Five-Star Pentagon

First to sport the new five-star insigne, on the flag of his flagship* last fortnight, was Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. It consisted of a cluster of five stars set so as to form a pentagon, a symbolism which could scarcely escape the witty attention of junior officers on duty far from Washington. By last week, other signs of the new top rank for U.S. officers appeared.

P: In Washington, Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy joined Admiral King in adding another half-inch stripe to the one two-inch and three half-inch stripes on his sleeve, after moving the old ones closer together to avoid crowding at the elbow. (Generals of the Army George C. Marshall and Henry H. Arnold ordered new insignia, but had nothing yet to show their new status.)

P: At Pearl Harbor, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz pinned a fifth miniature star on his khaki shirt collar.

P: In the Philippines, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur proved his resourcefulness anew. A Filipino silversmith hammered out a five-star collar emblem exactly up to specification, using Filipino, Dutch and Australian silver coins supplied by the General's aides.

P: In France, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower was too busy to bother.

*The 1,255-ton Dauntless, a converted steam yacht formerly named the Delphine, after the late owner, Mrs. Delphine Dodge. Usually tied up in the Anacostia River, it provides Admiral King with living quarters.

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