Evening star., 1936-11-22
TUCWELL EXIT MARKS
DEMISE OF BRAIN TRUST
InnOvators Still i'm Posts of Administra.
ton, But Are Tied Down by Task
Responsibilities.

He was graduated 70 the role OF N. X.
A. administrator. He. too. has gone,
perhaps more by White House desire
than at his own request.
Two brain trusters who were not in
the original group but still remain
in highly influential but subordinate
G. Corcoran and Benjamin v. Cohen.
They were the drafters of the utility
holding company act and are called
in on most matters of New Deal power
policy. Felix Frankfurter, Harvard
law professor. is credited with re-
naming ION the inside" but he never
became vulnerable by accepting a
Washington post.
The fate Of the brain trusters makes
curious picture. Some turned out
to be critics OF the administration.
Others just faded away into silence;
the sympathy OF. the remainder for
the New Deal remains publicly in evi-
dence.
Mr.. Moley. for instance. trained his
Of State, who was largely responsible
for his departure from Washington.
Then he began to be more and more
critical Of some of the financial pol
icies Of the administration and its
attitude toward private business. BY
all outward signs he has not been
friendly to Dr.. Tugwell for q long
time.
Prof. Warren never had q break
with the White House, but the Presi-
dent noted that the professor did not
prove the soundness of his theory
that commodity prices can be made
to rise proportionately with manipu-
lation of the dollar price of gold.
Sprague Horror Stricken.
Prof. Sprague, who was induced
to come from q position as adviser
to the Bank OF England, left the ad-
ministration in horror over financial
policies and openly criticized the New
Deal. The same was true of Mr.. War
burg, who suddenly announced at the
end of the last campaign, however,
that he favored the reelection OF Mr..
Roosevelt.
Mr.. Frank was too much to the left
and too belligerent for two sets Of
A. A. A. administrators. His talents
were shifted away from administrative
and policy-making affairs.
The history of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration proves that a brain
truster Is in q ticklish position. He is
an easy target OF the opposition in the
public at large. He usually Is not psy-
chologically trained to answer back,
and the very nature of his job as
confidential adviser forbids it. But
most deadly of all is the poison flowing
from relations with colleagues, and
particularly official superiors in the
administration.
Mr.. Moley had his Mr. Hull, the
Secretary Of State. 1t took the beaten
George N. Peek and then Chester
Davis. A. A. A. administrators, to do
for Mr.. Frank. To lesser extent and
in a much more polite and under
standing relationship DR.. Tugweil had
his Mr.. Wallace, Henry A., the Secre-
tary of Agriculture.
White House Open TO Tugweu.
To Mr.. Wallace the brain truster
was Rex" They got on well enough
together and the Secretary had regard
for DR.. Tugwell's views. But the brain
truster had sided sympathetically
with the left Mngers who were
"purged" from the Agriculture De-
partment., He always had a direct
and open access to the White House,
irrespective of his nominal chief, the
Secretary. He had plans of his own
which Mr.. Wallace sometimes came
upon with surprise. When the need
for consolidating new functions of
the Government was lately discovered,
it meant that DR.. Tugwell must re-
turn as q subordinate to Secretary
Wallace. There are many who say
that the Secretary did not relish the
prospect.
The long fire of opposition criti-
cism TO which he had been subjected,
the prospective reorganization of his
Resettlement Administration, the cut
ting down Of funds for its purposes
these factors plus the opportunity Of
getting relief from public scrutiny
and Of increasing his income-un-
doubtedly had parts in Dr.. Tugwell's
decision to retire to q Job with the
American Molasses Co., controlled by
Mr.. Taussig.
But the departure of the brain
trusters has made ofhcial life safe
and more satisfying for the cabinet
ecs,yr.shs. 1881