Evening star., 1949-10-08
Pentagon Dictatorship" Seen
Imperiling National Security

Your editorial The Navys Day." damning
with but very faint praise the promised in
| vestigation by the House Armed Services
| Committee of complaints by high Navy
officers that Navy morale is low. and the
national security imperiled under the present
| defense setup, does not become a great
| newspaper.
! Such an investigation has long since been
overdue. 1t should have been launched as
soon as the Pentagon dictator, Louis john
son, started talking out both sides of his
mouth whenever and wherever the Navy
was concerned. It most certainly should
| have been launched when he sought to
scuttle the Marine Corps some months ago.
1t was imperative after the Capt. Crommelin
| incident.
| However, 1t took the release of some con-
| f1dential (so-called) letters from top-rank-
ing naval officers to the Secretary of the
Navy, rightly or wrongly, by a patriot who
| had CUTS, to arouse responsible congress-
| ional committee to action.
| I for one, and I am sure many people
will join with me, cannot subscribe to your
remarks that the Navy officers who have
complained represent dsconsolates neces-
sarily Neither am I willing to believe that
in expressing their views when they CAM
that they deliberately seek to undermine
the so-called unihcation plan. or that they
are deliberately defying the desires. wishes.
and edicts of the Pentagon inner sanctum.
| I do not believe it is a case on their part
of resisting unidcation merely for the sake
| of resisting.
Admires Navy Mems Courage"
1t is my opinion that they are all men
| OF ability and integrity who honestly and
sincerely know what they are talking about
and have the courage of their convictions
Their remarks and opinions should not
be brushed aside by any hamboyant re-
marks from either Defense Secretary john
son or the press. 1t may be naval fears
are not well-founded, but until they are
disproved they represent a serious aspect of
the nations defense. Nor should their
opinions be brushed aside by any such re-
marks as were credited to President Truman,
to the effect that he hoped the Navy and Air
Force would soon cease their pickering and
that when they did that the Army would
go along as usual. Such a brash statement
is an insult to the intelligence of our people.
1t is historic fact that ever since Mr..
johnson took over, the Navy and Marine
Corps have been slowly but surely relegated
to the background. 1t is but bit of tom
foolery to try and make intelligent people
believe that the B-36 alone can win the
next war; The so-called unifcation act
Is proving, under the johnson administra-
ton, to be the greatest bit of hocus-pocus
ever put over on the American people.
1t has caused more disunity among the
armed services than ever existed before
in our history. It's farce if not indeed
downright fraud Let's return to the system
under which we have won every war we were
ever engaged in.
The American people, however, are not
being fooled by all this hocus-pocus stuff.
They know full well that the day has not
yet arrived when a superior Navy and Mar
inc Corps is thing Of the past. They
know full well that the B-36 alone cannot
save them.
For Mightiest Navy
What's more. am sure they will not settle
for anything less than the mightiest Navy
and the most superior Marine Corps, even
If they have to relegate the present admin
istration to the limbo of the forgotten past
In order to attain their desires.
You deride a congressional investigation.
You claim the Congress is not competent
enough to conduct such an investigation.
Well I'll agree that few such Investigations
are conducted in a maner that is desirable.
But pray tell us. to whom can the people
turn in such a case as this but the Congress?
Theirs is the power alone to raise and main
tain armies and navies and to appropriate
the necessary funds therefore.
And let it be made perfectly clear to the
Pentagon dictator that Congress will coun-
tenance no reprisals. no discrimination
against any of the witnesses who may ap-
pear before its committees. Let's do away
with all the whitewash the window dressing,
and the worry about whose feelings might be
hurt or whose toes stepped upon And
above all let's give the American people the
unvarnished truth Of it all. SNIKSAH.
Catholic Leaders and Constitution
al tat
To the Editor of The Star:
The misleading remarks of Andrew "
Eglise in The Star OF September 20 should
be corrected for the public record
The position of the Catholic Church Is
simply that 1t is the only true religion and
that all other creeds are in error. Since the
spread of error would be an evil, it follows
that when Catholics are in power they nat
urally apply their beliefs and deny to all
other creeds the religious freedom they claim
for themselves when they are a minority.
Consequently. Americans who value the
religious freedom which is their heritage
have found, and will nnd. 1t necessary to
bend every effort toward denying to Catho-
lies the political power we know so well they
will misuse. This does not imply any ill-feel-
ing toward the Catholic religion as such
Since Mr. Eglise denies the intention of
Catholics ultimately to establish a state
religion in democracy" let me quote Mon
signor George B. OToole. Of Catholic Uni
versity, who wrote in 1899: 1T is clear, then,
that no Catholic may positively and uncon-
d1tionally approve Of the policy of separation
OF church and state. But given country like
the United States. where religious denomina-
tions abound and the population is largely
non Catholic 1t is clear that the policy of
treating all religions alike becomes, all things
considered. practical necessity, the only
way Of avoiding deadlock Under such cir
cumstances separation of church and state
is to be accepted. not indeed as the ideal ar
rangement, but as modus vivendi"
~ RUSSELL CHAUVENET.