The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-05-03
.FDR Once More Led With His Chin When He Invited Ford To
 The White House

Washington, May 3 - Long ex- perience in political warfare might well have taught MT. Roosevelt never to lead with his chin. If so, he forgot the lesson when he in- vited MT. Henry Ford to the White House.
 AS a political boner, that one ranks only with the enticement of the little business men" to Wash ington in the hope that they would give the President and his policies a pat on the back. MT. Ford is an American tradition and his support at this time would have been a great boon.
 But almost anyone who knew the automobile man could have told the President that Ford could be counted on to cast mere raSp- berries than pOsieS. What the President did was to hand Ford board for some criticisms of the New Deal.
 The invitation was based on a supposition that Ford would feel in- spired to deliver a public message full of cooperation, confidence and good cheer. MT. G. Hall Roosevelt, brother of Mrs. Roosevelt, had con- vinced F. D. R. that Ford would be so impressed with the show that he would publicly support the current administration recovery effort. But G. Hall Roosevelt is in the dog house now.
 Ford Remained UnsOld
 Versions as to what was said at the White House conference differ. One story is that Ford commented snappily on various New Deal theor- ieS, especially those of Chairman Mariner Eccles of the Federal Re- serve Board, firm believer in the necessity of spending for recovery.
 According to most sources, how ever, all was amiable and the con- versatiOn rather general except for some explanations by Roosevelt and Eccles of what the govern ment was trying to do. The one sure thing is that no one sold Henry on anything.
 After the luncheon and confer- ence Ford seemed in some doubt as to just who EccleS really was.
 Ford has his peculiarities. The last memorable occasion on which he visited the White-House was in the early weeks of the 1929-33 de- precision when President Hoover summoned an array of the big men of industry and finance.
 Canny Henry
 Ford sat through the conference and never said a word. But after it was all over he slipped a piece of paper to friend among the horde of correspondents outside. All the message on this paper - obviously prepared in advance-said, was that Ford would raise wages and reduce the price of automobiles.
 Ford copped all the headlines and made MT. Hoover very sour.
 Less than five years ago the late Senator James Couzens had ad- vised Roosevelt to invite Ford to the White House and make friends with him, pointing out that Ford didn't like Wall street any better thai; did the President.
 But Ford declined. The govern ment had stopped buying his auto mobiles because he wouldn't play ball with NRA and Ford told friends he wouldn't let it look as if he had gone to Washington to dicker over few dollars.
 No more invitations went to Dearborn until G. Hall Roosevelt recently acted as fiXer.
 Anent G. Hall
 G. Hall Roosevelt's first name is Oracle, but he is broad -shouldered powerful energetic six-footer with blond, slightly curly hair. He is a vlce-president of the Commercial Investment Trust, which owns Uni versal Credit Corporation, which finances Ford car sales.
 Msr. Roosevelt and her younger brother share close affectiOnate relationship. G. Hall, fearing that she might have breakdown while driving alone, tests her auto mobile wherever he is in Wash ingtOn. He has been known to protest the service given her machine by he White House ga rage and once drove the car all the way to New York to demon- strate it's defects to the dealer from which it had beer bought.
 When in Washington, G. Hall says at a hotel, explaining that the White House is "too crowded" Copyright 1888, NEA Service, Incl