The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-07-23
Two Billions
CONTINUED from Page one)

DuPonts have married into the Roos
! welt family, DuPonts are no longe
8 economic royalists."
The Peoples Lobby promises to RI
: port fully on the complete set-up. @
frame-up, of the Office of Productio
Management, and other defense agen
cies, and ask congress to direct tn
president to take over all industrie
essential to defense, so as to kee
the number of Gold-Star Mothers t
the minimum.
Organization of Defense Program
The organization of the defens
program has brought to Washington
scores of men from the ranks of bust
ness-primarily big business. 1t il
in the defense organization that bust
ness influence in government admin
istration and policy has reached itl
peak. From the beginning of the de
Tense program, much of the admins
tration and a major share of the de
termination of policy has been in the
hands of men who have been and
still are connected with business
Where these men have not actually
had the power to determine policy
they have in many cases furnished
the recommendation upon which
policy has been based.
! A number of men from the ranks of
big business are today the most i'm
portant administrators of the defense
program. There is William S. Knud-
sen, president of General Motors Cor
poration since 1887, now in charge of
the Office of Production Management;
Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., chairman
of the board of United States Steel
Corporation, and an old associate of
Mr.. Knudsen in General Motors, now
director priorities division of the
OPM; John David Biggers, president
Libbey- Owens Ford Glass Co., another
experienced automobile man now d.
rector of production of OPM; Roy
Jackson, formerly associated with
Ford Motor Co., 192S-31, General Mo-
tors Export Co., 1931-34, and United
States Steel Export Co., 1888 to date,
now administrative officer of the
OPM; Ralph Budd, president, Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy Railroad Co.,
now commissioner of the office Of
transportation of the OPM.
Business influence on policy and
administration however consists of
much more than the presence of men
such as those mentioned. To these
men must be added the dollar-a-year
men and those who serve woo
without compensation.
Recent weeks have seen shake-up
in the defense organization. A num-
Der of the dollar-a-year men whose
names have been associated with
some of the most important decisions
in defense policy have been quietly
eased out. 1t is rumored that Ralph
Budd is soon to be added to the list
of those who will have left the de-
tense organization. 1t is not to be as
sumed however, that big business has
lost it's influence in the defense ef- |
fort.
Along with the easing out of a num- |
Der of the dollar-a-year men has come |
q reorganization. Commodity sections
the various divisions of
The OPM are being organized to deal
with major industries. Then, under
he supervision and direction of the
0PM, defense industry advisory COM
nittees are being organized to repre-
sent major industries. These COM
nittees will be chosen by each indus
ry with the consent of OPM
Actually, therefore, much of the in
luence that was previously felt within
he defense set-up will now be exerted
through these industry advisory COM
Some of the dollar.a- year men who
lave been eased out are Charles w.
Kellogg, president, Edison Electrical
institute; VIM. L. Finger, Rubber
Manufacturers Association; Gano
Dunn, president, ]. G. White Corpora
ion; DR.. Ernest M. Hopkins of Dart ,
mouth. Most of these men have been ,
ssociated with the most fragrant j.,
xamples of business influence for ,
usiness purposes on the defense pro- !
ram. Though they may no longer !
Q connected in an official capacity, /
lost of their associates who are dol
ir-a-year men remain.
These men have exerted tremend- =
us influence on the life of the United ;
tates through the decisions that have q
cen and will continue to be made. =
he public is entitled to know about >
lem. The past is a good key to the !,
resent.
ollar-a-Year Men Dominate C
In the second week in June, there C
ere approximately 265 dollar-a-year
en- serving in the various defense Il
yencies Until April this year news "
aper men who tried to secure a list v
the dollar-a-year men met with a c.
I'D shoulder There were II in the a.
flee of transportation, % in the de- B
nse mediation board; 81 in the Of m
ce of the coordination of CONNER G
al and cultural relations between the p,
merican republics (Mr. Rockefeller ii
ported SO dollar-a-year men to the n;
,use committee on appropriations, to
1t the office for emergency manage B
ent has released the names Of only th
J; seven in the. office of price adj oN
inistration and civilian supply; eight
rving the advisory commission to of
e council of national defense; 1856 81
the office of production manage eli
snt production go, priorities %, tn
Dor 81, purchase 35. Donald Nelson, &C
rector of the purchase division, re- til