Evening star., 1941-08-19
Business Brains Worth
Millions Drawing
S175in Defense
Emergency Brings Keen
Production Minds to
lrksome Federal Work
BY CLARKE BEACH.

The Stars Special News Service.
For about SITS a year in salaries,
o. P. M is getting the services of
brains whose earnings normally
total 100000 to 100000 per
annum.
Watching these expensive minds
IA action has been an eye-opening
experience for some of the younger
officials Of the Office of Production
Management. They have learned a
lot Of surprising things about cap
tains of industry.
Whenever there is war or an
economic crisis, the dollar year
men converge on Washington. When
the President feels that the Nation
needs the administrative ability and
the expert knowledge of men sue
cessful in industry and business. he
personally invites them to take Gov
eminent jobs.
Talent Scouts Get Busy.
The first arrivals become talent
scouts. They Immediately get on
the long distance telephone and line
up other top-notch executives.
All the directors of the o. P. M.
are dollar-a-year men, and they
have about ITO others on their Staffs.
1t is not hard to persuade men to
take the positions. 1t is flattering to
any man to have the President sin
country needs. The men, in general,
are keenly aware of the seriousness
Of the present situation and wish to
do their patriotic duty.
The work isn't very pleasant. At
o. P. M. most of the erstwhile cap
tains of industry became small cogs
In a big machine A lot of them
long for the day when they are told
that the crisis is over and they can
60 home.
About so already have gone home
The official explanation is that they
had agreed to serve only for linn
tied period and that they couldn't
spare any more time from their
business.
Giving them a salary of 81 year
Is the Governments way of protect
ing itself against future claims
The law prohibits person from
giving anything to the Government.
If you want to turn over yacht to
Uncle Sam, you'll be paid at least
81 for it.
Can Draw Other Salaries.
The Government could offer to
give these men regular salary, but
the truth is that they make more
money by not accepting Govern
ment pay. At present o. P. M.
could not, under the law, pay any
man in the professional grade more
than $4,000 a year.
But nearly all the dollar-a-year
men retain their old jobs while
serving the Government, and they
collect their old salaries. This is
not true, however, in the case of
William S. Knudsen, o. P. M. direc-
tor, and Edward R. Stettinius, jr.,
director of priorities. Mr.. Knudsen
gave up his position as president of
General Motors, which paid $780,
900 a year. Mr.. Stettinius relin-
quished the $100, 0,000-a-year chair
snanship of United States Steel.
In addition to the ST., the dollar
A-year men get their transportation
paid to and from Washington, be-
sides $40 a day for living expenses.
There is another group of men
from private industry, many times
more numerous than the $1-a-year
men, and known as the wv. o. c."
group. They are the industrial,
business and labor leaders who
serve without compensation" but
who collect transportation money
and tie $40 a day expense fund.
Hundreds in Labor Division.
About 600 of them are working
under o. P. MS labor division, as
sisting in the training within in
dustry" program. They travel to
various plants and help set up
training classes in which workers
are taught higher skills.
There has been much criticism in
tabor circles and among some New
Deal liberals that, through the dol
Iar-a-year men, industry has moved
into the Government and taken over
the business of defense.
Some sincere and able observers
within o. P. M. say, however, they
have seen no evidence that the dol
lar men are consciously attempting
to benefit their industries or COM
panies through their operations with