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rHE FORRESTAL DIARIES. Edited by waiter Millis with the collaboration of E. ■ Duffield, New York: The Viking Press, 555 pages. Price $5.00.
Reviewed by Captain William R. Smedberg, III, U S. Navy
o-in Smedberg, now commanding offi- °f the U.S.S. Iowa, was aide to Secretary 1°rrestal from May, 1946 to June, 1947.)
James V. Forrestal might have written • *? t>°ok himself. Had he done so, however, sIs doubtful if there could have been the 1116 Rankness of expression and opinion burning our policies and policy makers, as diary entries—made at the time for him- ^ alone—now reveal. His quick mind and en sense of humor led to shrewd and amus- 8 opinions which he might not have put ^1° his own work, such as: “I find that in enever any American suggests that we act accordance with the needs of our own eeurity, he is apt to be called a god-damned ascist or imperialist, while if Unde Joe sug- of pS needs the Baltic Provinces, half
oland, all of Bessarabia and access to the g editerranean, all hands agree that he is a fell6’ ^rank> candid and generally delightful ^ pw who is very easy to deal with because e ls so explicit in what he wants.” This was WrRten in 1944.
However, though such delightful personal xPressions and his ability to write with
clarity and directness make the book a pleasure to read, its true value rests on the fact that it is a historian’s gold mine. It contains invaluable documentation of much of the significant history which affected this country—and others:—during the latter part of World War II and the almost frantic demobilization period which followed. The diary entries, written in many cases within a few minutes or hours by a man who sat in on most of the high councils and conferences, sometimes amount almost to minutes of the meetings. They may perhaps be the most accurate records, if not the only ones, available.
The Forrestal Diaries cover the years between 1944, when he succeeded Frank Knox as Secretary of the Navy, and 1949, when he was succeeded by Louis Johnson as Secretary of Defense. The primary responsibility for analyzing and organizing the chronological diary material and synthesizing the mass of other private papers, for the sake of explanation or continuity, fell upon Eugene S. Duffield, as agent for the Forrestal estate. Duffield had been close to the Secretary, having served from 1942 until 1945 as one of his special assistants. Close collaboration between Duffield and the editor of The Forrestal Diaries has produced a book in which Forrestal’s words are left to speak for themselves, just as he wrote them, with only enough editorial comment as seems necessary for understanding and clarity.
One of the first impressions gained by the reader is that of astonishment at the tremendous part played by a Secretary of the Navy, and later Secretary of Defense, in helping to shape many policies of the nation which might not be considered any concern of a Navy Secretary. Few will close this book without realizing how great can be the influence of one strong character in the top councils of a democracy; particularly if that individual possesses the simple qualities of intelligence, integrity, patriotism, and initiative. One of the fascinations of the book, as stated by the publishers, is the extent to which it “shows how many of the problems now so acute were fully apparent in the closing days of World War II. For one thing, the book unfolds the inner history of the cold war. Forrestal was one of the first men in public affairs to be deeply concerned over the threat of Russia’s world purpose, and he entered in his diary conversations and events, large and small, that form a vital historical record of the growing menace. Interlocked with the Russian problem is the hotly debated one of our Far Eastern policy. How this policy was shaped and reshaped under the exigencies of day-to-day developments is another major thread of the book. It was tragically apparent to Forrestal that, in our haste to return to a peacetime economy, the United States was not sufficiently armed and prepared to back up its global commitments.”
He took the lead in organizing action to meet the spreading cancer of communism, recognized by him as being directed against all those governments in the world which are supported by free peoples. Always a prodigious reader, he devoured every book or article on communism and associated isms—• Marxism, Leninism, dialectic materialism, Stalinism—which he could procure. He never missed an opportunity of discussing those matters with persons whose studies, travels, or associations gave them status as “experts.” There is increasing proof throughout that he was aware of the necessity for the United States to remain strong enough to guarantee that our voice would continue to be listened to with respect in the many troubled spots which were developing throughout the world.
