My Fellow Members of the Naval Institute:
The members of the Board of Control arc indeed very grateful for the confidence manifested in us. We will work to fulfill the Institute’s almost century-old mission, and I quote, “the advancement of professional, literary, and scientific knowledge in the Navy.” This is indeed a very important task for us. It is perhaps more important now than ever before. We live in an age of great scientific progress when missiles and supersonic aircraft and nuclear propulsion become almost a part of our daily work. But all of these are of no avail unless the people—the people in the Navy and the Marine Corps—who operate, maintain and utilize this equipment know well how to use them; that they know the purposes behind them; that they have a free and understanding interchange of our ideas; that they can profit one from another and from good ideas. And I think that the written word manifested by the Naval Institute Proceedings is extremely important in this regard. It is the most effective way of equipping officers for the demands placed upon them by today’s global Navy. Officers must be highly literate today, and one of the innovations in the new Navy fitness report, which will go into effect during the first part of this year, is that it requires an officer be evaluated on not only how well and how effectively he expresses himself orally, but how well he expresses himself in writing.
Since its founding in 1873, the Institute has grown in membership. But the more important growth has been in its professional stature. For the last several years I have had the opportunity, which many of you envy, of being on duty at sea abroad. As I traveled from one country to another, the journal of the Naval Institute was evident in many places. It was evident in the offices of the friendly navies which I had occasion to visit, and it also appeared in the embassies and the diplomatic offices with which we came in contact. And I am sure that this is going to be true in the future, even as it has been in the past.
In recent weeks there has been much discussion of the so-called censorship or “muzzling” of officers in uniform. I think one of the most amusing comments on this matter was made by an officer who said indeed he didn’t feel he was “muzzled,” but he often felt “puzzled.” I do think it is significant that all of the chiefs of the services have stated quite frankly to the investigating committee that they did not feel that they were “muzzled.” They did recognize the need for propriety in their remarks and, in one form or another, of having their remarks or statements reviewed. There are many ways that this can be done. But suffice to say that I think the wisdom of our political system is going to prevail and that we will always feel free properly to express ourselves in appropriate forums.
Now I stress the importance of propriety and properly expressing ourselves. Indeed, we have had some people in the past in our services and there have been those in others, who did not exercise the proper degree of restraint or perhaps of judgment that was expected. We must remember that in a world where communication is extremely rapid and the word is spread literally across the length and breadth of our land and across to foreign shores, that it does behoove us to restrain ourselves in our remarks—to have our remarks constructive, objective and temperate. This I am sure, that all of us in the Naval Institute, and certainly those of us on the Board of Control, will continue to try to ensure in the future, as we have in the past.
I know that recently, and certainly in some parts of the Pentagon, there was a little bit of concern, if not consternation, over a recent article by a very distinguished naval officer. Captain J. V. Noel, published in the Proceedings, in which he discussed the relationship of the Navy in the Department of Defense. Captain Noel was my flag captain in the Springfield when I was in command of the 6th Fleet last year. lie is a splendid officer and I can state very truthfully that I felt that the article written by Captain Noel was extremely constructive, and I know that the more senior people in the department who have read this article concur with that view.
I can only say that the present members of the Board of Control will carry on the tradition of their distinguished predecessors and will do all that is possible to maintain the standard of excellence of the Naval Institute to further the exchange of professional views among the seafaring and sea-loving people of the world, and we hope you will have confidence in the work which we will carry on with your assistance.
George Anderson