ARMED FORCES: Abrams Takes Charge

• Share

Now hear this. Now hear this. We have you surrouned. [sic] Surrouned? My ass, hut that's A hrams.

—A poem by Lincoln Kirstein

General Creighton Abrams' gift for making the best of nasty situations goes back at least as far as the World War II incident those lines recall, in which he outbluffed a nest of German army troopers. His record in four years as U.S. commander in Viet Nam indicates that he has not lost the talent. Now he faces a still tougher task. Nominated last week by President Nixon to succeed General William C. Westmoreland as Army Chief of Staff, Abrams, 57, must tackle the job of regenerating the Army in the wake of Viet Nam and, if Nixon has his way, presiding over its conversion to an all-volunteer force.

Among Army brass, the belief is strong that Abrams can handle the assignment. Said one general: "Abe will do everything that Westy has started —and that's a lot—but he will do it a little faster. Abe has a way of getting people to move fast." Among those Westmoreland efforts: the creation of a smaller, more professional and more efficient Army; improved race relations; more effective drug controls; and a reduction in rapid command turnovers.

There is no absolute guarantee, however, that Abrams will follow exactly in the path of Westmoreland. In Viet Nam, for example, Abrams moved the Army away from his predecessor's massive search-and-destroy methods to vigorous, small-unit tactics aimed at keeping the enemy off balance. Along with this went heavily increased emphasis on Vietnamization of the war.

Abrams will probably return to the U.S. in July and later will undergo the ritual preconfirmation questioning by the Senate Armed Services Committee. Though he should be confirmed readily, he can expect some tough queries on the case of General Lavelle, who carried on his own private bombing war against North Viet Nam in defiance of presidential restraints. How much did Abrams know about Lavelle's bombing patterns in the North, for instance?

No announcement has yet been made on his successor in Saigon, but the most likely choice is his deputy, General Frederick Weyand, 55, a tall, thoughtful man who would supervise the steadily dwindling U.S. presence in Viet Nam. Westmoreland, who retires June 30, is scheduled this week to receive the Distinguished Service Medal from President Richard Nixon as a parting gesture.