Dear Time-Reader

When TIME reported the appointment by President Eisenhower of the new Joint Chiefs of Staff (May 25), the story was headed "Brainier Board." I was reminded, when I read it, of a TIME correspondent's report on the Army's training maneuvers held in Louisiana in September 1941. Said the 1941 dispatch:

"It is refreshing to find an officer of whom everyone speaks highly, to whom is freely applied the Army's commendation of a superior man: 'He's the finest officer in the Army.' During two weeks' maneuvers I heard several so lauded. The one officer who probably was praised more highly than any other during the maneuvers was Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower, 50-year-old Texan, a red-faced, trigger-brained officer who was made a brigadier general a day or two after the maneuvers had ended . . . Well-informed Army men predict that Eisenhower will be a major general within six months.

"Alfred M. Gruenther, 42, was General McNair's left-hand man (young Brigadier General Mark Clark was his right) at the GHQ directors' group at Camp Polk. Gruenther became a lieutenant colonel during the maneuvers . . . Eisenhower says Gruenther is one of the best soldiers he has ever known--and so do dozens of other people. Gruenther is a thin, pale, frank officer who proves to be studious, well-informed and extremely well-liked . . . The knowing element in the Army is betting on the Eisenhower-Gruenther combination to swim to the top quickly."

By April 1942, TIME was able to report that Eisenhower's fellow officers were right in their assessment and prediction. He had been promoted to major general. About three months later he became a lieutenant general, and TIME commented: "Top commander of the A.E.F. is Lieut. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 51, whose promotion to the top ranks was one of the cheering signs that War Secretary Stimson and Chief of Staff Marshall had abandoned promotion by seniority, had long been digging deep in the Army files for the best men it had."

As the war progressed, each year seemed to be a vintage year for finding the men with brains and ability to lead the U.S. and her allies to victory. And TIME'S early background reports helped mark the young men who would be important in achieving that victory. Since the end of World War II, the importance of the nation's military establishment has continued virtually undiminished, and the importance of thoughtful reporting on the military is as great as ever. With this in mind, I would like to quote briefly from a recent story speculating on possibilities for the new Joint Chiefs of Staff (TIME, May 4):

"Ever since the votes were counted last November, top Congressional Republicans have been arguing that Dwight Eisenhower should appoint a new team to replace the present U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff . . . Last week President Eisenhower privately assured his congressional leaders that he will name new chiefs . . . Scuttlebutt ranked the possible candidates this way:

"To replace General Omar N. Bradley [as chairman], the top prospect is Admiral Arthur William Radford, naval aviator and commander of the Pacific Fleet . . . To succeed General Joseph Lawton Collins, the President would like to name his old friend, General Alfred Maximilian Gruenther . . . But Ike is said to think that NATO needs Gruenther more than it needs General Matthew Ridgway . . . Leading candidate: Ridgway. Probable choice [for Air Force Chief of Staff] : General Nathan Farragut Twining . . . Admiral William Morrow Fechteler . . . will probably be replaced as Chief of Naval Operations. Front runner for the job: Admiral Robert Bostwick Carney."

Within a few weeks, the new Joint Chiefs had been named: Radford, Ridgway, Twining and Carney, and Gruenther had been appointed Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

Cordially yours,

James A. Linen

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