Evening star., 1940-12-11

Commission, but 'S'' w.
he has had no David Lawrence.
actual authority. In fact nobody in
the defense commission has any
jurisdiction over his own particular
bailiwick except in conjunction with
the War and Navy Departments.
The President is said to be prepar-
ing an executive order or formal an
nouncement which will reveal his
willingness to delegate substantial
authority to the new co-ordinator.
1t probably will not 60 as far as did
the executive order whereby Presi-
dent Wilson in the first World War
created the War Industries Board
and gave B. M. Baruch plenary
power But it will go beyond any
thing that has been done thus far
here in centralizing authority over
the defense program.
Says Program Dawdles.
The general public perhaps does
not realize it-and many of those
who are still disinclined to believe
anything except official propaganda
as handed out by the powers that
are not ready perhaps to hear the
other side-but the truth is the de-
fense program has been dawdling
along because it has had no chair
man or co-ordinator in charge OF
the whole thing.
Criticism was expressed on these
points last summer, but the admin
iStration was too campaign minded
and hence nothing was done about
1t. The President himself knew at
all times that his defense commits
sioners were struggling with serious
problems Of authority and co-ordi-
nation, but he too was inclined to
let matters drift till after election.
Now since the election, many of
those who supported the President,
are telling him frankly that some
thing has to be done to clear up the
uncertainties and the inefhciencies
that envelope the defense program
The other day Dorothy Thompson,
who enthusiastically supported the
President for reelection, wrote
frankly her belief that the Wash
ington defense situation was sticky"
all along the line, and that we are
"tragically behindhand in produc-
ton"
Problem Is Fundamental.
What is being said now is not
new. The facts have been known
to the personnel of the defense
commission. The problem is a
rather fundamental one. The ad-
miniStration has been unable to
make up its mind what the defense
program is really for. Is it a re-
employment program designed first
to find jobs for the unemployed
millions? Is it social welfare pro-
gram designed to remove inequities
in the social and economic struc-
ture? Is it a vehicle for the ac-
celeration of union membership
and unionization? 1t is designed to
build defense machine for use two
or three years hence? Is it designed
to help Britain in this war now and
in the next year or so?
All these questions are basic, and
Judging from the way the whole
defense program drifts along the
questions have not been answered
Certainly if America were actually
at war. or if the United States
Government intended to throw the
weight of its economic and military
might into the scales to force a
victorious decision on the side of
Britain, there would be no tenn
porizing in Washington.
What is needed is a man of eX-
perience in the industrial world
with an engineering mind-some one
to see the whole picture. But that
man must have authority. He must
be able to compel decisions from the
hesitant personnel in Government
agencies who are subjected to this
or that pressure group, and above
all he must have the backing of
the President of the United States
when decisions are made.
Reports Are Encouraging.
AS matters stand today, Miss FL
lott, the consumers counsel, for
instance. has as much of vote on
the defense commission in deciding
where armament plants shall be To-
Gated as does Mr. Knudsen. Real
production will not be attained un-
der such system. America will
get some weapons of war made, of
course, but unless the situation is
materially altered here the boasted
American industrial machine will
come a cropper-and the radicals
will say industry has fallen down,
as indeed some already are saying.
Nobody knows just how far Mr..
Roosevelt is prepared to go in
changing the present setup, but re-
ports of an encouraging nature have
been circulating in the last 48 hours
among the businessmen here, who
are very hopeful that the President
will send back or bring back soon a
comprehensive plan for centralizing
authority that will really move
Americas defense effort ahead.