18 APRIL 1969, Page 33

With malice toward none

LETTERS

From Professor Scott M. Cutlip, Cedric Foster. George Edinger, Max Nottingham, Sir Denis Brogan, Geoffrey Birch, Charlton Mackrell, Tibor Szarnuely. Eric W. White, Adrian Fitz- gerald, Madeleine Simms, G. V. R. Grant, Geoffrey J. B. Watkins, F. A. Bown.

Sir: Though I greatly respect him'as a scholar, I must strongly dissent with Sir Denis Brogan (4 April) in his appraisal of General Eisenhower on at least one point.

Sir Denis falls into the trap of mythology when he labels General Douglas MacArthur 'a very brilliant soldier: General MacArthur has been greatly overrated as a general, as us military historians are now finding. Sir Denis overlooks MacArthur's (1) monumental blunder in the handling of the bonus marchers in Wash- ington in the Hoover depression years; (2) his longtime resistance to the role of air power in the Second World War; (3) the fact that he had to be over-ruled in his strategy of taking the Philippines island by island, starting with Mindanao; (4) his colossal blunders in Korea in the twilight of his career. I write with some knowledge because I served with 'MacArthur's fighters and bombers' from Australia to Japan.

His great achievement, one ensuring his place in history, was the occupation of Japan where he brought order, instilled democratic ways, and laid the foundation for that country's economic miracle. Telling a Divine Ruler what to do was a task for which MacArthur was uniquely suited.

There can be no dissent, however, to Sir Denis's appraisal of General George C. Marshall.

One footnote on General Eisenhower as president: Sir Denis, as have most of the com- mentators, overlooks one of the most far- reaching consequences of his presidency—his appointment of Earl Warren as Chief Justice of the United States. Chief Justice Warren, truly a great man, has had a most profound impact on our nation in this past fifteen years. This impact must be given as a strong plus to the presidency of General Eisenhower.

Scott M. Cudip Professor, The University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA