 This is the Big Picture, an official television report of the United States Army, produced for the armed forces and the American people. Now to show you part of the Big Picture, here is Master Sergeant Stuart Quain. Army general retires. More often than not, he is invited to take on towering responsibilities in civilian life, positions where he can bring to bear his talents and training, along with the benefits of mature experience. Many a famous former wearer of the star has moved over to important jobs in the field of public welfare, in education, in business and commerce, and in government service. Accenting the respect Americans have not only for these men, but for the character, education, and training the rank of general stands for. From Washington's time to the present day of missiles and atomic warheads, for leadership in maintaining our liberty and security from foreign oppression, we have looked to the generals. What makes these men tick, the generals? What sort of training do they have? What sort of background fits them for their ultimate missions? Or to put it another way, what makes a general? Perhaps we'll have a better idea of the answer to that very complex question after viewing today's Big Picture, the story of the school for generals, the Army War College. It is early morning on or about the 20th of June, on a green-bordered, ivy-covered campus. As somebody once said, or perhaps should have said, what is so rare as a day in June without a graduation? For on campuses across America, it is time to say goodbye to familiar surroundings and move to a new stage in an up-and-coming career. It is that way, too, at the picturesque campus of the Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. But even a casual observer would know the man walking toward graduation ceremonies with his family is no typical college student. For one thing, he and the other members of the graduating class are mature men of the ranks of colonel and lieutenant colonel. Many of them have families with children, themselves of school age. For them, a day of excitement looms ahead. Graduation day at the Army War College means many a visiting celebrity at Carlisle Barracks. Precisely at 9.30, the Carlisle Barracks Honor Guard is drawn up in front of the Commandant's house and is reviewed by the Secretary of the Army. By 10.30, the graduation is about to begin. Students, faculty, guests, all are seated, quiet and hushed on this beautiful, balmy spring day, a perfect one for a graduation. There are 200 of them. Graduates of the Army War College, the summit of the Army's educational system. It's been a long haul up the Army ladder to this proud moment. A long haul that began for most of them years before at another campus. On the shores of the Hudson River in New York State, the United States Military Academy at West Point. On a competitive basis, they were chosen for the point. And in the classrooms and out on the drill field, they worked hard. They were expected to work hard because West Point standards are of the highest. Many of them represented the academy in athletic contests with other schools. The emphasis on top physical condition at West Point. Top physical condition was needed to handle the progressively more difficult program of study. Those who couldn't make the grade were dropped without ceremony. But for those who made it, the exquisite moment when commissions in hand, they move on to their chosen career. The first rung of the ladder that for some of them, the best of them, will lead someday to the rank of general. At the Pentagon, the march up the ladder is observed every step of the way. For career management is stressed in the assignment of Army personnel. The idea is to vary the assignment so a fully rounded leader may be developed who can lead men to victory. At posts like Fort Benning, that elusive quality of leadership is developed in the fledgling officers. On steaming hot firing ranges, they gain experience in handling men. The actions build days go by quickly till the next assignment. They move to a different locale with different tools of warfare to master. The Army posts pass by. The young officers see a lot of life in a lot of different places. Perhaps London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Tokyo, or Paris. But duty calls not only to the glamour cities of the world, they learn what it's like to fight in tropical jungles. They learn what it's like to survive in the freezing below zero arctic, all part of the training of a professional fighting man. And perhaps they are captains on that infamous day in December. The citizens soldiers pouring into the reception centers look to them for leadership. In World War II, the regular Army officer was the heart of America's officer corps when the going was tough. In the Korean War, the same story. Nobody could ever say the old pros didn't give it everything they had. Then peace. Most of the citizen soldiers return to jobs and homes, the former way of life. But for the regular Army officers, the training never stops. Intelligent schools, seminars, briefings, and the more promising men, the ones who are headed up and up toward the glittering star are often assigned to the command and general staff college at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the various post-graduate service colleges. But the apex of the Army school system is the United States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Every August, a handpicked group of 200 military officers as well as representatives of some civilian agencies arrive with their families for the start of the school year. It was no accident that we arrived early by a day or so when I started my assignment at the Army War College. For the next 10 months, this was going to be the home of my family and me. I thought we could use the time to feel our way into the place, a post so rich in traditional American atmosphere. Oldest building on the post is the Hessian Guard House, built in 1777. When the Army's first school, a school for our terrorists was established here. In those early days, the post was an armory for the manufacture of muskets, cannon shot, and ammunition. My daughter, who has a surprising interest in this sort of thing, had a good time looking over the collection of anti-weapons in the Hessian Museum. A shining, burnished sword and a little imagination puts her in mind of a dashing young cavalryman at the head of a charge. The cavalry is part of the Carlisle Barracks tradition. The Civil War had many repercussions for Carlisle Barracks. It was a bustling supply center till July of 1863, when attacking Confederate troops fired the Barracks. Almost all of the buildings went up in smoke, but some, like the later named Coran Apartments, were rebuilt immediately on the original plan as soon as the war was