The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-05-14
BY PETER EDSOk
Monitor-L eoder Washington
Correspondent

stories, foiY toIes, wartime
rumors and asserted plain and
fancy lies die harder in your
nations copitoI than any
where else outside the gossip
morts Of Hollywood and cote
society. Give q good gal q bod
name and any other mud
sIung in her direction will stick
to enhance her i'll repute, and
all the press oeentry and cos
metic whitewosh in the world
ore required to restore even q
sembIonce Of the pre-smeor
purity. The same thing goes
for men in public life. A cor
rection never quite catches up
with the original version, and
two recent incidents in Wash
ington have strikingIy empho-
sized this moxim.
The first concerns Jesse
Jones, secretary Of commerce.
Six months ago he unQues-
tionobly was one Of the two
or three most importont men
in Washington. Then some Of
the Jones made defense con-
tracts for aluminium and rub
Der and other war supplies
we're criticized and the people
within the administration who
didn't like Jones built q lot Of
bonfires under the Jones scot
Of power.
When the President trans
ferred some Of the federal
mortgage activities into the
new National Housing Agency
in an effort to centroIize the
woefuIIy scattered and fright
fully inefficient housing pro-
gram, the onti-Jones clique set
up q yell that Jones was re-
Pudioted.
When the Jones title Of
Federal Loan Administrator
was abolished and the agencies
in that set-up we're transferred
TO the Department Of Conn.,
nerce, the cry was roised that
Jones was through.
When q presidential order
gave the Board Of Economic
Warfare the power to issue d.
receives to these loan agencies,
the shout arose that Jones
was busted and the inference
was that be should resign.
ne FOOLS EN-
Well, Jesse is still doing
business at the same old stands
only more Of it. He still con-
trolls his checkOooks ord this
matter Of issuing directiVes
turns out to be nothing more
than the power TO work with
the Jones agencies and tell
them 10 finance operations in
places and situations they
haven't been working before.
As q matter Of fact, the
Board Of Economic Warfare
had to take q little setback
when Secretary Of State Cor
dell Hull returned from Voco-
ton and forced q showdown
on the principle that if deals
we're TO be made with foreign
governments, the State De-
pertinent would have to op-
prove them and make them.
Even then the full story didn't
come out. BEW had to take
the rap for this chiseIing in on
State Department functions,
but others we're equally gull
ty. Among them, the Office
Of the Petroleum Coordination
the Hon. Harold |. Ickes-
which had vast ombtior< ~
running the worlds oil supply
and dreamed Of sending out
diplomatic missions Of its own
to do it. The slap BEW took
in public really was delivered
behind the scenes to Ickes.
The second case Of q WASH
ineton legend never quite
catching up with itself con-
Germs Lowell MeIIett, director
Of the Office Of Government
Reports. Early in the defense
effort, q slick paper mag
ozine printed O piece to the
effect that MeIIett wos to be
chief censor, minister Of
propaganda, the George Creel
Of the present wor All the de-
malls that MeIIett has mode
never have removed from him
this brand and stigma Of on
American OoebbeIs.
KNOW THEIR ANSWERS
Currently, Office Of Gov
erppoe,,t PeDor+e boc moved