Evening star., 1941-03-02

this Republic the British have landed in
numbers and taken the Capital. But this
time it is peaceful invasion of military
and civilian experts, f1anked by several
corps of secretaries, clerks and inspectors,
who have come to coordinate the war
effort of the United States with that of
Great Britain.
The biggest organiza tion-the British
Supply Council in North America-has
staff of more than 1,500, most of them in
Washington. 1t took only about twice
that many redcoats to defeat the Amer
leans at the battle of Bladensburg in the
War of 1872. From Bladensburg they
marched on the Capital with decidedly
hostile intentions.
The present-day invaders are bursting
with good will working to bring about
the highest degree of cooperation in
British and American production efforts.
The list includes some of England's best
brains, men who have won distinguished
rank in several fields. And titles come
at 10 cents a dozen, with virtually every
other executive knight or a baron
Scramble for Office Space.
The Britishers have had a scramble to
find Office space in crowded Washington.
They have taken over apartments, pri-
vate dwellings and an entire floor of the
Willard Hotel. 1t is not surprising to
find Sir so-and-So with his Office in part
of a bathroom-plumbing fixtures re-
moved-with his secretary occupying
what has been serving pantry and his
staff in the former living room of the
apartment. All this is reminiscent of
the N. R. A., when Washington was full
to bursting, but not so crowded as is the
city today, what with the British in
vasion and the defense boom
1t is big business, of course, that the
British are conducting very big business.
AS measure of the scope of operations
of the Supply Council an average of $500
cablegrams day go in and out of the
councils various Offices in Washington
and New York.
Besides the Supply Council, there are
several British press organizations in
this country, all of limited scope. The
SCAAtA al SNlC1ItAA4S O111CC lldS live SCltIl-
lists in the United States to coordinate
wartime research. A small group from
the British Treasury, headed by Sir
Frederick Phillips, is working with Sec
retary Morgenthau. Representatives of
the chancellor of the exchequer are in
New York nquidating British securities.
Shipping experts from the Admiralty
and from private ship companies have
extensive New York offices.
Diplomatic Staff Expanded.
All this is in addition to the diplomatic
representation which has been greatly
expanded since the start of the war.
The huge British Embassy on Massa-
chusetts avenue is being enlarged to
take care of the new secretaries and at
taches on special mission. Lord Halifax,
as Ambassador. is the real policy making
spokesman, but there are many other
Britishers assigned to duties that are
almost as important.
Included within the Supply Council
are three organizations of primary i'm
portance: The British Purchasing Com
mission, the British Air Commission and
the delegation from the Admiralty. The
Purchasing Commission stems from the
Ministry of Supply, an important branch
of the Churchill government in London.
At the head of the Supply Council in
America is Arthur B. Purvis.
Purvis is a self-made man with a wide
range of business experience. Born in
England, he left school at rather early
age and went to Canada to make his
fortune. Unlike so many other Brit
ishers who go there with the same OBJ
jective, Purvis succeeded. At Is he was
manager of the Canadian branch of an
important chemical firm. He became
head of Canadian Industries, Ltd, which
is part of Imperial Chemical, world
wide combine. Purvis has been in Can
ada since 1922 and considers himself a
Canadian.
1t was but step upward to his present
post, since he has been head of the Brit
ish Purchasing Commission almost from
the outbreak of the war. The latter Of
flee has now been filled by Sir Give
Baillieu. who has just come from Eng