Evening star., 1941-07-21

| mission, three years alter It's long
range program was launched, has
delivered only 81 out of 500 mer-
chant ships projected, and that its
first emergency cargo boats are
not. due for service until December.
In the meantime, should Russia
be defeated, Britain might well be
fighting for its life against invasion
by next September, and be tempted
| to ascribe the disaster to the fall
ure of the United States to keep
promises of help so airily rendered
by Mr.. Hopkins and other official
| spokesmen. BY analogy with the
Vichy government, some successor
to Winston Churchill might be eX-
pected to use the unkept pledges of
the United States as justification
for Britain's entrance into the Nazi
New Order"
Work Division Suggested.
A current suggestion for improv-
ing the organization of o. E. M. is
| that Leon HenderSon's double func
tions as price-fxer and admins
traitor of civilian supplies are largely
incompatible and should be divided
between two men. The job is said
to be too onerous for one pair of
shoulders, even if they are as mas
sive as Mr.. Henderson's. During
the first World War Robert S.
Brookings, chairman of the Price
Fixing Committee, was deliberately
placed in majestic aloofness from
the activities of the War Industries
Board. He was a member of the
board. but his committee was the
only division of the industrial de-
fense organization which was not
subordinate to Bernard M. Baruch.
Mr. Henderson's duties as admin
istrator of civilian supplies tend
constantly to involve him in heated
controversies with Mr.. Knudsen
over the ALLEGATION of available re-
sources to civilian or defense con-
sumption. It is related that when
Mr.. Knudsen recently called a COM
mittee from the motor car industry
to meet him on Wednesday, Mr..
Henderson promptly summoned
them to appear before him a day
earlier, on Tuesday.
The suspicion is inescapable that
Mr.. Hopkins was instructed to en-
ploy with the British public the
same technique which the admins
tration has consistently manipu-
lated at the expense of the Ameri-
can people. This consists of mask
ing delays and deficiencies in de-
fense production by means of brand
ishing astronomical figures Of ap-
preparations and contracts.
Contract Letting Stressed.
At hand is current release of
Stacy May, chief of the Research
and Statistics Bureau of the once
of Production Management. With
| flourish of satisfaction, it is an
nounced that the program of defense
spending has now reached total
of 1888 100000 Anticipating an
imminent request for a second ap-
preparation of $1,000, 100000 for lend
lease aid, Mr.. May, in an address
during the week, estimated that
the sum in the near future may rise
to an aggregate of $1,000 ,000, 900 or
more. Out of moneys appropriated
and authorized, he proclaimed, ST.
296, 100000 has already been obli-
gated under American and British
contracts.
These statistics are presumably
accurate, but they are grossly mis-
leading as to the truth of the
Nations preparedness situation. In
such releases as that of the Bureau
of Research and Statistics all men,
ton is studiously suppressed of the
proportion of these appropriations
and contracts which is represented
by actual deliveries.
In fact. o. P. Ms roseate an
nouncements might be accepted as
rejecting real accomplishments If
no one took the trouble to check
them against statements of disburse-
ments which are buried obscurely
in daily reports of the Treasury
Department. The writer has en-
countered veteran Washington cor