Evening star., 1949-06-28
Delay on 1ydings Bill
In House Unit Due 10
More Than Economy
Measure Concentrates
MiIitoy Authority in
Honds of One Mon
By David Laurence

world. the Citizens Committee for
Reorganization Of the Executive
Branch Of the Government has
criticized the House Armed Serv-
ices Committee for not reporting
out the Tydings bill, which pro-
vides for concentration Of mill
tary authority in the hands of one
man. But the delay relates to
something more important than
economy.
It is natural that a paper blue
print of the defense setup should
call for a single executive. In al
most any other executive agency
or department this would not in
volve any dangers. But to place
In the hands OF one man-and
not an elected officer-the power
to control the Army. Navy and the
Air Force and to permit that in
dividual to allocate tasks TO each
service as he pleases is not in
conformity with the basic prin-
ciples that have governed the
American democracy since the
Constitution was written.
The Constitution places the su-
preme military authority in the
President of the United States as
the commander-in in chief OF the
Army and the Navy. While 1t is
the duty of Congress to provide
for the national defense, it has
never. except in time of war. dele
gated its military powers.
In peacetime the Congress does
not delegate to a cabinet officer
the job of commander in chief OF
the Army and Navy. Usually 1t
reserves this to the President.
Not What 1t Seems.
The proposed legislation is not
what. on its face, it purports to be
1t is designed as means of saving
money, though nobody has come
forward yet to explain exactly how
the savings are to be made. Some
Of these economies undoubtedly
can be made in the avoidance of
duplicate hospital facilities or in
procurement or in military sta
tions and countless other details.
But that's not what the propo-
nents of the measure inside the
military services see in the legisla-
ton.
The truth is that testimony
from military and naval and air
officers has not been taken by
congressional committees. Walter
Winchell, in his recent article in
Golfers magazine, was 100 per
cent right in pointing out that
a gag rule has been imposed which
prevents the taking of testimony
from persons in the Army, Navy
and Air Force familiar with the
way the legislation would actually
affect the armed services.
Representative Carl Vinson,
Democrat. who is chairman of the
House Armed Services Committee
comes from Georgia, but in this
instance he is from Missouri
He is asking that some one show
him just where the economies are
to be obtained and what the ef-
feet of the bill will be on uni
flcation-if any.
Mr.. Vinson is perhaps the most
experienced man In the House
of Representatives on this sub
ject. He has the respect of all
the armed services. He wants to
get facts before rushing into leg
islation. At the moment a dis
pute has arisen as to how the
Secretary of Defense has used or
abused the power he already has.
Why should there be such haste to
Jam a new bill through without
finishing the comprehensive in
quiry which Mr.. Wilson's COM
mittee already has undertaken?
Would Make a Dictator.
The language of the Tydings
bill, which was passed by the Sem
ate without hearing the unpreju-
diced testimony Of military and
naval officers, would make the
Secretary of Defense a military
dictator. II 1t is necessary to
delegate authority. 1t should be
given directly to the President OF
the United States who, at least,
Is accountable to the people. Cab
met officers are not reachable by
the vote of the people.
Part of the proposed plan is
that there should be a chairman
OF the Joint Chiefs Of Staff who
shall presumably act as umpire
between the heads Of the Army,
Navy and Air Force. The PreSi-
dent has in mind to name an Army
man. This would mean three
West Point graduates on the Joint
Chiefs to one Annapolis man.
Even without the chairman. the
Navy already has been outvoted
on matters that ought to have
been left to the Navy to decide.
When a. general knows enough
to pass on the design for ships,
the strength of decks and the
conditions of sea warfare faced
by the Navy and when admirals
know how to design tanks OF
have mastered the techniques OF
ground warfare and the air gen.
erals have learned the details Of
both services. maybe 1t will not
make much difference who is Sc
lected as chairman of the Joint
Chiefs. If, on the other hand,
chairman is appointed to act
merely as a sort of assistant or
adviser to the Secretary of De-
fense, the same purpose would be
served by giving him chief OF
staff.
To try to make all three Serv-
ices obey one man-civllian cr
military-is not in keeping with
American tradition. unless he is
the President. Instead OF saving
money. it will intensity the df-
ferences and cause disunity and
ipcrea Sad exppnSe RuT tn re-