Evening star., 1950-07-31
Defense Department
Protocol Was Vital
Pre-Korea Problem
Writer DiscIoses Letter
On Matter He Says Had
Worried OfficiuIs
By David Laurence

It's long way from the soci-
ETY. tables of Washington to the
battlef1elds of Korea but, just a
few weeks before the Far Eastern
outbreak. our high officials here
appear to have been worrying
about other things besides pre-
parations for war. A rather inter-
esting battle of another kind went
on behind the scenes in the Ma
tional Capital which it is the
privilege of this correspondent to.
day to reveal for the first time.
To understand the goings on
one must know what the wore
protocol" means. 1t is a syno-
nym in social circles for seating
arrangements" at official and un-
official dinners and functions. II
mas much to do with such words
as prestige" and stature" II
has much to do with who "out-
ranks" whom and whose lady
partner at dinner sits nearer the
hostess than does somebody else's
lady partner.
There's no military security
involved in publishing the secret
document which ever since it was
written seems to have stirred up
resentmentS at the Pentagon
among those civilian secretaries
who are being pushed around. So
mere it is in full text-a letter
dated May S, 1850, signed by Sec
retary of Defense Johnson, and
addressed to Secretary of State
AcheSon:
Dear Mr.. Secretary:
Recently I have been giving
consideration to the question OF
protocol within the Department
of Defense. This consideration re-
suits from my concern for the
standing and prestige of the
chairman and the other members
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They
occupy. in my opinion, positions
Of very great Importance in our
national governmental structure
and I believe that this fact should
be supported by appropriate pro-
tocol in their social and other
public appearances.
Undesirable Situation"
ut seems to have been gener-
ally accepted in the past that the
Chief of Staff of the Army and
the Chief of Naval Operations
ranked in protocol after the sec
-etaries and assistant secretaries
Of the War and Navy Depart
ments, which was satisfactory
when there were few concerned.
However. now that there are also
q Department of Defense and a
Department of the Air Force,
with a number of secretarial po-
sitions added throughout the de-
partment. and since the stature
of the chiefs of the several mill
tary services has been materially
increased by their additional re-
sponsibilities as Joint Chiefs of
Staff, the automatic following of
the earlier arrangement has led
to a manifestly undesirable sit
uation.
I'm recent years our senior mill
tary people have automatically
been ranked in protocol after each
such new secretarial incumbent
and these positions have SO in
creased in number that in the De-
partment of Defense alone there
are II secretaries, including the
deputy secretary and the under
secretaries and assistant secre-
taries. I understand that there
are in the Department of State
about IL similar titles. In fact,
1t appears possible that. at social
or similar function involving full
attendance of all of the cabinet
departments, the Joint Chiefs OF
Staff would be preceded by at least
so secretarial titles alone.
I'm light of the foregoing and
In order that the prestige of our
top-ranking military men may be
sustained in their social and public
appearances in relation to others
who are actually far less expert
enced with far less responsibility,
I have determined that hereafter
in the Department of Defense the
protocol status of the Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and
of the Chief of Staff of the Army,
Chief of Naval Operations and
the Chief of Staff of the Air Force
shall be Immediately after that of
the Secretaries of the Army, Navy
and Air Force.
In Interests of Uniformity.
"In the interests of uniformity
and for the reasons set forth above
in support of my own determina-
ton, and also because I under
stand that the protocol status of
top-level military men in some
other nations is higher than that
which has. in recent years, de-
veloped here. I suggest that you
may find it practicable to give
consideration to action CORE
spending to mine with respect to
the protocol status of the chair
man and other members of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff on occasions
that are not within the control
OF the Department of Defense.
Sincerely yours.
Louis johnson"
Copies of the foregoing letter
were sent to the Secretary of the
Army. the Secretary of the Navy,
the Secretary of the Air Force,
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the
chairman of the Personnel Policy
Board-all of whom presumably
had to give this vital problem
some attention.
These were the grave issues at
stake just IL weeks ago in peace
time Washington. One can hardly
believe that Secretary Johnson
gave the letter more than passing
thought at the end of a wearisome