Evening star., 1941-03-14
Picking S1-a-Year
Men Hard Job in
Defense Setup
Applicants for Places
Must Be Topnoteh,
Executive Explains
By JAMES FREE,

OIle Vi Tile lIlOSJ uellCulS anu ltd5b
publicized problems of the defense
program has been the selection and
handling of dollar-a-year men.
Except for a few admitted mis-
takes, due to pressure for speed,
defense and administration officials
are very proud of the volunteer or
ganization of experts which has
been formed in the Office of Pro-
duction Management and the Ma
tional Defense Advisory Commission.
Its been tougher picking the
dollar-a-year men than it has the
salaried employees a high admin
iStration executive said recently.
And that has been because we've
tried to get the best man available
in the country for each place he
added Remember all of these fell
lows had to make personal financial
sacrifices. and quite often they had
to be convinced that there would be
q minimum of political interference
with the work for which they were
needed"
Psychological Effect.
IT would have been simpler from
an administrative standpoint, he
continued, if all the necessary exec
utives could have been hired on a
salary basiS-say $4,000 a year.
But, believe it or not, there are
a lot of businessmen and indus
trialists who much preferred to
work for the Government for moth
ing. or a dollar year, than for
SO 1000 a year" the executive said.
"You see, they had been making
$4,000 year on up to over 100000
a year in private business and the
psychological effect of working for
a much smaller sum would have
been bad. Some people try to COM
pare a case like that with that OF a
less wealthy man being drafted and
having to change from, say 5000
a month civil life job, to S21 a
month as a SeleCtee. That's not a
fair comparison, because every one
starts in the Army on the same
basis, while the defense jobs are of
a civilian nature and prestige of
salaries, etc, might handicap the
volunteer executive.
so combining patriotism with
common sense, the volunteer defense
executives who could afford to-and
that included most of them-choSe
TO work for nothing"
Many Turned Down.
Many applicants for dollar-a-year
Jobs have been turned down, he said,
explaining: when we've got time
to check thoroughly-andu usually we
have-they have got to be topnotch." ."
In a number of instances division
heads have been told that If they
wanted a certain man they could
hire him on a salary basis, but that
the man was not big enough to be
taken on as a dollara-year employe.
There has been considerable shift
ing around of dollar-a-year men,
and several have been eaSed out OF
their Jobs entirely. In some cases
this has been due to undercurrentSI
of criticism: mainly, the changes
have been made to avert possible
criticism.
No man has been more anxious
to attain mutual confidence between |
dollar-a-year men and regular Gov
ernment officials than William s.
Knudsen, o. P. M. director general,
who gave up an annual salary of |
more than 100000 year to take his
present post.
Offers to Put Up Bond.
Illustrating Mr.. Knudsen's earnest
ness on this point, a reliable and
vell-informed official told this story:
Not long ago one of dollar-a-year
men in an important but not top
place ran up an expense account OF
nearly $1,000. The account was
shown to Mr.. Knudsen (who, Incl
dentally, never turns in an expense
account for travel or any other ex-
pense incurred in his o. P. M. work.
and Mr.. Knudsen was asked: This Is
probably all right, but suppose the
Government accountants object to
some of these items, who's going to
be responsible for them?"
I'll make them good If there's
any doubt about it," Mr.. Knudsen
said.
And, after a pause, the o. P. M.
chief added, IF it would help any,
Id be glad to put up $1OOO,OOO
bond to cover possible losses from
these fellows if the Government
has any hesitancy about taking the
responsibility"
He was assured that while his
attitude was appreciated such an
action was neither necessary nor
desired.
THAT gives you an idea of why
Mr.. Knudsen inspires such loyalty
from everyone who comes in contact
with him" the official commented.
His whole heart is in the defense
ID Lznsz