over. After the Civil War, things quieted down until a school for Indian children was started at the post. Even today's youngsters know of the athletic prowess of the famed Carlisle Indians and the peer of them all, Jim Thorpe, considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. Many of the Indians called Carlisle home, and in a quiet graveyard, they found a permanent resting place. It is fitting that an outstanding school post for two centuries was chosen for the Army's highest educational institution. The college was originally founded by direction of Secretary of War, Eleo Root, in 1901. As a result of Root's observations during the Spanish-American War, he organized a course of instruction for selected high-ranking officers to prepare them for the top positions in the Army. Now I had been selected, and I don't mind saying it felt pretty good to be one of that group. At the opening reception the next day, I met the other members of the class, as well as the faculty. There were 200 of us in the class, most colonels and lieutenant colonels in the Army, along with some representatives of the Navy. The Marine Corps, the Air Force, and the Department of State and other civilian agencies. The reception was the final event before the grind started. Early each morning I'd be up, and along with the other students of the family would be on my way. My school was a bit different from my children's though, and perhaps that's the understatement of the year. For the course of study at the Army War College is divided into two general areas, the first of which is the United States and its national strategy. Three separate courses consisting of one on the national interest and national power of the United States and the USSR. Another on international relations and United States foreign policy, as well as a third on high level strategy and policy formation. The second major area of the curriculum at the Army War College is military doctrine, strategy, and readiness. Consisting of the Army in combat, war games, theater, theater, army, and army group operations, a course in military strategy, and finally a course in military readiness. Instruction at the Army War College is conducted by means of lectures by military specialists. Some members of the faculty, some not, as well as civilian guests who are invited to give a talk out of their own backgrounds. Today's Army officer dare not live in an intellectual vacuum, and the background offered by these civilian guests can be immensely valuable to us. Lectures are normally about 50 minutes, followed by a discussion period, but often even that isn't enough time, and coffee breaks still finds the questions and answers coming thick and fast. In addition to lectures, a major part of our work is done in committees. These normally consist of from eight to 10 members. A faculty advisor offers the committee general guidance. The faculty assigns a subject to the committee. The committee is headed by a chairman, one of the students. He outlines the work to be performed within the scope of the directive, assigns tasks to the members, and in effect calls the signals on the team effort that is the heart of the committee system. We've been going in this thing for a long time now, and I trust that this time we'll be able to do it properly and we'll have to repeat it. We've got a lot of work to do, and I think if we put our hearts into it, we really produce results. I don't want to go into the details of your subcommittee work at this time. However, we are entering the home stretch, as it were, of our analysis of the American military alliances. And I feel that a statement of the general thinking of the subcommittee would be valuable at this time. Friend, your subcommittee was assigned the task of exploring the purely military aspects of our alliances. How about it? Can you give us a reading on what you've accomplished to this point? Yes, John, from the military point of view, we, or at least I, am fast coming to the conclusion that this system of alliances is not advantageous for our country. How so? In my opinion, many of the divisions we count upon as a result of these alliances simply would not add up militarily when the chips are down. These divisions actually represent a form of paper tiger and not any increase in our true military strength. Now, here again, this is my own opinion. George and I haven't exactly reached a meeting of the minds on this subject. As Fred knows, I feel that these alliances give us an opportunity to be present, to show our flag in these places, so to speak. In that way, at the very least, we give these friendly nations an opportunity to follow a path of independence from the communist orbit. I served with the Second Division in Korea, and at one time, we had the Turkish battalion with us. Let me put it this way. I would just as soon have a Turkish battalion on my flank as a Marine battalion. Man, they really must be good. Okay, we'll get your facts and supporting data later. Bill, how about our alliances from the economic point of view? Well, Frank and I are in agreement that from an economic point of view, these alliances are essential. We feel we must recognize our responsibilities as leader of the free world. Now, the exercise of these responsibilities cost money. Of course, we can't and should not forget the impact of our own military budget on the nation's economy. But when you consider that on an average, and we'll have the facts and figures for you, it costs us 10 times as much to put one of our divisions in a crucial area than to support an indigenous one locally. Well, from a dollar and cents viewpoint, it makes sense. I agree. Now let's get to the geopolitical implications of our alliance. Dick, what of you to report? I can tell you this. The geopolitical part of this thing is a real can of worms. Well, I wouldn't exactly call that a conclusion, Dick. I didn't expect that you would. Briefly, we feel, from a political point of view, that these alliances are dangerous. For all we know, they may be drawing Soviet Russia and communist China closer together. And there's another point, politically speaking. Our alliance is tie us in with some mighty strange bedfellows. Our subcommittee has obtained an appointment with the State Department advisor and the faculty. We plan to discuss our problems with him and obtain his views. All right, gentlemen, suppose we withhold the discussion of the psychological aspects until this afternoon. Remember, our committee report is due by the end of this week. I have a feeling that we've got a lot of long hours of discussion before we can iron out our report. It's 10 after 12 now. I have a feeling if we don't break that your wives will string you up. Let's get started promptly at 1 o'clock. The final report will be the collective effort of the entire