Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-06-18
Chaos in OPM
Worries Top
Defense Men
Knudsen Asked 10 Seek
Presidential Solution
By PAUL MALLON

N
w Matters have come TO such
a point within OPM that one OF
the highest officials there tip
toed into top-man Knudsen's Of
flee few days back and urged
that he 60 to see the President.
The only solution he thought
possible was appointment of an
overall single directing head.
Whether Mr.. Knudsen would 60
or not. he did not say-which
probably means he won't
Several names have been men,
toned among officials. but of
course not at the confab of MIR.
KnudSen and his adviser, Some
insist FDR should call in a
dynamic personality like Wen
dell Willkie.
The New Dealers halfway
want Leon Henderson, the econ
omist price commissioner A
composite of these two political
and economic personalities would
no doubt furnish the ideal man,
hut apparently there is none
such.
Only other names loftily sug-
gcsted are those of Donald Mel
son. who has been the dynamo
Of OPM in the purchasing divi-
sion, and Bill Bait, OPM adviser.
THE basic trouble has become
l. widely enough known now 10
be no news-the division of au-
thority between OPM and the
war department. and between
the dollar-a-year men and New
Dealers.
Selection of a referee has long
seemed the obvious solution. but
resistance is strong and high.
Mr.. Roosevelt naturally does
not wish TO surrender all that
power to some one who could
run away with the ball. The
army, furthermore. wants to
play its own politics. not that
of some civilian director.
Most prom sing substitute
method being promoted inside
calls for creation of two new
boards. To handle all defense
purchases by the government.
there would be ministry of
supply along the British lines,
made up entirely of civilians.
This and all the rest of the de-
Tense setup would be topped by
an overall policy board to CO.
ordinate policies and plan ahead
Neither field is being handled
at all now. The various pur-
chasing gencies treasury,
army, navy, agriculture, OPM,
etc. not only do not coordinate
their efforts, but none knows
what the other is doing. Only
80 days back the OPM purchas-
ing division tpurely advisory
asked the other buying bureaus
to give it two weeks notice of
its intended defense buying. But
the OPM has no authority TO
command it and, therefore, is
not getting the results.
Most notorious example was
the War Department purchases
of vast quantities of aluminium
syrup pitchers and coffee pots
at a time when OPM was strain
inC to channel all aluminium
into plane production.
OFF1CIALDOM has no more
| ~ knowledge than you as to
why Hitler sank the Robin Moor.
One state department director
says:
Nobody hut Hitler or his
Guardian Angel, II any, knows
| Their speculation runs along
obvious lines:
That he was testing United
States policy, frightening the
government to keep its arms
from Britain, soaring the people
10 stay out of war The posi-
bility that the subcommander
could have misunderstood his
orders is considered remote. No
navy has that kind Of subcom-
manderS.
Whatever Htler's purpose
the effect has been TO let this
government do many things il
long has iiched TO do-freeze
Axis funds in the United States.
close its propaganda conSulates
and news organizations Acting
State Secretary WelleS' denia
of any connection between the
two events was merely made
for diplomatic purposes.
TIE government is slipping
L up quietly behind business
hoarders through the Census
Bureau. Orders have been ISSUED
whereby that agency will keeI
weekly running census o
stocks on hand. Suspicious
figures will be turned over Il
Hendersons price fixing bureau
for action.
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