Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-24
Draft Chief
Still Needs
Appointment
In Everything But Name
Hershey Is Director
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON


hope of some New Dealers 10
supercede Gen. Lewis Hershey
as director of selective service
the draft TO you.
/ was a little chagrined be-
cause l was all wound up TO do
that myself and / don't like to
be a copy-cat. But since il hap
pens 10 be my speciality and
certainly is a matter of national
interest invading many homes
and having other angles, / think
l shall take crack at il any
way.
AS a matter of fact. General
Hershey is not now and never
had been diFector-only acting"
director. DR.. Clarence Dykstra,
president of the University Of
Wisconsin, was the only director
appointed.
That appointment was partly
the New Deal monkey business.
too. The obvious appointment
was Maj Gen. Allen Gullion.
judge advocate general, with
Hershey as deputy. 1t was OBJ
vious because Gullion had been a
key-man in the first draft and
knew the problem fore and aft.
and because all precedent
pointed 10 a quasi-iudicial di-
rector with enough military
knowledge TO act as a balance
between the military and civilian
requirements of the problem.
LOR this reason, in the highly
successful draft of the first
world war, Judge Advocate Cen
eral Enoch II Crowder.- was
also head Of the draft. Avoid
ance of an about military man
and the military type of control
was indicated by the failure of
the civil war draft due 10 many
military press gang methods.
But the New Dealers wanted
finger in that pie They would
not stand for Gullion. They
thought Doctor Dykstra was in
their camp. So he became direc-
tor. Hershey. then a colonel, had
no actual experience in the
draft but had so soaked him
self in study Of the World War
draft that he knew and be-
lieved in its principles. As well
and religiously as Gullon Doc
tor Dykstra made hlm assistant.
1t all turned out perfectly.
Doctor Dykstra at once per-
ceived that the plans were as
carefully and correctly prepared
as was possible and, that Her
Shey was ideally suited 10 carry
them out. So he wisely and un-
selfishly delegated all his au-
thority 10 Hershey and has him.
self been little more than
name in the organization having
been almost continuously alb
sent.
IN THE meantime. the draft
Il has been the best executed Of
all the defense efforts II was
in no sense experimental and
no socializing theories have been
given place in its admlniStra-
ton. The process has been en-
tirely democratic. the blunders
and failures are few. and the
country has complete confidence
in its administration.
1t does great credit 10 General
Hershey. just as giving him the
opportunity TO do the job does
great credit TO the wisdom and
patriotic unselfishness Of Doctor
Dykstra.
But if ever man deserved
credit and official recognition of
his fine work for the country by
promotion and appointment as
actual director of his own work.
that man is Lewis Hershey. He
is not a particularly ambitious
man and cares nothing for fuss,
feathers and military title.
He would doubtless be entirely
satisfied TO let the situation rock
along as II is in his position as
acting" director. No harm
would follow if that we're done.
DUT IT, as some observers
~ suspect, an inexperienced
civilian of ultra-nth New Deal
type of social experimenter were
brought in TO take Doctor Dyk-
stras place and began theo-
retical meddling with an opera
ton that is being well done, II
would cause the greatest dismay
and dissatisfaction in the army,
and as Mr.. Krock says land /
agree) throughout the country.
There are signs and rumors OF
such an event but. on all the
facts. il seems so unwiSe. unjust
and Just plain cockeyed that I
can't believe the President would
consider il for a moment. And
yet why has Hershey been for
so long only acting director?
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