Every person who reads this book will gain a better understanding of the workings of our government through the illumination of some of the methods from which many of our policies eventuate. The trials of a great public servant laboring in the best interests of the country against apathy, shortsightedness, and often active opposition stand out as though focused through a magnifying glass. Throughout his entire career, he fought for better men and more proven experience in our government. He initiated a project, while still the Under-Secretary of the Navy, that clearly suggests the bent of his mind and the depths of his interest in improving understanding of the problems of government. He established a course on “Foundations of National Power” in the Navy’s V-12 educational program. In a conference at Princeton University on this general subject, he spoke on “Our Problem—to achieve accommodation between the power we now possess, our reluctance to use it positively, the realistic necessity for such use, and our national ideals.” He has stated his belief that we must educate for a career in government, his thought in his own words being “in order to understand the world position and responsibilities of our own country, it is as necessary to know as much as possible concerning the strengths, aims, and policies of other countries. . . . The nature and distribution of political power among nations are matters of basic importance in any discussion of international relations or American foreign policy.”
Finally, The Forrestal Diaries enable us to view one of the great Americans and patriots of our time; a man whose intelligent and unswerving loyalty to his Country and its Chief Executive becomes increasingly evident throughout the book. One cannot escape the impression, which approaches a conviction as the many instances of selfless devotion to the best interests of this nation are placed in evidence, that James Forrestal at least approached the plane of Washington and Lincoln in his efforts to insure lasting benefits and security for the United States and its people. Modest and shy almost to the point of offensiveness at times, he endeavored to hide his continuous and oft-times frustrated efforts behind a stern mask of brusqueness.
^ his book gives the opportunity for many Americans to recognize the talents, the §en'us, the industry, and the unselfish devo- hon to what he recognized as his responsibilities to the American people—qualities which were appreciated during his public service only by those who worked with and close to him.
they fought with what they
HAD. The story of the Army Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific, 1941-1942. By Walter D. Edmonds. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. 532 pp. including index. $5.00.
Reviewed by Captain Ben S. Custer,
U. S. Navy
('Captain Custer is Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Station, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, N. Y. Designated a naval aviator in 1930, Captain Custer served in a variety of aviation assignments throughout World War
Air. Edmonds, who has proven his ability 1° write good historical fiction in Drums Along the Mohawk, has shown in his history the U. S. Army Air Force effort in the Philippines that he can write entertaining history. One could wish that Mr. Edmonds had not felt obliged to explore every trivial ‘ncident and to analyze every obscure charter of the Army Air Forces during the Philippine campaign. Had Mr. Edmonds hcnited his subject and focused his attention 011 the broader aspects of the campaign, ''"here U. S. airmen fought with such stubborn valiance, this book would have been a better history. As it stands, much of the b°°k, despite skillful writing, resembles some the tedious histories of companies or ba-ttalions which fought in the Civil War; everyone has had his name and deeds re- c°rded. Mr. Edmonds draws much of his Material from interviews with airmen and other eye witnesses who fought in the 1 bilippines. Although this is a necessary technique in writing history when records are fragmentary or non-existent, and lends lnUch color and flavor to the account, mac- facies inevitably creep in because of the fallibility of memory. This is particularly true of post-war interviews.
For the military reader there is much worthwhile experience to be studied in this book. The author has been dispassionate to a high degree and has given the other Services credit where it seemed indicated, and he has not withheld criticism of the USAAF where criticism was warranted. The student of military operations can profitably study the progressive deterioration of staff and line organizations in Luzon following the first devastating Japanese attacks. A deterioration which caused almost complete failure of communications, the dissolution of “working” staffs, the piecemeal and sporadic U. S. air effort, and finally the catastrophic rout of American forces from Manila after the “open-city” decree.
