STATEMENT OF GENERAL A. A. VANDEGRIFT, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS BEFORE THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE ON S. 758, THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT OF 1947

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00610R000100050018-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 9, 2002
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: April 22, 1947
• Content Type: STATEMENT

Approved For Release 2002/10/31 : CIA-RDP90-00610R000100050018-3
St?,tement of General A. A. Vandegrift, Commandant of the leai-ine Corps
before the Senate Armed Services Committee on S. 758, the
National Security Act of 1947.
CHAIRLAN AND IriElIBERS OF THE COlvaiITTEE:
As Commandant of Marines and spokesman for our Corps, I desire
to discuss certain features of the pending measure.
I have never opposed the principle of unification, although
I have exeressed strong disapproval of the objectives underlying
the original Collins Plan for outright merger of the armed faeces.
I am in accord with the over-all objectives which the bill now
under consideration seeks to attain.
Since reading 'some of the testimony which has been given be-
fore this Committee, partioularly that'of General Eisenhower end
the Under Secretary of War, hr. Reyall, I have 'become increasingly
concerned about the danter of lessening the degree of civilian,
including Congressional, control over our military establishment
by concentrating great powers in a single individual. As a
result of this testimony I have become apprei-enelYe of the re-rdlts
that may ensue unless those powers are more ellarply defined and
there is a clearer meeting of minds as to just what authority is
vested in the Secretary of National Defense.
I think it is apparent to everyone that this is a bill of
the broadest national character, with a heavy impact upon the
eivilian as well as the military structure. T am sure that any
imperfections will be adequately dealt with by other witnesses
aealed before thi: Cceeeittee, Teitneeaes whc nro leedere in the
f1elds of government, education, science, industry, and labor, and
who are competent to speak in the broer'i terms necessary. hy own
comments will be confined to the military aspects of the bill, and
within that field I shall limit myself still further to those
defects of immediate concern to the v,arines.
Stated concisely and with respect to the Marine Corns, the
defects of the bill are twofold;
First: It affirms the existence of the.harine Corps
without peTressly stating the roles and missions
which the Corps is expected to perform.
Second: It completely excludes the learine Corps from
participation in the joint bodies and agencies
which the bill would establish, -
In the balance of my statement, I shall elaborate upon these
defects and attempt to convey to you their full import,
Approved For Release 2002/10/31 :1CIA-RDP90-00610R000100050018-3
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The failure of the bilrtorassignepecifiefunctions to the
arine':Corps it's_ source of':grave-cancern-..to,me''for-itallows.:.
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the Corps to be stripped of everythingbut name-,to rediace'it't?
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role of milit,ary impOtence.,.-I wish t6.dwell.:;146On.the'poeitian. ,
of extreme vulnerability ii which the Corps -will be 'rasped by
-enactment of the bill in. its present form.
nless.a statutory statement of the missions of the Karine
Corps :is included,.its functions become dependent solely upon the
Arbitrary judgment of the Secretary of National Defense-. The-
size,., the character, and the, organization of the Corps will lie
in.hid:hands.:-There is not a .single specialty which ,the MarLne
.Corpshas brought to a state of perfection which cannot. be sum-
marily :_transferred to some other service
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,.ection 1.06-.af the bill, ,which contains-the,sole mention_of
,LeLirines and-which_ goee no further than- to:affirth the presence
.:eMarine Corps within the _Department ofthe,Navy, contains. no
guarantee that the Corps Will retaina'single-Cne.,of thp-charac-
eristics. it has today, with:the.::One eiceptiOn?ot, its n'ame's n,
,guarantee of Vigorous MarineCorps existence,.Section 106 is
:completely 'without Oeaning unless accompanied by a statement
.what :the roles and missions of the liarineCorps shall be.,
believe that Congress and the peaple:have.a clear-cut idea-
-as .to,the sort'of "kiarine Corps they wish to'Maintain..-I believe
.that they wishto maintain in the future the same kind of a 'Marine
'Corps they have known in the'past-L.onewhich eerves aboard 'aur
ships of war and. guards our naval stations--one,which?pretects
,,our.national intcrests an foreign shores when.danger threatens--
Above,j,all'i-one-which has developed amphibious warfare-and Which'
,etandeready,in substantial force to sail with the fleet to wage
'81.1,011:-Warfare' whenever and wherever the occasibilf.arises'
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....g:There is only one way to: insurethat the' nation shall have
.thielcind of Marine Corps, ;That insurance - -that,guarantee -,is a
pIairiand unmistakable legislative statement of.iexactly:. what
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-Congress expects the marines to do.
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regard it-as'highly'appropriate; as well as urgently nece
sarythat Congress' spect,Pt-the functions Of';the.'!Corpe. To do
.d notore-thanto state'the-rPasons for its?existenee, giben
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Congress calls'the,.several'armed eervices...intobeing it recog-
nizes
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'.nizes.:.a specific need for each of the sevk.)ral:coniponents of
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national security. The veryYexistence or eao4..Component is
predicated upon a conclusiotr.byCongress that...a%mission actually
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exists?that a role must be filled,
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.-As specifically relates.to the marine .COrpss, Congressehould'
ask itself whether the.traditional need for an-:.amphibious fighting
'force-&n-being still exists-,whether the-need:for a Marine'Corps
is in:fact justified.by,the'events or the,past and forecasts of
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APprcVd
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466,4ibk:00
e;futui'e. Iit determines the RarinemCorPs., function is still
o exist; then it should be se?Cforth-in.slaw-;4-otherwiSe,t4e,implic
la:Of-Congress can be utterly, and.
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The . other :defect of..the-ibill, as it -affects the harine Corps,
Tis the .exclusion of 14arine representatives from the joint bodies
and agencies to::..be.'?tablished or given statutory recognition by
:the bill. From-the 4oint,Staff down to the Central Intelligence
Agency, the participation- Of harine officers is not mentioned,
:Az Athe bill now stands, it denies to these joint bodies the
!,-wealth of experience and unielue knowledge of aCorps which literally
?epitomizea joint.,operations,
e-Elarine-Corps has participated in jointoperations through-
t-Its entireLexistence, The joint doctrines Of, both the Army
'411$1-ti%Jlavy today are in large part the-results of the' resc:arch?
-tudy, and thinking or karine officer's who, for twenty years
prior to.Pearl Narbor, devoted =their censcientioUs and-; Unceasing
efforts :to the:formulation,and perfection -ofthe .methods .and
techniques of amphibious warfare in joint operations.. I ask that
farine officers be included in the several joint,bonrds nnd,'
:agencies. I ask it -because- they have a distinct .nd. substantial
_pontribution to make in the field of inter-..service coordination,
.6contribution-born of their experience.
.stated,in.mY opening remarks, and'i repeat.in closing,
at: m in accord. with the .objectives which this bill seeks to
respect to the Marine Corps, - themecessary changes
rtrer.few,in number and .simple in 'character--theHinsertion'of a
statement of the status' and functions of. the'Corps, and a
Iight,rewordingof certain sectionstagprovide for Yarine Corps
epresentatiom..inTthe,approprinte joint .bodies.nnd agencies.-
AmA3repared to submit draft -amendments.which will accomplish,