Katzenbach Hits Wilson's Report For Giving 'False Impressions'

Edward L. Katzenbach, Jr., director of the Defense Studies Program, continued his attack against Pentagon policy yesterday as he charged that Defense Secretary Charles E. Wilson's recent statement on Army and Air Force policy gave "a completely false impression" of the armed forces situation.

Wilson, in his statement issued Nov. 26, restricted Army aviation to an "imaginary" combat zone, 100 miles in front of and 100 miles behind the line of contact. The new policy would allow the Army to use missiles within this area, but would prevent Army planes from conducting close combat air support. The Air Force, according to Wilson, is now responsible for the major part of war transport operations.

Katzenbach, who attacked the deficiency of transport facilities in the latest Reporter magazine, scored Wilson for giving the Air Force the responsibility of carrying troops and tactical aviation. This is a phase of operations which is of lesser concern to the Air Force than to the Army, the author said.

The defense expert summed up Wilson's memoranda as "a lopping off of the Army's ability to move and, in a measure, to fight." Wilson's statement that the Air Force "currently provides adequate airborne lift in the light of currently approved strategic concepts" is "disagreeably misleading," the author said.

Katzenbach doubted that the Secretary's remarks on transport facilities were motivated by the Reporter article, as A1 Newman, managing editor of the magazine, implied last week. Katzenbach revealed that several representatives from the Civil Reserve Air Fleet convinced him last week that the transport situation is really more critical than he had believed.