Evening star., 1942-11-29
|Manpower-Cabinet
Shifts May Involve
Children S Bureau
Gen. Knudsen Reported
Likely to Be Moved to
High WPB Post
BY JESSE O. IRWIN.

reau from the LABOR Depart
ment to the Federal Security
Agency was said by authoritative
sources yesterday to be part of
President Roosevelt's plan to re-
shuttle cabinet members and
agencies in order to place all
manpower functions in the La
Dor Department under Harold
Ickes, now Secretary of Interior.
Another report of authoritative
origin said 1t. Gen. William S.
Knudsen might be given a highly
responsible War Production Board
post as a part OF the cabinet
shake-up.
AS the functions of the Children's
Bureau, headed by Miss Katharine
Lenroot, run parallel to that of the
grants-in-aid children's program Of
the Social Security Board. its trans
fer to the Federal Security Agency,
of which the board is a member,
has been under consideration for
sometime.
The Labor Departments Woman's s
Bureau, headed by Miss Mary An
derson and responsible for plant
working conditions for women, will
not be affected by the prospective
transfer order, it was said.
Ickes Considers Acceptance.
Friends Of Mr.. Ickes reported last
night that he was pondering at his
Olney Md farm over the week
end whether to accept the combined
post Of Secretary of Labor and War
Manpower Chief.
These associates hinted strongly
that Mr.. Ickes had received a
formal tender OF the new assign
ment and indications mounted that
President Roosevelt was seriously
considering tfree-Way cabinet
shuffle No official statement was
available, however, beyond the
White House comment Friday that
the manpower question is being
studied
Usually reliable sources said the
plan was to combine in Mr.. Ickes
the powers presently held by Sec
retary Of Labor Perkins and Chair
man Paul V. McNutt Of the War
Manpower Commission Mr.. Nc
Mutt then would replace Mr.. Ickes
as Secretary Of the Interior and
petroleum co-ordinator. and Miss
Perkins would be given Mr. McNutt's
other position as Federal Security
administrator. In the Federal hier-
archy, this post is only slightly be-
low the cabinet, and the holder at
tends cabinet meetings.
The battle between Donald NJ
Nelson. War Production Board
chairman, and 1t. Gen. Brehon
Somervell, chief of the Army's Serv-
ices of supply, for control of war
production was highlighted by the
authoritative report that Gen.
Knudsen, former head Of the ONCE
for Production Management, might
be shifted to a highly responsible
WPB post
Knudsen Move Discussed.
Congressional sources, however,
said Gen. Knudsens transfer from
the Army's high command to WPB
would be contingent on whether Mr..
Nelson would retain control of air
craft production which he recently
delegated to c. E. Wilson. WPB
vice chairman Gen. Knudsen was
organizer and director general Of
the OPM until he was given an
Army commission, following re-
organization of the OPM.
While the NelSon-Somervell con-
troversy showed no signs of abating
hearings before the Budget Bureau
on 1884 appropriations requests
are reported to have revealed moves
by military authorities to absorb for
the duration of the war much of
the functions now carried on by
ernment agencies.
cranky declared one official,
"the Army has the ball and is at
tempting to run through the entire
field by employing the old hidden
ball trick"
Transfer of Troops Proposed.
The official. one of the country's
leading educators and president Of
a Midwestern university. refused to
permit his name to be used. but he
said he was referring to the an
nouncement yesterday by the Army
and Navy that they planned to
transfer 250000 soldiers and sailors
from barracks to classrooms of the
Nations colleges to begin intensive
courses. In making that announce
ment, military authorities refused
to reveal their program.
The armed services are about to
launch an education program" he
declared, but absolutely refuse to
let any one connected with other
agencies Of the Government in on
their secret. The result is every
education program and every COM
mittee on education in Federal Gov
ernment have been slowed to a
snails pace awaiting its announce
ment."
At the same time it was disclosed
that Federal Security Agency Off
cials were advised last week by
indirect method" that the Army
plans to start social disease pro-
gram which would require all such