The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-08-27

campaigning TOT "natlOnal
 His tour will be divorced from the New Deal, and he will not return to his embassy in France.
 Many of the men around Roose- welt now are far ahead of him in proposing aid to Britain, and some of them may cooperate with Bull lit in this movement. Some are definitely critical of the President, though close friend Bullitt is not. They feel that Roosevelt has been holding back, and that the coun- try is ready to go much further than he.
 NOTE-Bullitt received 4,000 letters and telegrams after his ra- dio address warning the nation that the United States faced im- mediate invasion from Hitler if England failed. Only about ten of the letters were critical.
 DEFENSE BLOW-UP
 If certain legislative and ad- ministrative snarls in the defense program aren't cleared up quickly, there is going to be a blowup in the Defense Commission that will knock a dent in the Roosevelt Administration. Some fast foot~ work and placating White House palaver has kept the explosive sit uation under cover SO far, but It is very serious.
 Inside fact is that William Knudsen, who gave up $30O,- OOO-a-year General Motors job to become defense production chief, is getting restive over the delays he is enc0untering. He has made no threats, but he has also made it clear that unless he gets action he does not intend to continue in a position where he could be blamed for lack of production.
 A plain operations man, as he describes himself, Knudsen worked out a schedule of production for tanks, guns, planes, armor plate, and the other vital essentials for defense. But these plans, partly because of tax delays, partly be- cause of business sit-doWns, have encountered repeated Instructions.
 For example: Knudsen was first told that the amortization problem, which has held up the construction of several new de- fense plants, would be handled in Congress in a separate bill. But at the last minute, Treasury tax experts to this and insisted that the matter be included in the excess (war profits) tax bill.
 Next Knudsen was assured by congressional leaders that the tax bill would be passed by August IT. But first the Republicans re- cessed to attend the Willkie &C., ceptance ceremonies at Elwood; and then last week, on the verge of finally reporting out bill, the House Ways and Means commit tee got into a brawl and the leg islation was postponed again. REC LOAN DELAYS
 While this dilly-dallying was going on at Capitol Hill, Knudsen was having other difficulties with Federal Loan Administrator Jesse Jones.
 The REC was given wide pow CTS by Congress several months ago to make loans to industry for defense purposes. But when Knudsen submitted a list of pant expansions that needed financing, Jones baked.
 He objected on the ground that one-third of the output of the plants would go to i'll British war orders. Knudsen pointed out that this was not impairing U. S. pre- paredness. but on the contrary was providing the country with vital productive capacity at the expense of the British.
 Stil Jones. despite the Presi- dents policy of extending every assistance to the British, didn't like the Idea of lending U. S. Government money to aid fac- tory expansion for the British.
 N0TE-Much of the tax delay in Congress is the result of bust. ness opposition to any real tax program, and some Of Knudsen's advisers are strongly with them on that. However, Knudsen per. sonally Is not.
 BAREFOOT BOY or SUPREME COURT
 Six months ago there was some expectation that Justice Owen J. Roberts Of the Supreme Court s,.iahf l.a s.rlaA lAasa faa.,. hia