Evening star., 1940-06-05
Defense Commission
Starts Conferences
With Army and Navy
Industrial Mobilization
Plan Reported Sifted
For Production Clues

The National Defense Commits
sion today began a series of confer
ences with the Army and Navy to
find basis for production of the
most pressing rearmament needs of
the Nation.
Acting with renewed assurances
from President Roosevelt that they
would meet no interference from
cabinet officers, Edward R. Stet-
tlnius, jr, charged with acquiring
industrial materials. and William s.
Knudsen, in charge of production,
alternated the conference between
their new Offices in the Federal Re-
serve Building and tn Navy and
Munitions Building across the street.
1t was reliably reported they also
were examining the Army's indus
trial mobilization plans, long in
preparation for war time use, which
would furnish the Defense Com
mission with immediate information
for producing much of the i'm
portant material.
Air-Cooled Engine Studied.
Most pressing was increasing pro-
duction of airplane engines. Mr..
Knudsen, now on leave from his Job
as president of General Motors, was
reported examining the possibility
OF placing in production by the au-
tomobile industry an air-cooled
engine for warplanes. It was ru-
mored this might be the Rolls Royce
engine design sent here by England
last month.
Also reported under discussion
! were plans for increased produc-
ton of General Motors own Alli-
son engine, an air-cooled type for
which all new Army pursuit planes
! are designed. This, it was said, would
be accomplished by permitting other
automobile companies to produce
the Allison engine through retooling
plants, an expensive procedure
which could not be completed ordi-
narily in less than a year. The un-
official embargo on machine tool.
ing disclosed yesterday to have been
placed in effect may speed the re-
tooling process.
So busy were Mr.. Knudsen and
Mr.. Stettinius they scarcely had time
to select secretaries and Office per-
sonnel. Other Offices in the air-con-
ditioned building were being pre-
pared rapidly for Sidney Hillman,
who will have charge of defense
personnel. Now i'll, he is expected to
arrive III Washington near the end
of the week.
Others Due Next Week.
Miss Harriet Elliott, dean Of
women at the University of North
Carolina and charged with con-
sumer protection in the Defense
Commission, and Ralph Budd,
charged with supervising trans
portation for the needed materials,
are expected early next week. Their
arrival will complete the COM
mission.
Shortly after Mr.. Stettinius re-
signed from his $100,O00-a-year job
yesterday as chairman of the United
States Steel Board, President Roose-
velt refuted at his press conference
assertions that Secretary Of Com
merce Hopkins and Secretary of the
Treasury Morgenthau would retain
control of the defense plan. The
Treasury, he said, would retain the
task of co-ordinating military pur-
chases by foreign nations which Mr.
Roosevelt said will remain outside
the Defense Commissions jurisdic.
ton because of financial problems
and the fact that the Treasury has
been dealing continuously with the
Allied Purchasing Board.
Meanwhile, a national inventors
council was reported being created
as a defense measure by Secretary
Hopkins and will include scientists
A similar group was organized dur.
ing the World War. The council
will have representatives of the
Army, Navy and Patent Office.