New-York tribune., 1918-05-06
Wanted: A Foreign Manager


Suppose we are private corporation
and wish to open large export business
with foreign country. What do we do
first? We say, "There must be a foreign
manager" In that way we define the
job. Secondly. we look about for man
to fill it.
This is a matter of vital Importance.
The success Of the undertaking will de-
pend upon his power of decision, his per-
sonality, his wisdom, resourcefulness and
intuition. He will have to be response
BILE for a complex and costly organiza-
ton. He must know the use to make of
specialists, how to weigh and balance ex-
pert advice and how to arrive at sym
thetic conclusions from a mass of ana
lytical data. The impossibility of finding
the ideal man may suggest that VIC
abandon the idea, but the thought of be-
ginning a business abroad without for
eign manager will never occur to us at
all.
That seems elementary.
But if we are exporting a war instead
of merchandise we do very differently.
What is intended to be the largest en-
terprise ever undertaken, so far as we
know, since the war began has been
opened by the United States in Europe
1t is business Of unlimited liability. 1t
is the business of beating Germany. 1t
involves every problem known to the
modern genius of conducting foreign
hJ1cip 1o,
production at home, of synchronizing
supply and demand, of Transportation
and distribution.
Moreover, by a law which is we'll
known, problems multiply in number
with the magnitude of the undertaking.
The basic ones remain the same, but col
lateral difficulties unexpectedly appear.
For example, you may have plant in
which you refine ten barrels of sugar per
day. 1t would seem that you might du-
plicate it exactly, double your production
and have no more problems than before
And SO you might. But if you should du-
plicate it a thousand times you would
become trust and then you would
have a thousand problems unknown to
the little ten-barrel refner.
The basic principles of exporting a
war are the same as those of exporting
merchandise; but as the business of war
Is incalculably greater than any private
trade enterprise, its collateral and un
expected problems are multiplied in, let
Us say, geometric ratio.
The point is that if foreign manager,
with full authority to make decisions for
ms principals, is essential to the success
ful conduct of a foreign trade enterprise.
the necessity is as much greater in the
case of war as one enterprise is greater
than the othe,
Yet we are exporting a war without
foreign manager
we have sent experts and specialists.
We have General Pershing on the mill
tary side. We have Admiral Sims on
the naval side We have an ambassador
to function in diplomatic manner. One
reports to the War Department, one to
the Navy Department and one to the
State Department. But we have no one
abroad to represent the United States at
session of the Supreme Inter-Allied
War Council, as Lloyd George represents
Great Britain, as CIemenceau ~epre-
sents France and as Premier Orlando
represents Italy.
we have no one, in short, no man nor
any council of men, to represent with full
authority the foreign end of our partici-
patton IN the war. We have no one II,
Europe corresponding to Lord Reading
IN this country for Great Britain. or
commissioner Tardieu for France.
The necessity is obvious to all of orr
associates. 1t will increase as our mar
uclpatlon grows. The sooner we saw
There must be a foreign manager" the
more rapidly successful our enterprise
VIII be- After we have said this we shall
have to find the man. And that will be
extremely difficult. But we shall have to
find him, for the need is imperative and
the business must succeed.
How hard it seems to recognize war nc
a colossal business. ard how fatuouslv
the idea Is resisted, Whvo