thedrifter
07-02-07, 07:41 AM
The Lore of the Corps
Truman letter provoked ‘bitter’ Marine reaction
By Charles A. Jones - Special to the Times
Posted : July 09, 2007
President Truman ignited a smoldering controversy regarding the Marine Corps’ identity with a letter to a congressman more than half a century ago.
Following World War II, both the Corps and the Air Force pushed to become independent branches of the military. Congress approved the Air Force’s request under National Security Act 1947, but denied the request of the Corps, which remained under the Navy Department.
The Marine Corps and the Navy have a close, but sometimes contentious relationship. Gen. H.M. “Howlin’ Mad” Smith wrote in “Coral and Brass,” his autobiography, “If there is one thing I have fought consistently over the years, it is this non-recognition by the Navy of the status of the Marine Corps.”
The issue exploded in 1950 when Rep. Gordon McDonough, R-Calif., wrote to Truman advocating that the Corps be a separate service with its own representative on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Truman’s response, which was released to the public, didn’t mince words.
“The Marine Corps is the Navy’s police force, and as long as I am president, that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin’s,” he wrote.
The letter’s reference to Soviet premier Joseph Stalin during the Cold War, as well as Truman’s refusal to push to make the Corps a separate service, struck a nerve with Marines.
Public response from Marines, former leathernecks and Marine parents was quick and hostile. Roughly 125 telegrams reached the White House in one night. Truman’s naval aide, Adm. Robert Dennison, described the reaction as “bitter” and “emotional” in documents at the Harry S. Truman Library.
Following the harsh public response, Truman was quick to apologize. “I sincerely regret the unfortunate choice of language which I used in my letter of August 29 to Congressman McDonough concerning the Marine Corps,” he wrote in a letter to Commandant Gen. Clifton Cates.
He defended his decision to keep the Corps under the Navy by pointing out his unwillingness to overturn Congress’ 1947 decision.
He also wrote the Marine Corps League’s commandant, forwarding a copy of the Cates letter. In the letter, he praised “the magnificent history of the United States Marine Corps.”
Truman decided to attend a Marine Corps League meeting later that month, notwithstanding Secret Service concerns for his safety. Cates was to take him to the meeting. Truman momentarily backed off his decision to go, but Cates persuaded him and the president relented.
The crowd welcomed Cates enthusiastically, but after he introduced Truman, there was silence. Later, the crowd warmed to the president’s presence and applauded him.
The league chairman took a medal off his own chest and placed it on Truman’s. While the president exited, league members clamored to shake his hand.
“If that wasn’t a personal triumph, I never saw one. What guts he had,” Dennison said in an interview for the Truman Library.
Charles A. Jones is a lawyer and Marine Corps Reserve colonel in Norfolk, Va.
Ellie
Truman letter provoked ‘bitter’ Marine reaction
By Charles A. Jones - Special to the Times
Posted : July 09, 2007
President Truman ignited a smoldering controversy regarding the Marine Corps’ identity with a letter to a congressman more than half a century ago.
Following World War II, both the Corps and the Air Force pushed to become independent branches of the military. Congress approved the Air Force’s request under National Security Act 1947, but denied the request of the Corps, which remained under the Navy Department.
The Marine Corps and the Navy have a close, but sometimes contentious relationship. Gen. H.M. “Howlin’ Mad” Smith wrote in “Coral and Brass,” his autobiography, “If there is one thing I have fought consistently over the years, it is this non-recognition by the Navy of the status of the Marine Corps.”
The issue exploded in 1950 when Rep. Gordon McDonough, R-Calif., wrote to Truman advocating that the Corps be a separate service with its own representative on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Truman’s response, which was released to the public, didn’t mince words.
“The Marine Corps is the Navy’s police force, and as long as I am president, that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin’s,” he wrote.
The letter’s reference to Soviet premier Joseph Stalin during the Cold War, as well as Truman’s refusal to push to make the Corps a separate service, struck a nerve with Marines.
Public response from Marines, former leathernecks and Marine parents was quick and hostile. Roughly 125 telegrams reached the White House in one night. Truman’s naval aide, Adm. Robert Dennison, described the reaction as “bitter” and “emotional” in documents at the Harry S. Truman Library.
Following the harsh public response, Truman was quick to apologize. “I sincerely regret the unfortunate choice of language which I used in my letter of August 29 to Congressman McDonough concerning the Marine Corps,” he wrote in a letter to Commandant Gen. Clifton Cates.
He defended his decision to keep the Corps under the Navy by pointing out his unwillingness to overturn Congress’ 1947 decision.
He also wrote the Marine Corps League’s commandant, forwarding a copy of the Cates letter. In the letter, he praised “the magnificent history of the United States Marine Corps.”
Truman decided to attend a Marine Corps League meeting later that month, notwithstanding Secret Service concerns for his safety. Cates was to take him to the meeting. Truman momentarily backed off his decision to go, but Cates persuaded him and the president relented.
The crowd welcomed Cates enthusiastically, but after he introduced Truman, there was silence. Later, the crowd warmed to the president’s presence and applauded him.
The league chairman took a medal off his own chest and placed it on Truman’s. While the president exited, league members clamored to shake his hand.
“If that wasn’t a personal triumph, I never saw one. What guts he had,” Dennison said in an interview for the Truman Library.
Charles A. Jones is a lawyer and Marine Corps Reserve colonel in Norfolk, Va.
Ellie