Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-07-21
Gen. Taylor Is Slated
For Top Military Post
Lemnitzer
To Become
NATOChief
BY the Associated Press

Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor who
stalked from the Pentagon in
a row over Eisenhower defense
policy, is returning as top mill
tary chief. This time. he has
the strongest White House
backing.
President Kennedy an
nounced yesterday that Gen.
Taylor, his close personal mill
tary adviser, will replace Gen.
Lyman L. Lemnitzer as chair
man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
this fall.
Gen. Lemnitzer will become
United States commander-in-
chief in Europe-and probably
NATO supreme commander
thereafter his two-year term
as jos chairman runs out on
September 30.
In effect, Mr.. Kennedy ap-
peared to be easing out the
Eisenhower appoin tie d jos
chairman. who repeatedly has
been under a cloud since the
Cuban invasion disaster Is
months ago
Tenure May Be Short
These were the key moves in
one of the biggest top military
command shuffles in years. The
shift was set in motion by Gen.
Lauris Norstad's decision to re-
tire as NATO commander in
Europe in November, after six
years of service in that post.
Gen. LemnitZer will take his
place, perhaps for only a year.
Overshadowed by those top
level changes was Mr.. Ken
nedy's announcement from his
weekend retreat at Hyannis
Port. Mass, that Gen. George
H. Decker will retire on Sep
TENDER 80 at the end of his
two-year term as Army Chief
of Staff.
Gen. Decker will be sup
planted by Gen. Earle G.
Wheeler, little known here but
reputedly a brilliant officer.
Gen. Wheeler now is Gen. Nor
stadt's deputy and, for all
practical purposes, the operat-
ing head of United States
forces in Europe.
Rumors of Gen. Lemnitzer
and Gen. Decker's departure
have been in the wind for
months. Both Eisenhower ad-
ministration appointees, they
were said to be considered by
Kennedy administration Off
Gals as rather plodding and
unimaginative.
ShOup Only HOldOver
Their replacement by Gen.
Taylor and Gen. Wheeler will
all but clear the service chiefs
of men who were put on that
highest military panel by for
mer President Eisenhower. The
only one left is Gen. David M.
Shoup, who has about II
months left of a four-year
term as commandant of the
Marine Corps. Gen. Shoup re-
portedly rates high with Mr..
Kennedy.
Last summer, Mr.. Kennedy
installed Admiral George w.
Anderson as Chief of Naval
Operations and Gen. Curtis E.
LeMay as Air Force Chief of
Staff.
The tall, slim, straight
backed Gen. Taylor has been
Mr.. Kennedy's closest military
adviser since June, 1861, when
the President called the four
star general out of retirement
after the Cuban debacle.
In that role, Gen. Taylor
went on a special mission to
South Wet Nam last fall and
came back with recommends
tons that led to this country's
big-scale effort to help the
Wet Namese turn back the
Communist guerrilla offensive.
Army Advocate
Gen. Taylor, long an advo-
cate of strong army, played
a major part, too, in planning
the big military bui,dup last
year when the Russians were
threatening war to force the
West out of Berlin.
In the wake of the Cuban
episode, reports persisted that
Mr.. Kennedy held Gen. Lem
nitzer accountable, in some
measure, for the failure of the
effort by Cuban refugees, with
limited United States support.
See MILITARY, Page AS