New-York tribune., 1918-01-29
In the Web
these facts

When a great private banking house in
wall Street became the fiscal and COM
mercial agent in the United States for
England and France and undertook to
procure for those countries neutral credit
and American merchandise on scale
never previously imagined in finance or
trade. how did it apl coach the job? Hap
PLY, the record is finished
The bankers said to themselves: "Thcre
are two things here. One is credit. That
is our business. The other is merchandise
in such quantities that only genius will
be able to carry off the negotiations and
procure the goods without making great
economic disturbance. That is not our
business. Let us find the right man and
give him full control of the buying end of
the undertaking"
They found Edward f. Stettinus. took
him into the firm and turned over to him
the job Of exchanging several billion dol
lars Of Anglo-French credit FOR merchan-
disc. He was the right man. But if he
had been the wrong man the bankers would
only have said: "Our Judgment failed.
Let's find another man"
That is as business does it. That is
what is called business intelligence.
When the War Department, after nine
months of calamitous misadventures with
the industrial machine is warned by public
clamor to contemplate the coordination OF
its five purchasing bureaus, what does
It do?
It finds the same Edward r. Stettinius
and gives him the title of Surveyor Gen
eral of Supplies and announces that the
problem is solved The War Departments
buying henceforth will be conducted in
rational manner.
Those who know both the government
and Stettinius, on hearing the news. say:
"Poor Stettinius'
The very next day a debate begins as TO
what authority Mr.. Stettinus has IN the
War Department.. First it is understood
that he has authority over all purchas
ing bureaus Then it is discovered that he
has only equal or coordinate authority
with the purchasing bureau heads. Lastly.
It is doubtful whether he has any author
ity at all, except that Of reporting to
Mr.. Baker.
According to "The World's' "authorlta-
tive explanation, Mr.. Stettinius, as Sur
veyor General of Supplies, will be "of the
cffice' of Colonel Pierce, who is the Direc
tor of Purchases.
If the Director Of Purchases disagrees
with the Surveyor General Of Supplies
neither may upset the other, but both may
90 to the Secretary Of War for a deci
sion as to which of them is right in tech
nical question touching the acquisition Of
merchandise for the War Department.
To what is called business intelligence
it seems hopeless.
To Mr.. Bakers type Of intellectual in
telligence it doubtless is very battling. He
gets the very man and gives him a large
name, and still it doesn't work. Though
he had all the men, it still would not work
Any one can take the parts of a watch
and shut them up in the case, but only a
matchmaker can put the parts in such re-
lation to each other as to produce mech
ansm that will keep time.
This is not riddle Of men that has be-
devlled Washington.
1t is a question Of method.
What really great commercial nego-
tiator could do for private banking house
in Wall Street, for England and for
France he cannot do for his own govern
ment.
Why? Because the government itself
has not what we call business intelligence
and distrusts it in its own citizens.