The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-08-09

not continue the offensive in Libya.
 The companies represented by the gentlemen seated around the table of the Tank committee have done an excellent job of produc- ing tanks. They are turning them out more quickly than the Army expected. But even so, when they reach full production they reach full production they will only produce about 300 tanks a month.
 At this rate, which will not be reached for another year, 1t will take two years to match the reserves accumulated by Hit Ter.
 Therefore, the chief question facing the OPM and American industry is to speard out tank production among other factories: first, by letting smaller firms make tank parts on sub-contract; sec- Ond,. by drafting a great many other factories now making farm machinery, automobiles, etc, into tank production program.
 Without drastic action, and without curtaining the business as usual' program in other indus tries, no real speed up of the tank program will be possible. GERMAN-BORN
 TANK EXPERT
 Of all the men grouped around the Tank Committee conference table, the most interestin ..s a slender, boyish figure of about 40 who is manager of the Pressed Steel Car company and president of the Armored Tank Corpora tion.
 It happens that s. Bechhold was born in Germany, and fought in the Germany army during the last war. Yet no one in the group now working overtime to build tanks for use against Hit Ter is more determined ospeed production, more determined tfsat Hitler shall not win this war.
 BechhoId was the first pri- vate manufacturer of tanks in the United States. Prior to the
 outbreak of war, American tanks were manufactured only by the government itself in its arsenal at Rock Island, HI. Pri- vate industry, except for Bech- hold, did not go in for tanks.
 The story of how the German born Bechold reached a position of eminence and trust, where he now sits in on the military se- crets of the United States and Great Britain, illustrates the tra- ditional melting-pot theory Of the American system.
 FED UP WITH MILTTARISM
 Bechhold was sixteen when
 Bechhold was sixteen when drafted into the German army in 1916, saw desultory service for which he had no enthusiasm whatever, and like thousands of other German boys, got thorough ly fed up with the German mili- tary system. So in 1922, hav- ing saved up enough money for transatlantic passage, he came to America. @
 Landing in New York with $40 in his pocket, he got a job wrap ping pacKages at $14 week. Jobs were easy to get in those days," Becchold says. And study ing English at night he soon got to be a clerk in an export firm at $16 week, remained with the company four years until he was drawing a salesman,s sal- airy of $7O a week.
 By thata time he had saved enough money to go to Europe to set up agencies for the sale of technical equipment. This proved so successful that he spent part of his time in the United States. part in Europe for the next few, years.
 One of the things which im- pressed Bechhold during his visits was the maner in which one part of Europe was afming and the other part was blissfuiIy somnolent. Alarmed at thls, he established contacts at Che State Department and oyer ' refio6 of seKefeI years l1Hs 'n zss1lIea