Admiral Spruance that with one
exception exception had been
deleted from the report-"all units
7" =" performed in q most satisfac-
tory and commendable manner" 1t
noted that the exception had been
made the subject Of separate cor
respondence" but this correspond
ence was not released.
Stigma Involved.
Admiral Chester w. Nimitz, COM
mander In chief Of the Pacific Fleet
and Pacific Ocean Areas, In for