Magruder Incident

ARMY & NAVY

Last week the Saturday Evening Post enjoyed a wide sale among Navy men and anti-Administration politicians. On p. 6 appeared an article called "The Navy and Economy" by Rear Admiral Thomas Pickett Magruder.

An endless row of decommissioned destroyers lying in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which Rear Admiral Magruder commands, illustrated his opening paragraphs.

In 1908, the Navy's upkeep was 82 millions. In 1926, the personnel being about double that of 1908, the upkeep was 300 millions, about quadruple that of 1908. Rear Admiral Magruder tabulated:

1908 1926

Cost of the Navy $82,000,000 $300,000,000

Number of officers 2,204 8,574

Number of men 38,500 82,000

Pay of the Navy 24,000,000 124,500,000

Officers on duty in Washington 146 519 "It is instructive to note," said Rear Admiral Magruder, "that the cost . . . increases almost directly as the number of officers. . . ."

Further along, Rear Admiral Magruder asserted five causes of high Navy overhead:

1) Over-organization, both afloat and ashore.

2) Failure completely to demobilize after the World War.

3) Continuance of uneconomical methods begun in Wartime.

4) Expenditures to maintain in active status superfluous navy yards, stations and bases.

5) Keeping in commission ships useless for war service.

To support his contentions, the writer cited cases of: a vice admiral now commanding one light cruiser and six destroyers; a rear admiral now commanding four fuel, supply and repair ships and five tugs; 24 officers attached to the faculty of the Naval Medical School, where 16 officers were under instruction.

The ranks held by apparently superfluous officers were provided, it was recalled, in President Wilson's naval program of 1916, the building end of which was discarded after the limitation of armaments at the Washington Conference in 1922. The personnel end has not yet been proportionately diminished.

Ranks would not matter in themselves. The point is that they necessitate large staffs--bandsmen, servants, clerks, radio and signal men, orderlies, typists and typewriters. "Yeomen," wrote Rear Admiral Magruder, "are the men who do the typing and paper work --that is, the red tape." Hazy distribution of authority and inactive navy yards were two more subjects discussed. Then some more figures for 1926: "To operate, maintain, repair and supply the vessels of the fleet cost $163,000,000. And to administer this sum cost nearly half as much, or $77,500,000. ". . . For every dollar expended for repairs, it required that nearly four dollars be expended to make the repairs. . . ." Rear Admiral Magruder wound up with a consideration of Navy salaries, the need of enlisted men, uses to which decommissioned ships might be put. He concluded that economy and administrative reform could regenerate the Navy without burden to the taxpayers, "yet, as is ever the case, to reform requires a certain amount of ruthlessness and moral courage of a high order." "Sic 'Em." So soon as Washington correspondents had read Rear Admiral Magruder's article, they sped to Secretary of the Navy Curtis Dwight Wilbur. Would Rear Admiral Magruder be disciplined? Secretary Wilbur could not yet say. While he was poring over the article and having its statements checked up, the correspondents sent off despatches citing two paragraphs from the Navy regulations, which restrain officers from publishing Navy secrets and oblige them, in any case, to file copies of anything they may publish with the Secretary of the Navy.

Rear Admiral Magruder had filed no copy of "The Navy and Economy" with Secretary Wilbur. So newspapers, which dearly love a fight, had resort to "Sic 'em" headlines. They blared: "ADMIRAL'S BLAST DISTURBS WILBUR . . . ASSAILS NAVY COSTS . . . ONSLAUGHT . . . MAY BRING DISCIPLINARY MOVE . . . UNDER FIRE FROM OFFICIALS."

They interviewed Rear Admiral Magruder in Philadelphia, implying that Secretary Wilbur was about to do something drastic. Egged on, Rear Admiral Magruder said: "I am an Admiral of the upper half, and I got there without the influence of politics, petticoats or anything but merit. I am grateful to the United States Navy for taking me, a poor country boy, and making me an Admiral, but I am not going to be muzzled.

"What I said in that article was the plain, unvarnished, God's truth and I am going to stand back of it to the last spar. The truth is that they are spending money like hell and getting little for it. ...

"There is a rotten condition, and I have exposed it. The Navy is spending $300,000,000 and getting $200,000,000 worth of Navy. . .

"There is no criticism of any person or official. There is simply a criticism of bureaucratic methods and red tape.

"It is all very amusing. It did not take much thought to deduce that there would be frothing at the mouth in Washington when that story was read."

The correspondents rushed back to Secretary Wilbur. He was "frothing at the mouth" about as violently as a carved marble philosopher. While his subordinates continued to examine the Magruder statements, he issued a statement. Said he: "I have known Admiral Magruder since 1885. ... I am anxious to get the full benefit of any suggestions. ... I regret that he did not submit his article before published. ... It contains mistakes and inaccuracies . . . but this will be overlooked. His plan will be studied. . . ."

At the Philadelphia Navy Yard Admiral Magruder said: "I have no such plan now, and I have so informed the Department. To make such a plan would require the expert assistance of a number of officers and the necessary clerical help over a long period." Senator William Edgar Borah said: "I wish that there was a Magruder in every Department of the Government."

But what would come of the most exciting Navy incident in many a month, remained to be seen.