Lalin’s Coloumn: Military men as heads of state (HOS)

There is much talk just now about foreign military men who have become heads of state. Eisenhower and de Gaulle were offered as examples, hopefully not only because they were white. Of the 2 de Gaulle takes centre stage having been baptized in the fire of WW1 and bringing back to France much of its past lost glory.

Some talk of Eisenhower and de Gaulle

Whatever the 2 achieved was as executive presidents. This is the system those who quote the 2 now want to abolish. Neither of the 2 abused or was corrupted by their office but had one common enemy-communism and socialism. De Gaulle died destitute, an example SL will think exceedingly strange.

“Some talk of Alexander and some of Hercules
Of Hector and Lysander and such great names as these
But of all the world’s great heroes, there’s none can compare
…………………. to the Sri Lankan Grenadier”
(With apologies to the Grenadier Guards)

Sri Lanka’s General Sir John Kotelawela

Unfortunately with no one to lead it, one party with a penchant for the west, has like rabble on the run forgotten its own Colonel later General Sir John Kotelawela the 3rd Prime Minister of SL (1953-56) who called his predecessor Dudley Senanayake ‘silly’. Sir John was routed in the 1956 general election.

Non Western Military HOS South America and Africa

In South America military men nearly always ruled and some were accused of serious violations of HR as in Argentina and Chile. In Africa, Master Sergeant Doe in Liberia lined up and shot the legally elected cabinet including Cecil Denis the 6ft 3 ins Foreign Minister who visited SL in 1976 for the 6th Non Aligned Conference. Amongst others were Flt Lt Rawlings in Ghana, ‘Field Marshal’ Idi Amin in Uganda, and an increasingly murderous lot of NCOs and officers in Central Africa, some accused of cannibalism, who also ruled. Many of them including General Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda described as the ‘Napoleon of Africa’ were accused or tried by international war crimes tribunals. In Libya, Col Mummar Ghadafi overthrew King Idris while in Egypt King Farook was overthrown by Gen Neguib who handed over to the idol of the Arab world Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser. Amongst others were Saddam Hussein’s bloody (Iraq) and Hafiz al Assad’s bloodless (Syria) and Fiji’s almost annual coups.

Burma and Indonesia

In Asia the rot started in Burma with the killing of Premier General Aung San (father of Aung San Suu Kyi) and 6 cabinet ministers inside parliament. Later General Ne Win who had 7 wives in what was described as ‘an out post of tyranny’ was succeeded by Than Shwe called “the worst dictator in the world” (Condoleezza Rice). In Indonesia when General Susilo Bambang Yudhyono PhD became the first directly elected President in 2004 it was after nearly 3 decades of military rule.

Pakistan and Bangladesh

Closer home Generals in Pakistan and Bangladesh took over in coups. In Bangladesh Sheik Mujabir who led the country to independence, proclaimed a one party state, repressed the press and declared himself President for life. His entire family less 2 daughters, one of them the present Prime Minister Sheik Hassina was gunned down in their residences by 4 army majors. In Pakistan Iskander Mirza losing control handed over to Gen Ayub Khan his favourite, promoted ahead of others. Ayub then deposed him and took over declaring martial law and instituted ‘basic democracies’ as an attempt at legitimacy. He promoted himself to Field Marshal. He gave lucrative contracts to his son (Guhar)’s father in law. He was followed by Gen Yahya Khan who callously lost control of the situation in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), then Gen Zia Ul Haq who was a favourite of Prime Minister ZA Butto who he then arrested and subsequently hanged. Zia died in a mysterious air crash. The last was Gen Musharaf, a great friend of SL who now lives quietly in UK.

Splendid exceptions

Few however comment on why India the worlds ‘biggest’ democracy having the 4th largest army (1.2 million) in the world, China (4 million) and Russia (1.4 million) have not gone on a similar path. May be it is why they are close to being super powers or were.

The White Eyes syndrome of SL : Eisenhower and de Gaulle

Dwight Eisenhower (1890 -1969)

Five star General (Field Marshal equivalent) Eisenhower became President of the US in 1952 after having been Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe in WW2 while Gen Douglas Macarthur who had also fought in WW1 was the Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area. Neither of the Generals were Commanders of the US Army as some misinformed opinion in SL makes out for their own fell purposes. Five star General George Marshal, the most brilliant General the US had, was Chief of Army Staff. Fleet Admiral (5 star) Chester Nimitz was both C in C of the Pacific Fleet and C in C Pacific Ocean area. Atomic bombs on Japan were delivered by planes under orders from General Karl Spaatz the Commander of the US Strategic Air Forces. They were all under Gen Marshal, reporting the US President Roosevelt.

