The Republican., 1941-10-16
ILLUMINATING IDEAS

Washington, Oct. II.
Two scintalating schemes, which
have aroused something less than en-
thusiasm among those who consider
them from a detached angle, made
their appearance in Washington last
week. They were projected in some
what nebulous form and appear at the
moment rather to battle those who
provided the slightly premature pub
licity.
One of these is the plan, accredited
to Col William j. Donovan, "Coordi-
nator of Information, to furnish
the President and other top officials
with huge internally Illuminated
globes into which, when they
peer, they can see at a glance all the
major facts about the war; all prop
erly proportioned in technicolor pic
lures. Thus they will be spared the
bother of reading lot of tiresome
reports. 1t seems very entertaining,
indeed, and we are told by Mr.. Krock,
of the New York Times, that geogra-
piers, historians, economists, military
and naval experts, sound and color
engineers and newspapermen are all
concentrating on the idea.
$3.50
Somehow, this does not seem like
Colonel Donovan. Somehow, it does
not fit in with his record as lawyer,
a soldier and unofficial diplomat. This
business of relieving the tired top
officials of the burden of reading dull
reports and inventing Illuminated
globes through which the course of
the war can be made clear to them in
color without the weary routine of
wading through lot of words-some-
how, that hardly appears the kind of
thing the colonel was supposed to do
or that he would care about doing.
M##
There is ground for believing that
this glittering globe idea is not one of
Colonel Donovan's own. 1t seems more
reasonable to believe that it emanated
from some of the brilliant young lit
erary lights who adorn his staff. Or,
possibly, it may have come from Capt.
Jimmy" Roosevelt, who recently be-
came his assistant, and whose meteoric
moving picture career easily may have
developed in him both taste and talent
for technicolor propositions. In some
quarters there is a disposition to De
derisive about this dazzling idea; to
regard it as rather juvenile exhibi-
tion of misdirected zeal. At any rate,
it has the merit Of novelty. Whether
it is ever put into operation seems un-
certain. 1t also seems uncertain that if
it were it would greatly help in our
policy of aiding the British to crush
Hitler
The other scheme is a new Federal
agency-the coffee of Facts and Fig
ures," which, it is announced, the
President is about to create and which
the erudite and attractive Mr.. Archi-
bald MacLeish is to be asked to head.
There is some mystery about whose
idea this is, too. Certainly it did not
come from Mr.. MacLeish, whose tai
ents, great as they are, would not seem
to run in this direction. 1t is stoutly as
serted that the new agency is not to
censor other agencies. 1t is not to be a
super-publicity or propaganda affair.
1t is not to interfere with or supercede
any of the numerous existing publicity
and propaganda bureaus. These are to
continue to function as before Yet,
the new board is to coordinate all
these publicity activities and see chat
the American people get the facts"
*mst
The scheme is little hard to grasp.
There already exists in the defense
organization the largest, the most
elaborate and expensive publicity bu-
reau any government has ever had. 1t
is headed by Mr.. Robert Horton and
will spend close to million dollars
this year. 1t reeks with high-powered
press agents, radio experts and movie
men. 1t supervises all the other pub
licity bureaus, and its job is to see
"that ae American people get the
facts" 1t actually publishes a weekly
magazine with that end in view. All
defense publicity is supposed to be
directed by Mr.. Horton, and all de-
fense press agents were supposed to
have been coordinated under him.
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Then, there is the Office of Govern
ment Reports, which, upon Presiden-
tial insistence, was given this year an
appropriation Of $1,500000 wi t h
which to expand. Most persons would
think that the expansion, under the