Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-10
By HUGH S. JOHNSON

i side overhead for production
for defense are not very clear.
The so-called war cabinet" con-
sisting of Hull. Morgenthau.
Stimson. Knox and Wickard of
agriculture-with Harry Hop
kins as kind of executive Sec
retary-is all right for some
purposes but if anybody thinks
it will in any way speed produc-
ton he is indulging Gen. Homer
Lea's old idea of the valor of
ignorance.
1t is all right for discussion of
broad general policy - for
example about how much Ameri-
can army and navy armament TO
turn over to Britain. There are
strong men in that council.
For the first time in many
years the war department has a
secretary who can't be pushed
around where the interests of
the army are concerned and so
has the navy.
StimSon and Knox are Repub-
licans who have clearly shown
that they are taking no partisan
advantage of their position and
would even lean over backward
TO avoid that.
But anybody who has known
these men for years, knows that
they think for themselves, think
American. will speak and defend
their opinions, and would depart
from office rather than COM
promise them. This is also clearly
true of Mr.. Hull.
WHETHER or not you APP
w prove of Harry Hopkins
views, make no mistake about
the fact that he has a very quick
mind of great ability. He is as
devoted to the Presidents poll
cies as was the late Louis Howe.
1t is a very strong combination
"a good composite brain on
general policy.
But for the intricate daily de-
tail of production management
it will be so plainly worse than
useless that perhaps most COM
mentators have misread the in
tent of il as being for any such
purpose.
Full time heads of such great
departments as state. treasury.
war and navy have no leeway to
know enough about the produc-
ton effort TO horn in on it with
out doing more harm than good.
The real intent is probably TO
decide such broader and vital
questions as how much equip
ment can we spare and to whom"
with net result of maximum
national defense.
IN THE meantime. the actual
L day TO day management OF
the production program is going
from bad TO worse.
The effect of strikes at bottle
necks of production is approach
ing the proportions of scandal.
The Wright Field strike is pre-
venting necessary testing of the
new super-power 1000 and $500
horsepower engines and is so
holding up the principal part
OF the aircraft program.
The Allis Chalmers Strik c
stands athwart of not only the
destroyer but the powder pro-
gram. The Universal 6ycfopS
strike involves only LOO men
bat it has stopped about one
third of the army fuse program.
Shells without fuses are buds.
There is hardly any element
of essential defense production
that has not been delayed in
the past or that is not now
threatened by these bottle-neck
strikes.
On TOP of all this and many
" more key-point distractions
are the much wider threats of
impending trouble in the whole
coal industry. a large part of
the steel industry, the vast Ford
facilities and perhaps the wooden
industry.
The perfectly absurd Knudsen-
Hillman two-headed boy control
of industrial mobilization passeth
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the as
pect of Sidney Hillman. able and
patriotic as he is, operating in
that duumvirate and also re-
naming head of a great union
from which he draws his pay
and as prime force in Go in
the nationwide jurisdictional
fight with AFL.
If Mr.. Hillman stepped out of
that impossible service of two
masters. he might very well be-
come a second B. NJ. Baruch.
He has the stuff but not
enough to carry water on both
shoulders. No man has.
Mr.. Roosevelt once said that
he could think up far better
attack on him than the Re-
publicans m a de in the last
campaign-to wit: incapable adj
ministration. Amt it the truth?
But this is no time TO COR
tinue ii.
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