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NATIONAL
ARCHIVES AND
RECORDS
This will be especially true if there is no body comparable
to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where the divergent views of the Services
themselves can be fully aired. The present draft makes no reference
to a future Joint Chiefs of Staff. It must be assumed from the text
that there will be no Joint Staff organization, and that the Chief of
Staff of National Defense will supplant the present Joint Chief's of
Staff in coordinating and resolving divergent views.
This seems highly dangerous. I am certain that it will
arouse much antagonism. It will be felt, with much reason, that the
views of one or two of the Services will be slighted and overruled
by the Chief of Staff of National Defense in many critical points.
There will be, under the plan here outlined, no channel through
which the Services can present their views to the Secretary or to
the President. Should the Navy or the Ground Forces, for example,
be overruled on a matter of the allocation of funds for new weapons
by a Chief of Staff of National Defense who is an air officer, the
Navy and the Ground Forces would not be able to have their day in
court in a Joint Staff meeting. The Message reads (page 25) "We can
be sure that the provision for a single top military commander will
not prevent the President, the Secretary, and other civilian authori-
ties from communicating with the commanders of the other components
of the department on vital matters such as questions of basic military
strategy and policy and the division of the budget. "
I cannot agree. The military mind being what it is, in the
reorganization here outlined, the "chain of command" will rapidly
become rigid. Under the domination of a firm-minded, heavy-handed
Chief of Staff of National Defense, it would be a.s difficult for the
Navy to express its views if they were not in accord with those of
the Chief of Staff as it would have been unthinkable in this war for
a subordinate of General Marshall's to present opposing views to
Secretary Stimson or to the President.
That all the Services could express their views freely
during the recent war was due to the agency of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, and I believe that it should be continued and made permanent
and legal.
The draft of the Message reads "The heads of the Army, the
Navy and the Air Forces would be heard, just as during this war the
heads of the Army Air Forces, for example, and the Marine Corps have
been heard."
The head of the Army Air Forces was heard during this war
because he was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The head of
the Marine Corps was not heard. The Commandant of the Marines was
-2-
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"ocrText": "3\nNATIONAL\nARCHIVES AND\nRECORDS\nThis will be especially true if there is no body comparable\nto the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where the divergent views of the Services\nthemselves can be fully aired. The present draft makes no reference\nto a future Joint Chiefs of Staff. It must be assumed from the text\nthat there will be no Joint Staff organization, and that the Chief of\nStaff of National Defense will supplant the present Joint Chief's of\nStaff in coordinating and resolving divergent views.\nThis seems highly dangerous. I am certain that it will\narouse much antagonism. It will be felt, with much reason, that the\nviews of one or two of the Services will be slighted and overruled\nby the Chief of Staff of National Defense in many critical points.\nThere will be, under the plan here outlined, no channel through\nwhich the Services can present their views to the Secretary or to\nthe President. Should the Navy or the Ground Forces, for example,\nbe overruled on a matter of the allocation of funds for new weapons\nby a Chief of Staff of National Defense who is an air officer, the\nNavy and the Ground Forces would not be able to have their day in\ncourt in a Joint Staff meeting. The Message reads (page 25) \"We can\nbe sure that the provision for a single top military commander will\nnot prevent the President, the Secretary, and other civilian authori-\nties from communicating with the commanders of the other components\nof the department on vital matters such as questions of basic military\nstrategy and policy and the division of the budget. \"\nI cannot agree. The military mind being what it is, in the\nreorganization here outlined, the \"chain of command\" will rapidly\nbecome rigid. Under the domination of a firm-minded, heavy-handed\nChief of Staff of National Defense, it would be a.s difficult for the\nNavy to express its views if they were not in accord with those of\nthe Chief of Staff as it would have been unthinkable in this war for\na subordinate of General Marshall's to present opposing views to\nSecretary Stimson or to the President.\nThat all the Services could express their views freely\nduring the recent war was due to the agency of the Joint Chiefs of\nStaff, and I believe that it should be continued and made permanent\nand legal.\nThe draft of the Message reads \"The heads of the Army, the\nNavy and the Air Forces would be heard, just as during this war the\nheads of the Army Air Forces, for example, and the Marine Corps have\nbeen heard.\"\nThe head of the Army Air Forces was heard during this war\nbecause he was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The head of\nthe Marine Corps was not heard. The Commandant of the Marines was\n-2-"
}