Evening star., 1950-09-13
General Marshall Returns

In perSuading General Marshall to take over
the job of Secretary of Defense, the President
has made the best selection to fill serious break
in his administration lines.
General Marshall has the competence the
experience and the prestige to de the Job that
has to be done in the Defense Department and
to restore public confidence in the military arm
of the Government
His friends and admirers will look with some
misgiving on this latest draft of General Marshall
for public service. 1t is burdensome thing, at
SO, for any man to take over the great response
biltieS that go with this new post. And during
the past 10 years, General Marshall as Chief
of Staff during the war; as special emissary to
China, and as Secretary of State, has borne more
than his share of responsibility. Fortunately
however, his health has improved following q
major operation at the end of his tenure in the
State Department and he should be equal to
the demands that will be made upon him
Before he can take the office it will be
necessary for Congress to amend the law which
in its present form forbids the appointment of
a Secretary of Defense who has held a military
Office within the preceding 10 years. There has
been some expression of opposition on this score,
but it is not conceivable that Congress will refuse
to act favorably on this matter The need for
man of General Marshalls stature is too urgent
to permit an irrelevant consideration to stand
in the way. What is needed is the best available
man for Secretary of Defense, and General Mar
shall fills that bill It would be absurd to permit
prejudice against military men in civilian posts
to stand in the way of his appointment
1t is difficult to come to a satisfactory
appraisal of the factors which brought about
the dismissal disguised as the resignation, of
Louis Johnson. Apparently, however the factor
which most greatly impaired his usefulness as
NJ VIC ,ot o&o1x,
sponsble for the Presidents decision to drop him.
Mr. Johnson had an unhappy faculty for
needlessly making enemies. This was most
evident in his head-knocking technique in forcing
acceptance of unification among the services
FirmneSs was needed, but it was not necessary
to be as inconsiderate as, for instance he was in
handling former Navy Secretary Sullivan The
enemies that he made in this process in the Navy,
and also in the Air Force contributed to his
undoing
In public estimation, Mr.. Johnson's major
ofense lay in the unreadinesS of the armed forces
for the Korean war. His economy program may
have been launched with the best of intentions,
and certainly it had the unqualified support of
the President But when the test came we were
not ready for it, and Mr.. Johnsons overconfident
assurances as to the state of our preparedness
came back to haunt him. In the public eye,
he was the symbol of military humiliation and
nothing that he could say or do would counteract
the demand for his removal
What actually brought on his custer, how
ever, seems to have been the feuding with.
Secretary of State Acheson. In large part, at
least, this resulted from sincere difference
of opinion on policy matters, and the last chapter
in this has not been written. Perhaps events
will show that Mr.. Johnson was right, but the
President, despite his political obligations to his
NAfo.a AaIafa Ii
dismiss friend finally came to the point where
he could stand no more of the intra family
sniping.
1t may we'll be that history will be kinder to
Mr.. Johnson than is the contemporary Judgment
But it can hardly be doubted that, in the crisis
which is upon us, his replacement is in the best
interests of the Nation