Evening star., 1942-02-15
l0n|y Eight Agencies
Lay No Claim 10
Defense Status
All 10 Departments,
28 Other Offices on
War Work List

War Work List
Continued From First PageJ
mission had the same employe
total on both dates two. OF the
other seven non defense independ-
ent agencies. five increased their
personnel and two showed falling
of.
Not All Defense Links Clear.
At the time the Civil Service
Commission called on the various
agencies for q report on their de-
fense activities, 1t was intended to
fill the needs Of these on q 24-hour
basis. The commission directed
that q showing be made in each case
as to the connection the organiza-
ton had with the defense program,
and expected that perhaps no more
than eight or 10 establishments
would be involved, it was said in
formally yesterday.
It was quickly demonstrated, how
ever, that this was an underestimate
as applications poured in from ag-
encies all over the Government for
a defense status. In many In
stances, the tie-up between the
functions that an agency ordinarily
would be called upon to perform,
and those added duties that would
devolve on it because Of the arms
program, were so evident that there
was no question of their right to
defense classification. In other
cases, the connection was not so
clear, giving rise to the suspicion
that some OF the suddenly discov-
cred defense" functions bore less
relation to the arms program than
they did to the desire Of those re-
sponsible to edge into the develop
ing scene.
Expansion Is General.
BY February /, 1941, when the
commission first took over, State,
War, Navy and Commerce were all
defense; Treasury, Justice, Agricul-
ture, Interior and Labor were de-
voted partly to defense work, and
Post Once was outside. Other addi-
tions in that time included the Fed
eral Communications Commission
for work incident to surveillance OF
communicating 'channels-the en-
tire organization now is defense;
Federal Power Commission, Interna-
tional Boundary Commission, United
States and Mexico: Tariff Commis-
sion; parts of Federal Security and
Federal Works agencies; Tennessee
Valley. Veterans Administration and
selective service system.
The subsequent expansion, as is
evident, has been general.
Treasury Adds Functions.
Treasury which at first had q
group including Procurement, Coast
Guard, Customs and the policing
agencies, has added, among others,
Internal Revenue, Bureau of Ac-
counts, Division of Narcotics and
functions having to do with foreign
property. Still out are such units
as Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing, Bureau Of the Mint, Controller
Of the Currency and Bureau Of Pub
lie Debt.
Recent defense additions at In
terror included Fish and Wild Life
Service, Grazing Service, National
Park Service, General Land Office,
Bituminous Coal Division and Ofi1ce
Of Petroleum Co-ordinator. The
original listing at Interior included
National Power Policy Committee,
Reclamation Service, Bureau of
Mines, Geological Survey and Bonne-
vile Power Administration. Still
outside are such groups as Investi-
cations Division, Petroleum Con-
servation Division, insular and ter
ritorial administrative functions,
Antarctic Expedition and Thomas
Jefferson Memorial Commission.
C. C. C. Not Listed.
Federal Security Agency classified
a large number of functions as de-
fense activities early in the devel-
opment of the defense program, in
cluding National Youth Admins
tration and Social Security. Re-
cent additions were st. Elizabeth's
Hospital, Food and Drug Admins
tration and Defense Health and
Welfare Service. 1t was said at the
Civil Service Commission that the
Civilian Conservation Corps is not
listed as a defense unit by the Sc
curity Agency, nor is Works Prof.
ects Administration included in the
Federal Works Agency defense set
up. Left out of Federal loan defense
groupings, the commission report !
ed, are Export rt-Import Bank and
Electric Home and Farm Author
ity.
Other recent additions in the rest |
OF the executive branch include
Archives, Smithsonian Institution,
National Labor Relations Board,
Securities and Exchange Commits
sion, Federal Trade Commission,
Interstate Commerce Commission,
Employees Compensation Commits
sion and Federal Deposit Insur-
ance Commission.
Archives Explains Duties.
Illustrative of some of the. de-
fense functions described by the
several agencies to the Civil Service
Commission was the report of the
National Archives, which explained
it was caring for permanent, non
current records of national defense
R8gsa'