Evening star., 1955-09-06
New Chief in Far East
Is Expert on onk War
BY ROBERT EUNsON


Associated Press Foreign CORRESPONDENT
TOKYO. Sept. 5 (R.-A news
bulletin Of the future:
Tank riding American SOL
diers. wearing radiation-proof
coveralls and carrying .geiger
counters. smashed through to
the center Of the atomized city.
Meanwhile. light armored
vehicles. brought up by air
transport planes in support Of
the attacking column, slashed
OF both TANKS Of the spear
heading tanks, mopping up
struggling units which had sur
vived the blast and penetrating
enemy defenses. in preparation
for another breakthrough."
This very well might be a
front-line news dispatch Of any
future war, says Gen. I. D.
White. Americas foremost living
exponent Of armored warfare.
Tanks Better Protected
Atomic experiments, he said.
have proved that people in
armored vehicles can withstand
such attacks better and be in
position to exploit the use of our
own atomic weapons sooner
than any other troops.
In his first interview since
assuming command Of the 9Th
Army in Korea and United States
Army forces in the Far East. the
ruddy general sat easily In q
chair at his Camp Zama head
quarters, 90 miles southeast of
Tokyo.
Gen. White was promoted to
the rank of four-star general on
June 10. the same day he was
named commanding general Of
U. S. Army Forces Far East and
of the U. S. 9th Army. His
promotion was confirmed June
IS and he took the oath Of gen.
eral in ceremonies in Bridge
port, Conn. where he was visit
Ing his sister.
Could Have Reached Berlin
The last time I had talked
with Gen. White. his hell on
wheels" End Armored Division
had Just battered into Magde-
burg, 81 miles from Berlin. That
time the talk had concerned how
long it would be before his tank
ers captured Berlin.
Then came orders to sit and
wait for the Russians.
do you still think you could
have made it?" asked-l0 years
later.
"I think right down to the last
man in the division we believed
that If we had been turned loose
we could have made it to Berlin.
Were you ever told why you
were ordered to cease attacking?"
I asked this mild appearing man
who had ridden his tanks into
history.
I'VE were not told why. other
than that we were made to un-
derstand we actually had gone
beyond the areas which would be
the areas Of United States re-
sponsibility during the occupa-
ton Of Germany.
IF we had not been allowed
to retain what we had captured,
I wouldn't have wanted to 60 on
simply for the glory Of taking
Berlin. wouldn't want to have
lost another American life to
take territory we would be Civ
ing UP to the Russians.
Nov looking back on 1t. I
think 1t was a sound decision.
even though at the time we were
enthusiastic about taking Berlin
before the Russians got there"
High level conferences had di-
vided Germany into zones Of oc-
cupation before the 9th Army
juggernaut rolled across the
Rhine and on to the Elbe in the
spring Of 1945.
He Has Reminders
On q ledge behind Gen. Whites
chair sat a row Of scale model
tanks and a tank retriever. It
reminded one that even though
this 54-year-old combat COM
mander has a job now that re-
Quires more desk work and dip
lomacy than leading troops, he
still can't forget his beloved
armor.
When Gen. George E. Patton
was killed in an automobile ac-
eident in l945. the mantle of