Evening star., 1952-05-15
Society News:
BY Betty BeoIe

The great names of two World
Wars filed into the White House
yesterday to shake the hands OF
President and Mrs. Truman. The
military leaders of the Nation and
their civilian bosses were received
at the Executive Mansion at S
O'Clock in the largest gathering OF
top brass ever collected under one
roof.
The military reception Is among
the snappiest of the official parties
given by the President and his
wife. There is something about a
uniform - especially when it's
aglow with gold stars or gold
braid and rows of decorations.
Except for the White House Aides.
there was nothing lower than a
colonel or a captain within a
radius of 100 yards. The mere
lieutenants among the Aides were
beginning to feel the strain and a
little warm under the collar.
At 4:45 the East Room was
opened to the line Of guests who
had been waiting outside the
White House since before 4::30.
Soon after that the boss of the
whole kit and caboodle. second
only to the Commander in Chief
of the Army, Navy and Air Force,
arrived. Secretary of Defense
Robert A. Lovett was ushered with
his wife into the Green Room.
which was reserved for Defense
Department heads, members OF
the Congressional Armed Services
Committees and military men
down to the rank of lieutenant
general and vice admiral. 1t you
can call that down"
McAuIiffes Arrive
1t. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe.
looking fit enough to take on the
whole Battle Of the Bulge again.
was ushered into that room. Cute
Mrs. McAuliffe was with him.
wearing a gray taffeta dress and
violet trimmed lavender straw
hat. Gen. and Mrs. Peyton March.
Vice Admiral and Mrs. Robert
Ghormley and Vice Admiral and
Mrs. Aubrey Fitch, all now re-
tired from active service, were
escorted into that room.
Into the Green Room too went
Deputy Secretary of Defense and
Mrs. William C. Foster-she in
navy taffeta topped by a very
chic cloche of pink velvet rose
buds; the Secretary of the Navy
and Mrs. Dan Kimball-the Sec
retary wearing a navy blue cra-
vat printed with red frigateS; Gen.
Omar Bradley, minus his popular
wife, who has been ill for the last
10 days; the Chief Of Naval Oper-
ations and Mrs. William Fech-
teler-Mrs. Fechteler in black
with a rose-trimmed pale green
straw hat; the Air Forces Vice
Chief of Staff Gen. Nathan Twin
ing-the top uniformed Air man
present, with Gen. Hoyt Vanden-
berg in the hospital and 1t. Gen.
Maxwell Taylor. the ranking staff
Army officer with Chief of Staff
Lawton Collins in California and
Vice Chief John E. Hull in Europe.
Gen. Vandenberg's aide. Col.
Godfrey McHugh. reported that
the General is doing very well
after his operation and that he
sat up for the first time on Tues
day.
Widest gold braid on any ones
sleeve was worn by Fleet Admiral
William D. Leahy who joined the
Green Room group along with
Air Force 1t. Gen. Laurence Kuter.
and his wife, and Admiral and
Mrs. Thomas C. Kinkaid.
The whole Presidential family
suddenly appeared in the White
House corridor at 500 and the
Marine Band struck up Hail to
the Chief" The President. Mrs.
Truman and Margaret, followed
by the Presidents three aides,
Maj. Gen. Vaughan, Rear Admiral
Dennison and Brig. Gen. Landry,
then proceeded into the Blue
Room and the door was closed
behind them. Mrs. Truman had
on a most becoming new gray
linen dress. elegantly embroidered
with white beads and rhinestones
on the lapelS of the turned-back
collar and on the cuffs Of the
short sleeves.
She and her husband started
shaking hands then and continued