The author’s account of the Japanese bombings and the evacuation of Manila reads like the old accounts of the fall of Troy. Our own U. S. airmen in many cases showed no less valor and no less tenacity of purpose in the face of monstrous disaster than did the defending warriors of Troy. One of our modern historians has said that “All that man learns from history is that man learns nothing from history” and reading Mr. Edmonds’ account of our failures, our frustrations, and our gross inadequacies in the Philippines would seem to underscore that axiom. Certainly the author’s dispassionate appraisal of the confusion in Manila and particularly in General MacArthur’s headquarters on 7 December (Pearl Harbor time) convinces one that General MacArthur, despite his broad knowledge of and experience in history, had learned nothing that helped our U. S. airmen stave off destruction. [In leaving it for the reader to assay the blame for the destruction of the bombers on the ground nine hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Edmonds does not point out that another professional fighting man had immediately taken steps to prevent similar destruction of his mobile forces; Admiral Thomas Hart, U. S. Navy, had his Asiatic Fleet get underway eight hours before our B-17’s were blasted at Nichols Field and our fighters were destroyed at Iba.]
The saga told of Captain Richard W. Fallows, USAAF, commanding the Philippine Air Depot, is one of heroic proportion. Without orders and with little help from staff or
line, he moved his depot from bombed-out Nichols Field to Manila where he commandeered the Santa Ana Dance Hall for an assembly plant and shops. After the Mac- Arthur decree to abandon Manila, Captain Fellows stubbornly refused to leave his precious planes and engines until he could repair the P-40’s which he had in overhaul and fly them off the streets of Manila to Bataan. Appreciating, as few of his superiors did, the imperative need on Bataan for spare parts, gasoline and supplies, Fellows commandeered trucks, shipping, and people in order to effect the transfer of his vital stores to the Bataan Peninsula. This story is one of the most inspiring in the whole grim record of our Philippine defeat.
The student of military history will find much to ponder in the record of the failures in inter-service cooperation as well as the failures of cooperation in the ABDA command of heterogeneous nationalities allied in the defense of Java. But if the student heeds only this small bit of Mr. Edmonds’ counsel, the book will have been worth reading: “During peace too many of our people have forgotten, as they always forget, that the one greatest component of war is time.”
VIBRATION AND SHOCK ISOLATION. By Charles E. Crede. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 1951. 328 pages including numerous tables, drawings and diagrams. §6.50.
Reviewed by Associate Professor Wilson Ray Cherry, U. S. Naval Academy
Mr. Crede holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology and a M.S. degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He spent six years as Engineer with the Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company before going to work in 1942 for the Navy Department’s Bureau of Ships. During the early part of World War II he worked on the problem of protecting equipment from severe shock. Later he organized and became the first head of the Shock and Vibration Division at the Naval Research Laboratory. Since 1945 Mr. Crede has been
Vice-President and Chief Engineer of The Barry Corporation, a firm interested in the field of vibration and shock control.
The material in his book is extremely well organized and presented. Every effort has been made to present the design of isolators and shock mounts in the simplest engineering terms and yet be logical, rigorous, and practical. This book minimizes the usual vibrational theory and practice and covers only that theory of mathematics and mechanics needed to insure a complete understanding of the design of shock mounts. The reader is assumed to have a working knowledge of the calculus and mechanics.
Chapter 1 is concerned with the mathematics and dynamics to be used in later chapters. Chapter 2 deals with the fundamental principles of vibration, etc. Several practical problems are solved demonstrating the various uses of isolators. Chapter 3 discusses the basic principles of shock isolation. Various problems are solved in this chapter that point up the design feature of this book- Chapter 4 acts as a supplement to Chapters 2 and 3, and among other things discusses the problem of sound isolation. Chapter 5 gives a study of the property of the various materials used as isolation and their use in design- Finally, Chapter 6 is mostly descriptive and discusses many specific applications of isolators, both industrial and military. This book does not include problems for class room use. It is replete with tables, charts, and diagrams.
JANE’S FIGHTING SHIPS, 1951-52.
Edited by Raymond V. B. Blackman-
New York. McGraw-Hill Book Company,
Inc. 546 pages. §22.50.
Reviewed by Commander Ellery H.
