Evening star., 1941-09-04
Baruch Urges
Naming of0ne
Defense Head
Emphasizes Need
After Laying Plan
Before President
By JOHN c. HENRY.

Bernard M. Baruch, COM
mander of the Nations industry
in the World War, placed an in
dustrial defense reorganization
plan calling for a single execu-
tive board, before President
Roosevelt at the White House
this afternoon.
The noted financier would make
public no other details of his pro-
posal as he left the White House,
but he emphasized to reporters that
there is vital need for a single re-
sponsible director of the industrial
phases of the defense and aid pro-
grams.
He stressed, too, that he has no
criticism to make of individuals now
engaged in directing the program,
paying pointed commentator TO
several. nor would he name any
potential individual for his proposed
supreme authority. In fact, he said,
any member of the new seven-man
Supply Priorities and ALLEGATIONS
Board is capable of exercising the
single responsibility if given the au-
thority.
Will rip Price Control Bill.
THE trouble with this board Mr..
Baruch said, lis that no one person
has final authority there. 1t is
faltering step forward and I hope
and pray it will work. If they give
somebody authority it will work.
The job doesn't need super
man, it just needs one able man"
Mr.. Baruch said that he was PLAN
ming to appear in about two weeks
before the House Banking Commit
tee to testify on the pending price
control bill, promising that he will
rip into" the legislation as now
drawn.
"I believe universal ceiling
should have been put over all prices
as soon as they began to talk priori-
ties
The veteran induStrialist was high
in his praise Of the potential abilities
of American labor and industry to
do the job now facing them.
Workers and Industry Praised.
American workers and industry
are the best in the world" he said.
Let them battle each other as they
will, when they get going they'll
chew everybody up. All we have to
do is to get them started"
Mr.. Baruch emphasized that Ger
many has adopted many of the
practices of American industry and
admitted to drawing heavily on the
American industrial mobilization
plan of the last war.
I'VE wrote the book on mass pro-
duction," he declared proudly.
"Mechanized warfare is right down
our alley"
Several times while talking to re-
porters the New Yorker spoke APP
provingly of President Roosevelt's
policies and handling of affairs, but
emphasized that the Chief EXecu-
tive is under pressure Of too much
business to exercise all the authority
and personal supervision needed for
the industrial mobilization task. Mr..
Baruch has been almost weekly
luncheon visitor and adviser TO the
President in recent months.
Meets With Defense Advisers.
AS Mr.. Baruch left the White
House, the President went into con-
ference with principal advisers on
the defense program on the mat
ter of spreading contract work
among small plants and others being
forced out of normal civilian pro-
duction.
At his press conference Tuesday,
Mr.. Roosevelt said there would be
increased emphasis on this means
of mobilizing the full industrial re-
sources Of the Nation. Today'S con-
ferees indicated as they left the
White House in late afternoon that
a formal announcement of this
phase of the program would be
made either later today or tomor-
row.
Those meeting with the Presi-
dent were William S. Knudsen and
Sidney Hillman, associate directors
of the Office of Production Man.
agement; Undersecretary of War
Robert Patterson, Undersecretary of
Navy James V. Forrestal and Chair
man Emory Lan,. of the Maritime
Commission.