committee. But a minority report may be submitted if anyone feels he cannot agree with a majority opinion. When the committee study has been prepared, a presentation is made to the entire class, usually by several members of the committee. In addition to the work we do on committee studies, each student is required to prepare an original paper, much like a thesis in working for a postgraduate degree. It's an opportunity for us to do some objective analysis and creative thinking on a subject of current and future importance and value to the Army. The subject I wanted to do some work on was the place of the missile in future division operations. The faculty advisor helped by advising me where I might find the appropriate factual data. But for the most part, I was on my own, spending many hours in the college library. Preparing a paper like mine is, first of all, a matter of absorption. You have to read just about everything in the field. Read and take notes on books, scientific papers, intelligence reports, microfilm newspapers, and periodicals. You absorb it, and then for a long time, days and nights, you stew over it, brood over it. And the ideas, your own contributions, finally start coming slowly. And you're able to draft them on paper. Working around the clock, what were the committee meetings and our own projects, he is also rough on the rest of the family, particularly the wives. Several times during my year at the college, I had to go on trips, checking my thesis with specialists at the Pentagon, the Atomic Energy Commission, the United Nations, and various universities throughout the country. I observed some of the problems involved in the mass production of missiles. And at Fort Bliss, Texas, I watched a demonstration of military missiles in action. I was able to incorporate into my thesis a great deal of what I saw on these field trips. But I'm not going to deny it sure was good to get home. The motto of the Army War College is prudence futuri, prudence for the future. And by means of lectures, committee work, and independent research, we are working in accord with that motto. We try to look and think ahead. It is in that spirit that the National Strategy Seminar is held at the climax of the school year. Each year to the Army War College are invited distinguished civilian guests, each an authority in his own field. He finds time to adjust his crowded schedule because he knows and believes in the importance of the work we do at the college. He takes part in a seminar along with the committee. Problem? To discuss the student-developed plan of National Strategy and its implementing courses of action with emphasis on a supporting military program. The civilian, who may be head of an industrial plant, president of a railroad, a noted newspaper commentator, a professor at a Midwestern university, he takes a cold hard look at what the committee has come up with. And a fresh look means a fresh point of view. We students profit from the knowledge, experience, and specific background of the civilian guests. I like to think he too finds the visit both pleasant and productive. Exchange of viewpoints with civilian leaders gives every one of us a more comprehensive insight into our national problems. We try our best to come up with ready answers, but when we don't, we all benefit from the National Strategy Seminars. Whenever I can, of course, I spend my free time with my family. I don't exactly say it's peace and quiet, but it is cool. All the time, though, even when you're relaxing, you can't quite forget the problems of the work. You're as hard and demanding as you can be on your own ideas because the whole point at the Army War College is to think boldly and freshly. That's why the problems never quite leave you, no matter how pleasant the surroundings. So the work and the study goes on until finally one night, at least that's the way it happened with me, you proofread the last page of your manuscript and you know the job is done. You mention it to your wife, who proceeds in the manner of most women, sentimental souls that they are, to toast the occasion in a post-midnight coffee break. Two days later, the manuscript was on the lectern of the auditorium and I finished reading it to a tough and critical audience. They had questions, hard ones, of course. I wanted them to be hard. For my paper was a new approach to an enormously important problem and I had a warm feeling of contributing a fruitful move toward a solution. We continued on in the coffee shop, arguing, making rebuttals, questioning sources. I felt, well, stimulated is the word, I guess. Just as important, I felt my year at the Army War College was a contribution to the defense effort over the long pull. Free interchange with some of the best minds in America had improved mine, I think. And one thing I do know, I'm a better officer for all this. So that's why sitting here at the Army War College graduation exercises, I'm in a reflective mood. I suppose it's excusable. In 10 months, we've come to be part of this place. One by one, we were called up on stage and awarded certificates of graduation from the Army War College. With graduation came the orders for my next assignment. For me, it was to be overseas. I had worked hard this year, listening and learning and thinking and I approached my new assignment with augmented confidence in my intellectual tools as a staff or command officer. It's not too much to say, I felt both proud and humble as we said goodbye to what had been home for a busy year. For in being privileged to have this year at the Army War College, I was following in the footsteps of some Army greats. And as I left a question trail to cross my mind, lingering like the heavy scent of that barmy June day at Carlisle, who knows was my parting thought. In the hour of decision that faced these men with so many lives depending on their clear thinking, perhaps the year of study, reflection, absorption at the Army War College helped them come through as gloriously as they did. For what makes a general? Talent and intelligence certainly. Courage and character. And of course the intangible quality of inspirational leadership. Temper all these native qualities where the best education the Army can make available. All these intermingling and dovetailing by some magic chemistry. Yes, this is what makes a general. Hearing selected Army officers for the highest command and general staff positions in the Army is the mission of the Army War College. The top of the ladder in the Army's educational system. Now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen, your host for The Big Picture. The Big Picture is an official television report for the armed forces and the American people. Produced by the Army Pictorial Center. Presented by the United States Army in cooperation with this station.