Why was Anthony Marston changed to Prince Nikita in the movie adaptation of "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie?

Three of the characters names have been changed. In the movie, Anthony Marston is Nikita Starloff, General MacArthur is General Mandrake, and Justice Wargrave is Judge Quincannon. Minor changes. Everybody else's name conforms to the novel. I wonder if the reason the general's name was changed from the original was due to possible associations to a certain American general currently in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. After all, this movie was made in 1945.