Clark, Jr., U. S. Naval Reserve
In this fifty-third edition of Fighting Ships there are many indications of editorial initiative in the improvement of format. For the first time warship silhouettes and new plans have been drawn to uniform scales. Pictorially there is a record number of 675 new photographs as well as frequent enlarged views of small and auxiliary vessels, afforded by the substitution of new 5" blocks for the
1951
| U nited States | Britain | Russia |
Submarines | 85 | 35 | 370 |
Carriers | 26 | 6 | 0 |
Battleships | 3 | I | 4 |
Cruisers Destroyers, Escorts, | 15 | 12 | 12 |
and Frigates | 215 | 72 | 70 |
Russia is reported as having under current | |||
construction 120 | submarines, all | to be |
°rmer 3|" size. Other innovations include uu interesting list of the existing warships in he Royal Navy, indicating both the number ° ships which have borne each name and the ate °f original adoption of each name, and he valuable tabulation of the vessels of the "Military Sea Transportation Service of the ^Red States.
Editor Blackman’s Foreword stresses the contemporary naval trend of Great Britain ^d the United States to reconstruct carriers 0 Weet advancing operational requirements and to develop vessels for anti-submarine Warfare. “Great Britain’s whole new naval hr°gramme is largely directed towards the underwater menace,” Mr. Blackman con- c udes. As proof of this, Britain currently is constructing 24 anti-submarine frigates and converting 45 destroyers into this type as WeR as building 41 new minesweepers.
Retails on the Russian Navy, especially heir recent construction, are given “with the latest reserve.” From reported information available in Fighting Ships the following ap- Pr°ximate figures for vessels of three major ^avies in active service in the summer oi way be compiled: equipped with snorts and of four types improved “K”; fast mine-layer, capable of 25 knots submerged; German XXI; and German XXIII; several cruisers and destroyers; and 3 battleships with catapult towers for firing radio-controlled aerial torpedoes, also rocket-firing apparatus and radio-controlled guns. Graf Zeppelin probably is being converted into a guided-missile vessel, and most of the former German, Italian, and Japanese destroyers and torpedo boats now in the Russian Navy have been rearmed with Russian 5.1" and 3.9" guns, respectively.
Among the numerous excellent photographs are those of the U.S.S. Cush, guided- missile submarine; H.M.S. Relentless, world’s first fast anti-submarine frigate; and H.M.S.
Ilotham, first major warship to be fitted with gas turbines.
This issue of Fighting Ships is further proof that Mr. BJackman is continuing to navigate this splendid publication with skill and foresight in the best spirit of predecessors Fred Jane and Francis McMurtrie.
MANPOWER RESOURCES AND UTILIZATION. By A. J. Jaffee and Charles D.
Stewart. New York: John Wiley and Sons,
Inc., London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd.,
1951. 532 pages. $6.50.
Reviewed by Lieutenant Commander C. A. Matthews, (SC), United States Naval Reserve
(.Lieutenant Commander Matthews, who look his doctorate in economics and public finance at the University of Virginia, is an instructor of economics at the U. S. Naval Academy.)
The nation is, at the present time, faced with the problem of obtaining the most efficient use of its manpower. The problem is twofold. It is concerned with the allocation of the labor force, along with other resources, among the civilian economy, defense industries, and the armed forces. In addition, it is a problem of efficient utilization; i.e., of preventing as much frictional unemployment and disruptions in work as possible while the transition is being made to a more defense economy. In order to solve these problems successfully, knowledge of the forces which shape the size and determine the characteristics of the working force is necessary. To increase our understanding of these factors is the task which Jaffe and Stewart have undertaken in this work.
The study is divided into three parts: Problems of Measurement and Analysis, Description of the United States Working Force, and the Working Force in Its Social and Economic Context.
Part I is devoted largely to an explanation of the problems connected with the collection and analysis of data concerning the labor force. Terms used by the expert, and frequently misused by the layman with resultant confusion, are carefully defined. Differences between the labor force as related to the total population in industrialized, partly industrialized, and undeveloped countries are discussed. While these are primarily considered with reference to statistical measurement some important implications with respect to the composition of the labor force are suggested. Finally, some of the limitations in the use of statistical data currently available are indicated.
Most of part II is devoted to a presentation and interpretation of historical statistics concerning the working force of the United States. The problems of continuity in series, differences in data, and historical trends are presented in a clear and concise manner. Especially significant for present day decisions is the chapter which discusses “Persons Not in the Working Force.” It is from this group, with the exception of normal population growth and immigration, that any short-run increase in the size of the working force must come. As a consequence, a thorough knowledge of the composition and motivation of this group should be helpful in developing over-all mobilization goals.
