Evening star., 1941-01-20
Governors Get
Blunt Wdrniino
On Defense
0. P. M. Head Tells
Of Crisis UnequoIed
In Our Time

Amid inaugural eve celebrations,
Governors of 27 States met with
defense chiefs last night to hear
blunt warnings of a crisis the like
OF which none ever experienced in
our time" and a plea that States
gear their efforts to aid in the
national rearmament effort.
The Governors were guests at a
dinner in the Carlton Hotel of the
Office of Production Management
Present were O. P. M. Director Will
liam S. Knudsen, Secretary of the
Navy Knox and Secretary of War
StimSon.
1--WE have had a very full and free
discussion of defense progress in the
United States and had very inter-
eSting and valuable opinions and
suggestions from our guests" Secre-
tary Stimson said at the conclusion
of the dinner, long after midnight.
Undersecretary of War Robert P.
Patterson declared the response
excellent" to the expressed reed for
national unity and industrial pre-
paredness. The chief topics discussed
were methods of improving proce-
dure for Subcontracting in the States.
with the local governments provid-
ing means of finding new sources for
subcontracting, and the means of
making the people back home realize
the urgency of the situation"
Governors Pledge Aid.
Frank Bane chairman Of the
Council of State Governments, which
will meet at the Maytlower Hotel
tomorrow to Thursday, and cO-ordi-
nator of State and municipal CO.
peration for the Defense Commis-
sion, said that u Governors from all
regions of the country pledged CO.
operation to any extent needed.
"All asked practically the same
thing" Mr. Bane told newsmen.
"They asked. Tell us definitely, spe-
officially and conciSely what you
want us to do in the production
field, in labor relations and what
information you want us to make
available to the people?'
Mr.. Bane. acting as spokesman
for the director of the Office Of
Production Management. said the
Governors were warned by Mr..
Kundsen and the others that the
United States is facing a crisis
the like of which none ever eX-
perienced in our time"
mo one can tell when we will
face an extremely acute situation"
he added.
Aid to England Asked.
Mr.. Bane said the Governors were
asked to laid England every way
necessary time" to assure rearma-
ment, and to "gear machinery to
the maximum efficiency"
At the conclusion of the meeting,
Gen. George c. Marshall, chief of
staff of the Army, said indications
of cooperation are gratifying and
the unanimity of opinion expressed
here was quite remarkable"
Governors attending the dinner
were Dixon of Alabama. Hurley of
Connecticut, Holland of Florida,
Talmadge of Georgia, Keen Johnson
of Kentucky. Jones of Louisiana,
O'Conor of Maryland, Saltonstall of
Massachusetts,, Van Wagner of
Michigan, Stassen of Minnesota,
Paul johnson of Mississippi, Stark
of Missouri, Sewall of Maine, Blood
of New Hampshire, Edison of New
Jersey, Lehman of New York,
Broughton of North Carolina,
Bricker of Ohio, James of Penn
sylvania, McGrath of Rhode Island,
Maybank of South Carolina, Cooper
of Tennessee, Wills of Vermont,
Price Of Virginia, Nicely of West
Virginia, Shricker of Indiana, and
He'll of Wisconsin.
Isadore Lubin, Commissioner of
Labor Statistics, spoke for Sidney
S. Hillman, Associate Director of
o. P. M, who is i'll. Others present
were Undersecretary of the Navy
James v. Forrestal and Admiral
Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval
Operations.