Documents Expressing Alarm At U.S. Navy's Morale Given Secretly To The Press

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 October 1949, Page 5

Documents Expressing Alarm At U.S. Navy's Morale Given Secretly To The Press

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (Rec. 8.10 pm).—Documents, in which high United States Navy officers expressed alarm over the Navy’s morale and strength, were secretly given to the press today.

Ine omcers alleged that the Navy’s offensive power had been reduced under the present unified defence policy. A naval source, who stipulated that his name must not be used, handed the documents to reporters in a corridor of a building. They included, firstly, a statement by Admiral Louis Denfeld, Chief of Naval Operations, that “the Navy stripped of its offensive power means a nation stripped of its offensive power.’’ Secondly, was a warning by Vice-Admiral Gerald Bogan, Commander of the first Task Fleet in the Pacific, that the Navy’s morale had fallen to despondency because of confusion and bickering over the Navy’s future role. There was also a statement by Admiral A. W. Radford, Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, that most of his officers concurred in ViceAdmiral Bogan’s views, also those ex-

pressed by Captain John Crommelin which recently caused a stir when he publicly stated that the Navy’s attacking power was being “nibbled to death” in Washington defence headquarters. The surreptitious release of the documents was the latest incident in the rivalry' between th e Navy and Air Force for Congressional appropriations. Vice-Admiral Bogan outlined his views in a letter to the Navy Secretary, Mr. Francis Matthews. Mr. Redford Denfeld supported him in an appended letter. A Navy spokesman said that Mr. Matthews “was quite disturbed” when he learned that a copy of ViceAdmiral Bogan’s letter had leaked to the Press. He sumoned Admiral Denfeld and other high officers for a conference. Admiral Denfeld also was described as “very concerned” about the pub lication of his endorsement. He had intended his remarks to remain strictly secret between himself and Mr. Matthews.