In part III the working force is considered in relation to its social and economic setting- As the authors continuously emphasize:
“There is no question but that the working population of a nation is a function of its culture—the philosophy, politics, economics, demography, and sociology of a people. . . .”
The discussion of these highly complicated and interrelated factors is documented with statistical data and authoritative opinion- The result is a better appreciation of the problems involved in any discussion of why people work; what factors shape their decisions to seek employment; the forces which determine their choice of an occupation; and their decisions concerning self-employment- Unfortunately, as the authors point out, some of the conclusions are tentative and others are reached only by a priori reasoning- Most of the conclusions are, however, in conformity with current economic and social thinking.
Without detracting from the value of the authors’ contributions, since this does not rest on the discussion in question, one must wonder why it was necessary to dig up the Malthus theory of population growth and the question of the effect of religion as a
Magnetic compass deviation
AND CORRECTION, by W. Denne, ^xtra Master, F.R.A.S., Assoc.
f-N.A., Comp. M. Inst. W. Glasgow: brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd., 1951. 149 Pages, including index. 21s.
Reviewed by Professor Emeritus J. B. Scarborough, U.S.N.A.
Motivating force in economic development.
former has been generally rejected as n°t applicable to present day industrial Economies. The latter is generally conceded y economic historians to be—and to have oeen-—of insignificant importance.
The authors have, however, made a valu- a)le contribution to understanding the fac- lors which shape the working force and, ;leref°re, continued economic development. "ls is especially true as it relates to secular *>r long-run trends. The application of their ridings to short-run problems, as the au dors acknowledge, is subject to serious 'M'tations. Although the possible use of ^Msting data for purposes of mobilization is [1Scussed, little is added to the existing dowledge of what determines entry into, from, or migration of the working force, hile many of the current questions of manpower utilization remain unanswered, the °ok should contribute to a better coordina- °n between long-run objectives and actual
achievements.
(Author of several textbooks and numerous glides, Professor Scarborough was a member { he Department of Mathematics at the Naval
fudeniy from 1918 until his retirement in 1950.)
jj ^is book is based on the Admiralty pub- oation The Theory of the Deviations of the fgnetic Compass prepared by the Ad- dalty Compass Observatory. Its aim, in _^e author’s words, is “to explain as simply Possible all that is involved in the correc- M adjustment, and maintenance of mag- lc compasses on board ships.”
The book begins with seven pages of definitions, symbols, and formulas needed and used in the work. This preliminary material is followed by seventeen short chapters dealing with Vectors, Trigonometric Functions, Magnetism (seven short chapters covering all phases of the subject), Theory of Compass Deviations, Deviations in Terms of the Compass Course, Heeling Error, and Mechanical Correction of the Compass. An appendix contains eighteen worked examples of the types the compass adjuster is likely to encounter. The book contains 67 figures, some of them in color. The aim of the author was to include only such material as is essential for a complete understanding of the main subject.
The treatment of all topics is remarkably clear and explicit, from the definitions at the beginning of the book to the worked examples at the end. Although the book is necessarily mathematical, it does not employ any mathematics beyond simple algebra and trigonometry. In the derivation of formulas the whys and wherefores of every step are clearly pointed out.
The fundamental formula for compass deviations is derived as a trigonometric series in terms of the compass course. Explicit directions are given for finding the coefficients involved in the formula. The heeling error is treated with equal clearness. The last two chapters deal with the theory and practice of the mechanical correction of the compass. These chapters fill 27 pages and give full directions for making the correction.
On the whole, the reviewer has nothing but praise for this book. It is beautifully printed on paper of excellent quality. The figures are good and contribute much to a clear understanding of the topics treated. The author has succeeded perhaps beyond his expectations in explaining simply and clearly “all that is involved in the correction, adjustment, and maintenance of magnetic compasses on board ships.” If all technical books were as clearly written as this one, reading them would indeed be a pleasure.
★