The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-26

not aimed aJ COnBreSSmeH WHO may argue against lease-lend bill or $7 billion appropriation It is aimed at the petty adminis- trative fringe which plays depart- mental or personal politics in the defense effort and plays the game with such determination that op- ponents can be given cards and spades in any casino contest or- ganized, and still be licxed.
 The crack is not aimed at indi- viduals, either, but at the entire stratum of men who in private industry would be rated as second assistant vice-presidents in charge of something or other, and who play office intrigue practically all the time, and should be slapped down.
 WHO WILL
 BOSS 0. F. M.?
 You have to live in this Wash- ington snokehouse for a time to learn the catch as -ca tch~can rules Every player has hand of cards which represent the personalities and programs that particular player wants to put over. This hand is shown to any kibitzer who has any influence and can help in the put ting over. The game Is te guess what cards the other players hold and how they will be played.
 For Instance. one of the big guessing games right now centers around the question of who Is go- ing to be the eventual boss of the Knudsen- -Hillman Office of Pro- duction Management. There is the skeleton Office of Emergency Man- agement which might be the real head of the defense effort if 1t were given boss instead of presidential secretary liason man.
 With the President gone fishing and this point not clarified, the ru- mors, which surround activities of the defense effort multiply like mi- crobes in culture. Regardless of the degree to which Knudsenmay have caught the popular confidence of the country, he may not be con- in Washington. It is this official un- sidered adequate by the top schemers certainty which is disturbing to the relentless forging ahead of the de- fense effort.
 LONG LIST
 OF GUESSING
 This same uncertainty and the re. sultant gossip about 1t affects the other phases of the defense effort:
 The constant sniping at Secretary of State Hull.
 The speculation on the thinking" being done by Supreme Court Jus- tices Frankfurter and Douglas in shaping policy and legislation.
 The problems of who will do the buying under the British aid bill.
 The role of Harry Hopkins as @ White House guest in residence.
 The suspicion with which army navy men view dollar-a-year men.
 The rivalry between National Youth Administration and Office of Education as to who will do what part of the training of defense wor- kers, against Knudsen's contention that the best place to learn trade is in a factory, and the charge that WPA and all relief agencies keep men off defense industry payrolls.
 The conflict between theorists as to what makes best diet for troops.
 The mystery of what Leon Hem derson's job is to be and the exact position of the price stabilization set up in defense.
 The constant overlapping of countless agencies with similar fun ctions, each of which has @ piece of the defense pie.
 All these and dozens more petty squabbles about which the country at large may not give hoot are the games that Washington plays daily No collection of fanatic bridge play CTS can discuss finesse, vulnerability, tricks, games, and rubbers with more rabid seriousness than these Wash ingtonians manifest in their daily playing of politics, but you have to see them in action to really ap- preciate the game.
 Senator Truman of Missouri has & committee to investigate defense irregularities. It will begin to func- ton soon. It could have a lot of fun if 1t could go into some of these pol itical hnttlenecks