Evening star., 1940-12-16


for this is not some critic of the
administration, not some defeatlst
who doesn't want to see America
progress, but member of the Presl-
dents own National Defense Ad-
visory Commission William S
Knudsen.
The facts were known here during
the campaign. But the tongues OF
defense commissioners were tied
unless they were prepared to help
elect Mr. Roosevelt for a third
term. And so America now faces
the truth-it can be concealed no
longer.
For weeks and weeks every dis
interested person who really knows
the defense problem and has had no
interest in the politics of it or the
need for camouflaging the admin
iStration's blunders has realized that
the whole defense program here is
built on the same false bottom that
wrecked France and delayed Eng
land-the theory that everybody
can have what he wants and nobody
kldS w SAIL LlSC any OllLlIS
Administration on Spot.
The administration is particularly
on the spot because it has baited
and tormented INDUSTRY with propa-
ganda about lack of cooperation
and with Russell -Overton amend
ments to conscript industry, but it
has done literally nothing to speed
up production on the labor side.
Labor was the administrations
principal ally in the political cam
paign just closed and labor fought
hard for the President because it
believed he would protect labor
standards" which is just another
way of saying that Americas ma
tional defense and security must be
neglected if a single modification OF
the demands of the biggest pressure
group in America is in any way
required.
The issue could not slumber long.
It has already flared up. Even the
Army and Navy advice are thrust
aside. Their recommendations on
labor matters are ignored. The
drive now is on 20 force the Army
and Navy to add legislation which
Congress never passed-stipulation
that companies may operate only
at the mercy of Government in
spector who decides whether labor
laws are being complied with, ire
spective Of the fact that the labor
laws require certain procedures
through. the courts The plea of an
admiral in the United States Navy
moreover, for longer work hours is
met with defiance and a new cry
that the Navy ought to be "democ-
TatiZed."
Now comes William S. Knudsen,
production director of the defense
program, to plead for the elimina-
ton of the Friday to Monday
'blackout" and already the long
range guns of the leaders of Amer
lean labor are turned against him
for daring to say that work hours
should be heightened. Yet it was
only last week that Herr Hitler.
emphasizing the new Importance of
IIl6 WuIh h uOlldI FeISuS Ille SOlu QOl-
lar, declared that he can beat the
world because the Nazi regime can
command longer hours of work. The
rest of the world he says, is flabby
and easygoing. And unless there is
change of pace at Washington
Herr Hitler may rejoice indeed that
the outcome of the election
strengthened the hold of pressure
groups on our national adminiStra-
ton and thus weakened and re-
tarded our defense program Herr
Hitler need not worry much now
about Americas efforts. Either he
will win the war in 1941, before
Americas production gets going and
he can then take care of American
unneutrality as he sees it, or else
he will lose the war in 1941 and
what America has failed to do will
not then matter to him.
Defense Issue Sighted.
National defense could have been
the pivot on which the whole presi-
dental election might have turned,