National Defense: Grocers, Morticians. . . .

The Army and Navy custom of wearing civilian clothes while among civilians has brought down many a gibe on officers with rumpled pants, stringy cravats. Most of the gibing has been done at officers in Washington, where wearing uniforms except on unusual or ceremonial occasions is distinctly bad form. (The custom originated as a supposed sop to pacifists and Congressmen with antimilitary constituencies.) Last week, awl-tongued Columnist Westbrook Pegler, an old Navyman, joined the chorus of gibers. Wrote he:

"George Marshall . . . a general who could go around with four stars...

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