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Chapter 27 Chief of Staff The announcement of my appointment by President Coolidge as chief of staff of the army was received by the press, the country, and the army with general approval. While I had never felt ambition for advancement, my dear wife and I were deeply gratified. Many letters came from old friends, and editorials in the papers were very complimentary. I relinquished command of the Second Corps Area on November 20, 1926, and assumed the duties of chief of staff November 21. We stayed for a few days with our good friends Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Butler1 in their beautiful new home. However, we were soon settled in the chief of staff’s home at Fort Myer, Virginia. The first and most urgent duty was to familiarize myself with the budget, which had been prepared for the next fiscal year. Many matters in the War Department arose for study, decision , or recommendation. Social demands at once claimed most of our evenings.2 The War Department General Staff and chiefs of branches had nearly all been a part of GHQ in France. Some of them, including the deputy chief of staff,3 had already secured orders assigning them to other commands. I realized that they held the prejudice of GHQ against me as being only a “combat officer,” and I did not expect full loyalty from them. No doubt, they resented my selection when one of them especially felt a claim. The General Staff law specifically exempted the chiefs of supply services from the control of the General Staff and placed them under the assistant secretary of war. From the beginning, this official4 and his large office staff were unfriendly to me. For a time, I continued the weekly staff meetings of these chiefs and the General Staff heads in my office. It was manifest that they came reluctantly and, no doubt, felt that they need not come at all. I, therefore, discontinued these meetings. The replacements for the General Staff sections with those who remained and the new deputy chief of staff5 were friends and were loyal. The situation required tact and firmness within my authority and patience. I tried to avoid Chief of Staff 195 an open break with the chiefs of supply services, but this was only deferred with some of these individuals. The greatest evil in the War Department was the continued reappointment of chiefs of bureaus, contrary to the intent of the law, which said that they should be appointed for four years. As terms of some were soon to expire, it was necessary for me to deal with this question promptly. It caused resentment in the army and deprived good officers of any chance for promotion as chief of branch. I soon discussed it with the secretary of war,6 who agreed that such of- ficers should not be reappointed. He consulted the president, who approved of our decision. My policy in some way became known, and one chief of branch served notice on me, naming others who would help him, intending to fight me and discredit me in every way possible. They had built up a good deal of political influence with many friends in Congress. Although I had been instrumental in securing the appointments of some of these men and had regarded then as my friends, with one exception all became my enemies. The practice was age-old, and no one had ever dared to oppose it. Theodore Roosevelt stated in his book7 in 1899 that it was the cause of inefficiency in War Department administration. None of the holders of offices were reappointed, and the policy remained unbroken. Another evil that required prompt attention was the redetail of officers for duty in the offices of the chiefs of branches and on the General Staff after they had been away from Washington the two years required by law. Many officers in the army were able and were entitled to these details. I stopped the practice at once and thus made many more enemies. The result, however, was a corresponding rise in morale of the army and a feeling of justice and opportunity . Unfortunately, only a few officers could be selected, and many who wanted the details became resentful and hostile. The same feeling resulted from the selection or promotion of general officers. As a friend said: “With every appointment, I made one ingrate and...

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