Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-31
Calls One Man Theory Wrong.

congress, JuSU as one man Is HOt
indispensable to it.
Calls One Man Theory Wrong.
Ambassador Kennedy in his radio
speech stressed the importance of
experience in international affairs,
but time was when members of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
and the House Foreign Affairs Com
mittee worked in close cooperation
with the State Department and the
White House and knew intimately
what policies were being formulated.
Republicans and Democrats were
called into counsel when interna-
tional situations arose. The Govern
ment was not one-man affair but
a collaboration of all party leaders
Nothing of this kind has happened
under President Roosevelt who only
occasionally has called leaders of
the Republican party into confer
ence.
The theory that the Government
operates under one man in an ad-
ministrative sense is all wrong. The
administrators and executors are
many in number. Under the New
Deal, one man makes the policies
and that is exactly what is causing
so much controversy in America.
Policies in times of crisis should be
crystallized after consultation with
all groups and classes, and par
ticularly with the leaders Of all
political parties.
Today Mr.. Roosevelt has given the
impression that he alone is capable
of making vital decisions of inter-
national policy and yet on national
defense he is neglecting the i'm
portant administrative job that
should be done. He has called bust
ness men to Washington, but he has
not delegated to anybody the job
of coordination or appointed any
one chairman of the Defense Com
mission. He has kept a balance be-
tween right and left wing and it
so happens that consumers counsel
has just as much voice in deciding
what shall be done about a job of
mechanical production as does Ed
ward Stettinius or William Knudsen.
This is what is meant by playing
politics with defense. Anybody who
cared only for national defense
would not worry about pleasing right
or left wing advisers in time of
emergency. He would certainly give
full power on production problems
to those who know defense.
Defense Weakness Exposed.
Irrespective of the outcome of the
election, there must be a change in
the national defense set-up. Funda-
mental decisions will have to be
made without regard to political
or class cleavages. Indeed, the third
term campaign which has been going
on now for nearly two years has
prevented efficiency in public policy
evolution.
When it is complained that the
weaknesses in our defense situation
are being revealed to foreign
governments through campaign
speeches, the situation in Britain
and France is recalled. There was
SO much hush-hush that only the
British and French peoples were
kept in igorance. The Nazis knew
all about the French and British
weaknesses and all they need to dc
now about American weaknesses is
to read official reports and public
documents and the proceedings OF
our Congress and its committees
these last two years.
1t is the Interpretation of those
facts and figures which is rightly
coming to the front in this cam
paign. The foreign governments
with their military and naval and
aerial experts made their own inter-
pretations long ago.
If the choice is between two per-
sonalities, then the American people
might well ask themselves which
candidate, If elected, will do bust
ness-like job in getting weapons Of
war produced-a man who thinks
constantly in political terms, or 8
man who thinks in economic terms