Big Band Magazine - Magazine - Page 4
The Real GLENN
MILLER Story
By Dennis M. Spragg
Part Twelve (Photos Courtesy of Glenn Miller Collections, University of Colorado, Boulder)
Capt. Glenn Miller was in trouble with the highest authority in the Pentagon,
Gen. George C. Marshall. The issue was his apparent remarks in the September 6,
1943 issue of Time Magazine. In it, Miller was quoted as saying that, "there hasn't
been a successful Army band in the country, and if someone doesn't get after band
music and streamline it, Army music will be extinct in a couple of years. We've got to
keep pace with the soldiers. They want up-to-date music. Why there's no doubt
about it, anybody can improve on (John Philip) Sousa." That, and Miller's
presentations of jazz and blues standards as military marching music, had ruffled
many feathers amongst music traditionalists. But none more so than the War
Department's formidable Chief of Staff himself. But in dealing with the Chief of
Staff Capt. Miller had like-minded and formidable allies, led by the commanding
general of the Army Air Forces, Gen. H. H. "Hap" Arnold.
Arnold received a memorandum from Marshall complaining about Miller's alleged
remarks. The chief of staff was known for having an affinity bordering on obsession
regarding Army music and in particular, the U. S. Army Band, which Miller did not
directly disparage. After the Time issue was published, Miller claimed that he had
been misquoted and demanded a retraction. Motivated by Marshall's complaint, the
AAF in Washington had contacted the AAF Training Command in Fort Worth, asking
what was Miller's "authority as an AAF exponent of Army policy?" The reply was that
Miller has no authority to make such statements. However, both the AAF Washington
and AAFTC Fort Worth communications were carefully worded. Because, in fact, the
AAF fully supported Miller. To resolve the matter, Miller's letter to Time said, in part,
"My statement to Time was that there have been no successful military-type bands
in civilian life during the past five or six years. I feel modern harmony would improve
the inspiring melodies of Sousa marches. Military music has been done an injustice
by Time's inaccurate reporting." Miller's letter, and a retraction by Time, ended the
matter.
Within a year, Gen. Marshall would offer a greatly different opinion of Glenn Miller
and offer the then-Major a significant proposal.
