Evening star., 1949-10-28
Truman Held VioIatint
Law Of Land in Firinq
OF Admiral DenfeId
Paragraph Cited in Act
Passed by Congress to
Unity Armed Services
By David Lawrence

By David Lawrence
Although President Truman has
sworn an oath to execute faith
fully the laws of the land, he has
just violated the spirit as we'll as
the letter of an important act
Of Congress.
The law which was designed to
unity the armed services has in
it a paragraph that reads as fol-
lows:
mo provision of this act shall
be so construed as to prevent
4 secretary of military depart
ment or a member of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff from presenting
to the Congress, on his own in
ttiative, after first so informing
the Secretary of Defense. any
recommendation relating to the
Department of Defense that he
may deem proper"
Admiral Louis E. Denfeld as
Chief of Naval Operations and
member of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, and responding to an in
vitation from the House Armed
Services Committee, gave his rec
concentrations concerning the
defense policy of the Nation. He
had said the same things to the
Secretary of Defense before. But
because he spoke to Congress. he
now has been removed from office.
This means that in the future
no member of the Joint Chiefs OF
Staff will risk his career in order
to bring to Congress the infor-
nation it needs to legislate on
matters of national defense.
Dictatorship by Clique.
The issue is bigger now than the
interservice controversy that has
ragged in recent weeks. 1t is big
ger than the question of whether
Admiral Denfeld has been justly
treated as an individual with a
long record of service to his Gov
ernment. It is bigger than the
question of whether one service
should have this or that role or
mission in our defense set-up.
It is really a question Of whether
q dictatorship by clique in the
executive branch of the Govern
ment shall ignore and defy the
will of the peoples representa-
tives-the Congress. Has the ex-
ecutive autocracy now grown so
defiant that it can dominate the
peoples representatives and with
hold from. them information es-
sential to the legislative process?
Witnesses who are employees OF
the executive agencies hereafter
will fear to tell the truth to
Congress lest they be punished.
A milestone in the evolution of
the American form of government
has been reached. European
forms of totalitarianism are being
copied. For in Russia and Nazi
Germany, they wanted only eyes
men"-or else there was a
purge" .-.
President Truman has blum
dered-but with his eyes wide
open. He was warned by the
chairman of the House Armed
Services Committee and by its
members. Republican and Demo-
cratic. that the cause of uniflca-
ton would not be promoted by
reprisals upon witnesses. He
chose to disregard such warnings.
He acted on the advice of Secre-
tary of Defense Johnson. who, OF
course, has a powerful influence
over Mr.. Truman and dominates
him in matters of this kind. Mr..
johnson is the type who believes
that harmony is achieved by
Topping off heads" It's a queer
way to try to achieve harmony
In a democracy.
Won't Improve Morale.
II Gen. Bradley as we'll as Ad-
miral Denfeld and also Secretary
johnson and Secretary Matthews
had been asked by the President
to resign voluntarily so that there
would be a whole new set-up in
the Defense Department. the
country might have swallowed
such a move as perhaps new
approach.
Gen. Bradley offended the en-
tire United States Navy by calling
the witnesses fancy Dams" and
by declaring them unwilling "to
hit the line unless they could
call the signals" If Admiral
Denfeld's offense was plain-speak-
ing, how can Gen. Bradley pre-
side over the Joint Chiefs of Staff
with such blemish of partisan
ship and tactlessness on his other
wise unsullied record of fairness?
Will the morale of the Navy be
improved by Furnishing their
chief-Admiral Denfeld?
Certainly Mr.. Truman has given
Congress something to worry
about. Maybe he has paved the
way for a major controversy in
the January session. Perhaps a
complete revision of the so-called.
unification law will be the result.
If so, Admiral Denfeld will be-
come in history a martyr to the
cause of free government.
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