Evening star., 1940-07-14
Big Business Works
For j. ). With Fervor
Of n. R. A. Regime
/ IS Major Corporation
! Officials Here to Speed
Defense Program
by the Associated Press.

SBy the Associated Press.
Z Big business Is back In Washing
ton, working for the Government
with a fervor unrivaled since N.
r.. A. days.
! The gigantic task Of mobilizing
andustry's men and machines for
Nhe national defense effort has
brought to the Capital at least IS
sof the Nations major corporation
executives.
4 With them have come outstand-
Ing scientists and economic experts,
both from colleges and from the
business world.
Z Their task is hitching Govern
lnent and industry in the same
sharness for a quick, hard pull to
bring Americas defense weapons up
TO tomorrow's needs.
! Social Life Restricted.
! But the highly esteemed defense
sworkmen have done little for WASH
dngton society. The businessmen
have been too busy at their jobs.
Their social life has been limited
TO quiet meetings in hotel suites
4nd in the homes of their Govern
ment co-workers.
I Most of the tycoons are not new
30 Government. A recent survey
sshowed that at least half of the
business leaders working in the
National Defense Commission have
been in close touch with Govern
ment affairs in the past.
{ The Business Advisory Council
WAS one avenue through which they
learned the ways of Government.
Set up by Daniel Roper when he
was Secretary of Commerce as
A'liaison" between business and Gov
ernment, the council often has at
tempted to temper both admins
tration attitude toward business and
business attitude toward the Gov
ernment.
y Through the council, which was
continued by Secretary Hopkins,
representative businessmen learned
Sthe ropes of Government.
y Those are the ropes now being
Smanaged by such former council
smembers as Edward A. Stettinius,
the 39-year-old former board chair
man of United States Steel, who
rtook responsibility for marshalling
sraw materials needed by defense
stndustries.
& Others in Key Roles.
/. On his staff are the present and
spast chairmen of the Advisory Coun-
scil-William Bait, an energetic In
.sdiana boy who paid his way through
Purdue by working in railroad shops
ssand became president of the
kSwedish-owned S. K. F. industries
r(ballbearings), and w. Averill Har-
s.riman, quiet-mannered heir of
railroad magnate OF the COS who
put streamlined trains on the Union
: Pacific tracks in the midst OF the
depression.
Mr.. Stettinius, who has a bigger
staff than other members of the
commission, drew heavily on his
. council acquaintanceships for aid.
Fat least seven of his assistants are
Advisory Council members, including
Gano Dunn, New York structural
engineer who long has taken an in
.terest in Government scientific
projects; Clarence Francis, presi-
/ dent of General Foods; Marion B.
Folsom, treasurer of Eastman Kodak
Co., and Blackwell Smith, an
attorney.
William Kp,dcnr tho toll ,,rod,,c
etion genius of the automobile fac
tories who is mobilizing the finished
product" industries, chose as his
! executive assistant a Toledo man
who has been active in Government
. business relations. John D. Biggers,
president of Libby Owens Ford
Glass Co.. once conducted census
ssof the Nations unemployed for
I President Roosevelt.
Many Trained in N. r. 4.
N. R. A. was another training
school where businessmen learned
something of the ways Of Govern
ment. And Mr.. Stettinius chose as
two of his top assistants veterans
Of Blue Eagle" days.
Charles E. Adams, who became
Mr.. Stettinius' senior executive as
sistant, had been a division ad-
, ministrator of the n. r. A. He also
was a director of the Federal Re-
serve Bank of New York. In the
. business world he is known as chair
man of the board Of the Air Re-
duction Co. and of U. s. Industrial
Alcohol Co.
Robert T. Stevens, director of
Mr.. Stettinius' textile division, was
an administrative assistant to Gen.
Hugh S. johnson when that war
rior ran N. r. A. Mr.. Stevens,
president Of J. P. Stevens and Co.,
Inc, has called into conference
such men as Arthur Besse, N. r. A.
Code-Authority veteran who is
president of the National Associa-
ton of Wool Manufacturers; Earl
p. Stall, the South Carolina cotton
man, and H. j. White of Du Points
rayon division Gan expert on syn
thetic textiles).
Two defense planners whose Gov
eminent experience goes back to
World War days are Walter S.
Tower and Edward r. Weidlein.
Mr.. Tower, president of the Ameri-
. can Iron and Steel Institute, was a
trade expert for the Shipping Board
In 1859 and served with the
Peace Commission in Paris. Later
he was commercial attache of the
American Embassy in London.
Pay Of Many 81 Per Year.
Mr.. Weldlein, director of the Mel
Ion Institute at Pittsburgh, was q
chemical expert on the War In
dustries Board in 1889.
Commissioners Knudsen, Stettin-
ius and Ralph Budd (transporta-
tion) have called for help Also on
friends with industrial experience
who never had been in Government
service. In the emergency, H. s.
Vance left his post as board chair
man Of Studebaker Corp. to super
wise the crucial machine tool" in