Eisenhower in WW2

At the time the US entered the war (1940) Eisenhower, a West Point Military Academy graduate was a Lieutenant Colonel. He had not seen battle but was favoured by General Marshal Chief of Army Staff over his more experienced seniors, some of whom had fought in WW1. He was given command of Allied Forces with the rank of Lieutenant General in 1942. He commanded 3 not very emphatic operations in North Africa, Sicily and Italy with a combined force of British and American troops. These operations were opposed by Marshal but approved by Roosevelt on the insistence of Churchill who did not want to take on Germany in France early in order to minimize British casualties. This in the event proved otherwise as the Germans were given longer to build up their defences in mainland Europe and inflicted heavy casualties on the Allies when the invasion of Europe finally took place in a 1944.

Supreme Commander Allied Forces Europe

However Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander Allied Forces Europe in 1944 as Roosevelt the American President wanted the brilliant Gen Marshal who had wanted to personally command the Allied invasion force to continue in Washington. Eisenhower was responsible for the planning and supervision of the successful invasion of France and Germany. Born to descendants of Germans ( ironically so was Lt Karl Timmerman who took the bridge at Remagan which gave the Allies its first toe hold in Germany over the Rhine), he had got to know many of the British officers and got along with them well. He had already displayed the political skills that a coalition commander needed to have.

Command of the Invasion

In Operation Overlord, Eisenhower having already postponed D Day had after one postponement in the face of uncertain weather, to take the most momentous decision in his career to mount the invasion which he did on 6th June 1944. The fate of the biggest invasion force in history (33 army divisions being transported in 6,483 ships supported by a 12,000 aircraft) facing the redoubtable German defences (55divisions) in ‘Fortress Europe’, had been in his hands. He later made sure that the Allied advance was swift and that the Commanders cooperated with each other rather than competed especially Montgomery (Commander of the invasion forces and the 21 (British) Army Group) who wanted to advance on a narrow front and Bradley with Patton who wanted to advance on a broad front. He then made sure that the best allied General, Blood and Guts Patton (Commander of the US 3rd Army) who due to his eccentricities had to make way for Bradley to command the 12th US Army Group, was given his head in the race to over run Germany.

Integrity

Eisenhower’s military leadership was exemplary and his decision, despite immense pressure, not to breach the agreement with Russia reached at Yalta in the headlong advance of the Allies to Germany, showed his integrity. He halted his forces at the Elbe River as agreed and allowed the Russians to take Berlin, a prize of political but no strategic value. He was criticized for doing so. By doing so he however saved thousands of lives which were a prime concern of all Allied commanders.The Russians attacking with 464,000 troops, 12,700 guns, 1500 tanks and 21,000 rocket launchers lost over 300,000 troops to take Berlin.
Post war

After the war he returned to the USA and became President of Columbia University. However in 1951 he was recalled to become the Supreme Commander of NATO.

President of the USA

In 1952 he became the 34th President of the USA. He was President for 2 terms during which time he signed the peace treaty that ended the Korean War. He maintained pressure on the Soviet Union during the Cold War and made nuclear defence a high priority. In 1955 the USA, Russia, UK and France met in Geneva to successfully defuse the Hydrogen bomb threat although he was responsible for the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union.

Despite getting a heart attack that year he was elected for a second time in 1956. He pioneered the New Deal and Fair deal social security welfare programmes (ala Obama in 2009) and ensured a balanced budget. He desegregated the Armed Forces so that there were no 2nd class citizens (there had been all white units and all black units in the US Army since the end of the Civil War) and desegregated schools by sending troops to Arkansas to end the pernicious white supremacist policies of the South, He maintained world peace and also loaned uranium to have not countries for peaceful purposes. He developed the state highway system and saw the necessity of having adequate military strength but cautioned about the potential dangers to the American way of life by continuing vast military expenditures.

Do nothing President

However he allowed rabid anti communism to prevail and refused to reign in McCarthy making former President Truman declare that he never met a more untrustworthy man as Eisenhower reneged on his promise to do so.

Despite advice by his military by helping France he began American involvement in Vietnam which ended 20 years later in the biggest defeat the US suffered in history inflicted by legendary Ho Chi Minh whose army was commanded by Gen Giap. While his rankings have improved lately he was called a do nothing President compared to John F Kennedy (the youngest to be President and to die as President) who also served in WW2 with the US Navy in the Pacific.

Resigned Commission on taking office

Roosevelt resigned his commission as a 5 star General of the Army before he took office as President and had it re activated only after he left office.

General Charles de Gaulle

De Gaulle trained at the French Military Academy St Cyr where he was called ‘Asparagus’ was commissioned into the 33rd Infantry Regiment. He fought in WW1and was captured in the battle of Verdun. He was a prolific writer on military themes even in captivity.

When WW2 began he was a Colonel. He commanded the 4th French Armoured division and inflicted one of the few defeats on the Germans before the French army began to crack ominously and his former mentor Marshal Phillipe Petain (the hero of Verdun in WW1) took over the reigns and capitulated to the Germans. De Gaulle denounced the surrender order and was tried for treason in absentia by 2 Courts Martial and ordered to be shot after the second.

