Editing Chief of Naval Operations (section)

====CNO Pratt, relationship with the General Board and Army-Navy relations====
[[File:William Veazie Pratt NH 77482.jpg|thumb|upright|CNO Pratt (right) with Admiral [[Frank Herman Schofield|Frank H. Schofield]] (left) aboard the ''Tennessee-class'' battleship {{USS|California|BB-44}} in February 1931]]
[[William V. Pratt]] became the fifth Chief of Naval Operations on 17 September 1930, after the resignation of [[Charles F. Hughes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/people/chiefs-of-naval-operations/admiral-william-v--pratt.html|title=Admiral William V. Pratt, Fifth Chief of Naval Operations (September 17, 1930–June 30, 1933)|website=Naval History and Heritage Command}}</ref> He had previously served as assistant chief of naval operations under CNO Benson.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=28}} A premier naval policymaker and supporter of arms control under the Washington Naval Treaty, Pratt, despite otherwise good relations, clashed with President [[Herbert Hoover]] over building up naval force strength to treaty levels,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=93}} with Hoover favoring restrictions in spending due to financial difficulties caused by the [[Great Depression]].{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=94}} Under Pratt, such a "treaty system" was needed to maintain a compliant peacetime navy.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=93}}

Pratt opposed centralized management of the Navy, and encouraged diversity of opinion between the offices of the Navy secretary, CNO and the Navy's General Board.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=99}} To this effect, Pratt removed the CNO as an [[Ex officio member|''ex officio'' member]] of the General Board,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=99}} concerned that the office's association with the Board could hamper diversities of opinion between the former and counterparts within the offices of the Navy secretary and OPNAV.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=99}} Pratt's vision of a less powerful CNO also clashed with Representative [[Carl Vinson]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], chair of the [[United States House Committee on Armed Services|House Naval Affairs Committee]] from 1931 to 1947, a proponent of centralizing power within OPNAV.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=100}} Vinson deliberately delayed many of his planned reorganization proposals until Pratt's replacement by [[William H. Standley]] to avoid the unnecessary delays that would otherwise have happened with Pratt.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=100}}

Pratt also enjoyed a good working relationship with [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|Army chief of staff]] [[Douglas MacArthur]], and negotiated several key agreements with him over coordinating their services' radio communications networks, mutual interests in coastal defense, and authority over Army and Navy aviation.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=101}}