Replies

Regarding the remark of Louis Johnson (no need for the Navy, etc.), this from a Truman Library interview of news correspondent Robert Nixon:

NIXON: There was an incident when he first came into office that I've often wondered about as to the correctness of it.

When the President nominated Johnson to be Secretary of Defense, this was a reward for his being the money man for the 1948 campaign. He succeeded James A. Forrestal, who was the first Secretary of Defense, and had earlier during the war, been Secretary of Navy. Forrestal was ailing, but it wasn't an illness that confined him to bed. It turned out to be a problem of mind.

Johnson had an aide who was in uniform. He was one of these Midwest Reserve people, more politician than soldier. A uniform didn't make a man a soldier. This character, whose name I have long since forgotten, and other supporters of Johnson, did as peculiar a thing as I've ever heard of in public life. They gave him a testimonial dinner, a very large gathering, in the large banquet room of the Mayflower.

Words were to be said about what a great fellow Johnson was. Not after he had been in office for a year or two or three and was leaving the office, but saying all these things about him before he even sat down to his desk in the Pentagon. It was a most unusual occasion. They invited the President, and the President went. That's why I was there.

They also did what to me seemed to be a very cruel thing. (Probably this was not intentional. It was simply thoughtlessness, or a lack of thought.) They invited Forrestal to this dinner. Here was Forrestal in the position of having to listen to these full blown, lavish praises of a man who was succeeding him as Secretary of Defense. Forrestal was the man who should have been given the testimonial dinner. He was our first Secretary of Defense. He had an excellent record. He had accomplished things. He had done well as Secretary of the Navy. But here, politely dismissed from office, he was put in a position of having to listen to these effulgent words about a successor who had not yet even lifted his pen.

I've often wondered, in all charity, what this did to Forrestal. My recollection is that he did not sit down at the banquet table and eat a full meal or participate in all of the words of great praise that were flying in the air. Out of politeness, he simply dropped by. He was put in this position that was uncalled for by back scratchers who were holding testimonial dinners for a man they hoped to gain things from before he had even become Secretary of Defense. This, without a doubt, was one of the most tasteless occasions that I remember happening in Washington in thirty-five years of close contact with Government and the White House.

As I've said, I've often wondered what effect this may have had on Forrestal's illness and his own self-destruction. I chatted with him briefly when he came by the dinner. I asked him what were his plans and so forth.

You could not believe the expression on his face at this gathering, just his whole facial reaction to this cruel and thoughtless thing that was done. It was ghastly, he looked like a man who just could not believe it.

~~~

The CIA had just been founded, to have as head of its MK-ULTRA program Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, whose favorite thing was slipping LSD-25 to unwitting victims--one of whom became depressed and jumped out of a window to his death--

--much as did James Forrestal. . .become depressed. . .and jump from the sixteenth floor of Bethesda. . .to his death.

What a lovely piece of work was Truman: defended Hiss; fired MacArthur; fought the "revolt of the admirals"; gave China to Mao; and gave SecDef to a political donor--after doing a Boorda on Forrestal.

Foster was depressed and committed suicide. I mean Forrestal.

USS GURKE (DD-783) showing her distinctive triple, twin barrel 5 inch/38 caliber mounts as well as the 2x 3"/50 cal machine guns, 3x40mm and 10x20 mm anti-aircraft batteries as well as the MK 15 1x5 tube torpedo launcher amidship.