GLOBAL COMMANDER

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 73, 23 September 1943, Page 7

GLOBAL COMMANDER

AMERICAN COMMENT

NEW YORK, September 21. "The nomination of-"General Marshall as Commander-in-Chief of-all'the British and American forces in the field was perhaps the major decision reached at Quebec," says the Washington correspondent of the American Associated Press. "If it meets with the final approval of Mr. Churchill's Cabinet, as is expected, it will put General Marshall at the head of the whole global field ' command, with authority to co-ordinate aggressive action on all fronts under the Quebec directives. It will recognise also that in the successive inter-Allied military conferences, from Washington to Casablanca and Quebec, the American Chief of Staff was the outstanding contributor to the fashioning of the strategic plans for victory. "Rumours that General Marshall is to be released from his present Chief of Staff assignment owing to pressure of interests opposed to him, presumably British, are in direct conflict with the facts. General Marshall has won the admiration and respect of all British officials with whom he has been in contact, including Mr. Churchill. "The unprecedented scope of General Marshall's contemplated ultimate command, giving him presumptive authority even over General Eisenhower in the Mediterranean, General Mac Arthur in the South-west Pacific, and Admiral Mpuntbatten in South-eastern Asia, might stir up a debate in Britain, but it is understood to be wholly accepttable to Canada and to the French forces in the Mediterranean. One thing is absolutely certain: General Marshall stands so high in President Roosevelt's estimation, both personally and professionally, that any change which is not wanted by General Marshall would be vetoed by the White House.

"The primary dominating element of the Allied war plans' still is to smash Germany first and then turn the full weight of the ever-increasing British and American power against Japan. For that reason, General Marshall is expected to assume command of the direct attack across the English Channel on Germany in France and the Low Countries.

"A highly-placed Government official stated today: 'Our toughest job is to reach Berlin, and Marshall is the toughest soldier we have to do it.' The official also indicated that the British and American joint chiefs of staff saw General Marshall as the only officer of either nation to whose supreme command both could trust in the tremendous task of completing victory. This involves not only placing Britain's main Army and her Home Fleet and home Air Forces under other than a British commander for the far-reaching offensive actions across the Channel which are contemplated, but even linking the operations in the Pacific, Asia, India, and China with a unified central field command, in due course:"