Evening star., 1949-10-29
The Political Mill
Removal of DenfeId Fails
To Settle Defense Issue
Action Certain to Make Congress
More Suspicious Than Ever
Bv Gould Lincoln

The removal of Admiral Louis E. Denfeld
as Chief of Naval Operations has not settled
the all-important question in the minds
of Congress and of the American people:
What is best for the national defense? If
anything it has clouded the issue.
Admiral Denfeld was cracked down on
because he told Congress that the admins
tratlon of the uniflcation law was being used
to hamstring the Navy in way harmful to
defense. If that is to be the medicine ladled
out to high officers of the Government who
speak their minds on important questions,
Congress may expect to hear only from
Eyes men" in the future. Members of Con-
gress have been quick to raise their voices
in protest.
The testimony given by Admiral Denfeld
and other Navy officers before the House
Armed Services Committee has let in the
light-Whether the administration likes it
or not. 1t may have the effect of halting
plans for further cuts in the naval arm.
Certainly it will make Congress more sus-
picious and critical than ever. The contribu-
tion that Admiral Denfeld and his col
leagues have made to national defense may
never be totally estimated. but that the
contribution was material is the belief Of
many.
Cannibal Story Recalled.
When Congress passed the unilcation bill
and the Air Force should swallow up the
Navy or vice versa, or that the Air Force
should swallow both the Army and the Navy.
That is the kind of "unif1cation" in which
tabled cannibal maid indulged. Two lovers
of the maid, Zulu and Hottentot. fought
over her until both were dead, and the verses
about this sad affair continue:
"She made nice stew of the savage Zulu
and scrambled the Hottentot's brains" and
presumably she ate both.
Unifcation. as the Navy sees it apparently.
means full use of the Navy to retain at all
times dominance and control of the sea.
Nothing could be more important or more
effective for national defense. 1t may be,
and it is urged by some, that no other nation
which today might attack the United States
has Navy worthy the name. So we can
ease off and junk much of the naval power
we now have. It's what happened after the
close of the First World War. The United
States had built and was building then the
greatest Navy the world had ever seen. But
after the Washington Naval Conference. the
picture was utterly different. Had the
United States maintained its naval suprem-
acy, Germany and Japan would have been
less quick to start World War II.
Actual Needs for Defense.
The administration has insisted that it is
not an enemy of the Navy. But some of the
highest ranking officers of the Navy take a
different view and have said so. They have
gone further and said that too much reliance
is being placed in the plans for national
defense on air bombing, and the atomic
bomb. The general run-of-the- mine Amer
ican knows little or nothing about military
strategy and the weapons to use. But he
knows in a general way the last war was
finally won in the European theater by the
land forces, supported by air, and in the
Far East by the Navy and it's aircraft car
riers and submarines. He does not want to
see any one of these services crippled.
The removal of Admiral Denfeld may be
considered necessary, both from the stand
point of discipline (although there has been
no suggestion that Admiral Denfeld refused
to obey orders and the desirability of find
ing Chief of Naval Operations more ready
to go ahead with plans for "unification"
But this is begging the question so far as
the actual needs for national defense a-e
concerned. The Navy has spoken out in no
uncertain terms If the administration can
be satisfied only with Chief of Naval Oper-
atlons who will take an entirely different
stand on the problem, he may be difficult to
IND. And perhaps he shouldn't be found.
When Congress returns to WASHINGTON.
the whole unification squabble may be re.
examined. Certainly some of the members
are greatly incensed over what they con-
slider "reprisal' by the administration
against Admiral Denfeld for testifying at
the request of the House committee. They
may make an issue of it,