In Britain

“Why do you hate your friends more than your enemies?”

(Clementine Churchill to De Gaulle, whom she admired a lot)

The British recognizing de Gaulle as the best French Commander flew him off to Britain where he was put in charge of the French troops who had escaped and were to become part of the First (Free) French Army which in 1943 joined the Allied armies in North Africa to help retake French colonies and in 1944 in liberating Paris (under Lt Gen Leclerc-(also St Cyr trained)’s 2nd Armoured Division) and finally in defeating Germany. De Gaulle although not invited by the Allies flew into France and made his way to Paris on his own 2 days after Leclerc got there. His later conduct in opposing the USA and UK in peace time on foreign policy badly jarred the relationship France had with them.

President of France (1958 -1969)

“No friends only interests” (De Gaulle)

De Gaulle’s time as President of France was supposed to be the best after Napoleon III and was referred to as the 30 glorious years. They were also very controversial.

He first headed the Provisional government as Prime Minister after the war until in 1946 disagreements with the Communists and Socialists made him resign. However by popular request with chaos and disorder threatening France in 1958, supported by the military he became Prime Minister again. He first ruled with emergency powers for 6 months. He was asked to contest the Presidential elections which he won. He wrote a new constitution. He wanted France to regain its former glory. He immediately devalued the French currency to control inflation. The GDP overcame that of UK for the first time in 200 years. The growth rate was the best since the 19th century. He made France a nuclear power and when the European Committee (EC) was formed dominated it and succeeded in keeping the UK out of EC for a long time even though Britain had given him succour during the worst years of WW2 and from where he was able to raise the hopes of France. It is said he did so mainly to protect French agriculture.

He was the most influential leader in modern France.

France produced the Carousel jet liner and together with UK the Concord passenger jet.

He developed a net work of motorways and pioneered the production of the state owned Renault vehicles.

In 1968 he won a referendum for the new constitution by 79.2% majority and began the 5th Republic but shortly afterwards there were mounting demonstrations, strikes and protests mainly by socialists and communists. He thought of using the army and went to Germany to consult with Gen Salan. His proposed referendum on amendments to Senate was defeated upon which he resigned.

Controversies

He was criticized for the solitary exercise of power which he preferred to discussions with disparate groups.

When on a state visit to Canada in Quebec made a speech and said ‘Vive le Quebec libre’ supporting the French separatist movement which later used terrorist tactics. He left Canada immediately afterwards without visiting Ottawa the capital.

When the French North African colonies and Algeria revolted against French rule he decided initially to back the French colonialists and told Gen Salan Commander in Algeria so but later changed his mind and approved the granting of independence to all including Algeria which was considered a part of France. This set off a revolt by the army during which heavy handed action took place in Paris when a parachute attack under famous foreign legion commanders on Paris was feared.

De Gaulle mainly to hurt UK decided to help the Nigerian breakaway province of Biafra although France had no interest there.

He decided in 1945 to send French troops (commanded by Gen Leclerc) back to Vietnam which the French abandoned when confronted by the Japanese in WW2. This ended with the humiliating defeat at Dien Bien Phu which hastened the end of European colonialism in Asia. He later called for USA withdrawal from Vietnam even though a US nuclear option was considered to save the French from defeat.

He made France the world’s 4th nuclear power. He said that French missiles could ‘fire in all directions, meaning USA and UK had also to watch out!
He wanted to ensure that Europe stretched from the Atlantic to the Urals and reduce American and British influence in Europe.

He withdrew France from NATO military command.

He refused to provide arms to Israel to show his sided with the Arabs after the 1967 Arab Israeli war.

It was said he made contact with Fascist groups in 1934
He survived an assassination attempt by an army Colonel.

He was obliquely anti Semitic.

He despised the UN which he called “the thing” (le machin)

The victorious leaders in WW2

The world was profuse in its praise of late Franklin Roosevelt, Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill the leaders of the USA, Russia and UK respectively as the architects of the Allied victory in WW2 over Nazi Germany and Japan in which 50 million (500 lakhs) people, 30 million of them Russians, died.

Of the above only the Sandhurst trained Churchill had military experience although Stalin served as a political officer (Commissar) with troops in the civil war. The military Chiefs of Staff/Commanders of the 3 Allies were Gen Marshal (US) Marshal Zhukov (Russia) who in typical Russian style did what US Gen Marshal was not allowed to do-actually lead assault battle formations- and Field Marshal Alan Brooke (UK).

Jodl and Donitz performed in the same way for Hitler and Tojo for the Japanese Emperor.

When the Nuremburg war crimes trials were on Churchill said ‘fortunately we were on the winning side’.

- Asan Tribune -