New-York tribune., 1919-11-30
Council Has Tried to Keep
in Touch With Trend Of
Nation and Has Taken
Part in Many New Plans
Thrift Drives Assisted
ding Of War Duties Only
Has Accentuatcd Need oo
It's Efforts, Baker Is Told
New York Tnbvrs
Warrington Bur>an

New York Triburs
Warrington Bur>an
WASHINGTON, Nov PA re'ums
OF the work accomplished By The United
States Council Of National Defense IL
contained in a letter from Grosvenor
u Clarkson. director Of The council.
m Secretary Of War Baker. nocom-
narv;ng the formal third annual re-
mort OF the council, which goes hrs' %
the Secretary of War, then % ne
President and finally to Congress.
The report covers three phases oi
the work Of the council; Inc tnai
months OF the war. the marking iims
period which followed the armis'lcs
and the reconstruction period.
In his letter 20 Secretary Baker Nr.
Clarkson says:
"The divorce from the council IN
July. 1913, OF the War Industries
Board. body created BY the coun-
Gil and directed by Il for nearly q
rear. marked in effect the end OF t'e
councils wartime role As grea' ad-
ministrative laboratory for the study.
organization and ALLEGATION 70 ne
proper executive departments az ne
proper time Of new phases Of Federal
administration relating 20 or growing
out Of the prosecution o. ne war.
Such had been the councils historic
role for seventeen OF the most crowded
and fateful months Of this courtrys
history.
Liaison Unit Important
"A liaison unit for the considora'lon
and utilization of those Industrial and
economic elements which form me
base of tire national defense IN modern
times, non-rigid motive Unit a4eIng
all departments. interfering with none
and concentrating IN one great ieser-
voir national defense information and
poicy which no executive department.
could alone absorb, utilize or project;
and. above all. unit maintaining con-
tact continually with the great heart
of the country beating out OF Wash
ington-that broadly states the phi.os.
ophy and function Of the Council OF
National Defense in war time, indeed,
its philosophy and function as a peace.
time body under the wisely liberal
Of the act which brought = INTO
being. q y
tie organization during the early Gays
Of the war were perfect would b. IN
true. That statement could 70. ac-
curately be made Of any similar agency
erected overnight in a democracy d.
denly. after years Of unrrcparcdne =,
plunged headlong into terrible world
war, but il is. nevertheless fact
and the i'm pc rsonal historians Of Amer
ica's part in the war are beginning %
indicate that fact on their cooly
formed psges-that the council. an sn-
tried instrument for coalcsclrT 20
nations resources, vas the ~
mother that gave birth O. the % .
majority of the vital ron-mlitary v'r-
time bodies of the United States. icl
n turn threw their Accumulated power
behind the American armies and
worked the final tragciy II tie I'm
perial German Government.
1T Is none the less trle for the
reason that many OF the actors on ;as
scene Of the councils stage IN the
FIRST seventeen months o. the war did
not themselves realize Il % be So.
Willingness Manifested
There has been one cardinal doe
trine Observed by the council through
out TO which attention should be Ii
rcctei IN any analysis OF the councls
functions and work.
From the frs, there has been. no.
only willingness but an Affirmative
desire to allocate TO other agencies Of
the government activities initiated by
the council and carried along By il 70
mature performance.
There has never been any tendency
on the part ot Tie council To cling 20
activities which could best BE- directed
elsewhere. THAT policy has been con-
sistently maintained and Is in har-
mony with one Of the councils prime
functions, namely, to act as a sort OF
proving ground Of problems dealing
with the public and governmental well
fare specifically in respect to national
defense.
aside from its regularly constituted
duties, the council continued its many
angled contact with the public, passing
on such diverse matters az the curtail-
ment Of Christmas buying during war
time. the wisdom OF continu ng grand
opera during the war and the method of
collection OF funds by the great wei are
bodies The consolidation known as
the United War Work Campaign was
the result Of recommendation made BY
the council