THE    SECRETARY OF
THE NAVY                                      ,'~
/ ~ ,/
                                                          WASHINGTON
                       (sc)Pl,-2/oo
/
                       (012900A)/0~                       March 9. 194g
 
M~40~ FOR T~E PRESII~I~T:
 
                       As I told you sometime ago, I have asked nine
senior officers in the Navy, in whose Judgment I have confidence, to
serve for me as an unofficial selection board to select the forty most
competent officers in the Navy out of 120 of flag rank. I have Just
received complete returns from all nine officers who were asked to
serve on this unoffict~ selection %oarS. Applying the rule that five
votes out of nine in G selection boar~t constitutes a selection, the
returns gave me the names of 38 officers which, including King and
Stark, bring the total up to
                       the desired forty.          King and Stark were
not vote~ on.                 They were divided
                       as follows:
 
t
                                 Those receiving all nine voteel -
 
Bristol
Fxlwar~=
Hoover
Ingram
Purne11
!
{
S
 
                                 Those receiving eight out of the nine
votes: -
4
                                                                 Halsey
Ghoraley                                                   "
(}lassford
c
                                                                 Giffen
                                                                 C. M.
Cooke
Pownall
 
                                 Those receiving seven votes: -
"
Ingersoll                                 k
Fletcher
                                                                  Fitch
3ellinger
Turner
Hustv~lt
Mitscher
 
.............. r,