Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-26

sive about the security of the Ma
ton.
Propaganda of grossly misleading
character has been issued from
Government Offices and there is
steady stream of statements de-
signed to lead the people to be-
lieve that everything is rosy IN
the defense program, but the fact
Is major blunders have been made
Army and Navy officers, several
of the businessmen who have come
here to serve at a sacrifice as we'll
as many disinterested observers all
know the truth, which is that CO.
ordination is lacking and that sue
cess can never come with con-
tinuation of the present system.
Basis of Trouble.
The trouble, of course, is in the
unwillingness of the President to
delegate real authority or to allow
policies to be made by any except
New Dealers. This came to the
fore when secrecy was ordered at
the outset for the formal recon-
mendations of the group of defense
experts who had spent a long time
before the present war began and
since in setting up a projected pro-
gram. But the trouble with the
program was that it recommended
new agencies and boards to take
care of national defense, whereas
President Roosevelt wanted the
New Deal agencies to manage de-
Tense. When Mr.. Roosevelt de-
cided in favor of New Deal agen-
cies instead of the instrumentalities
suggested to him by disintereSted
experts he made his first mistake.
Efforts to obtain for publication a
copy of the report ignored by the
President have been fruitleSs and
the general impression is that pub
LEGATION would damage the admin
istrations political prestige.
The administration henchmen
already have begun a smoke-screen
alibi to cover up the mistakes made.
Within the last fortnight bitter
attack has been inspired by the
administration against the aircraft
industry, accusing it of a Shutdown
strike. The Solicitor General of the
Department of Justice, Francis Bid
die, on one day uses his power OF
formal petition in the Supreme
Court for politically inspired press
attack on industry, demanding the
right to reopen World War con-
tracts even after the money has
been paid, and the next day he is
out political campaigning, denounc-
ing Willkie.
1t is difficult to escape the i'm
preston that the whole New Deal
is handling the defense program on
a political basis in the sense that
it is using the emergency to feather
its political nest. While the Presi-
dent gave as his reason for not
campaigning actively for a third
term, his desire to attend to ma
tional defense in Washington, his
subordinateS who are clearly amen
able to his discipline are the never
theless active in the campaign, while
at the same time exercising au-
thority and influence over the de-
tense program.
Attack on Aircraft Industry.
Particularly political has been the
attack on the aircraft industry. 1t
has been made to appear that the
aircraft manufacturers are inter-
ested in profits only and that their
protest against the per cent of
gross profit limitation was nothing
but greed. Actually the fight is
against mourning losses under the
8 per cent limitation. Because it
does not include all costs it is not
a net profit at all, because it leaves
the manufacturer holding the bag
on many items of cost, including
depreciation of plant. How can any
manufacturer, moreover. tell the
Government what his price for air.