Evening star., 1942-01-09

Already telling 1 ''$f
their people that David Lawrence.
the program is fantastic. So are
the Italians The Japanese never
believed the United States was as
ready as it pretended to be in the
Pacific. The American people, how
ever. are being tod again that every
thing will be all right in the long
run-and it will be, but only after
there is some house cleaning in high
quarters here in Washington.
The real trouble is that the idea
OF a debating society exists where
single administrators should be set
up. The President doubtless has
been too busy to get around to
the job OF organizing production
and supply at home as he has
been necessarily occupied with
conferences with Prime Minister
Churchill
But the time is approaching when
decisions will have to be made Thus
the industry-management confer
ence in the auto industry proved to
be 4 mere repetition\ of the New
Deal and anti-New Deal conflict of
pre-war days. The c. 1. o. and
now the A. F.. L. want the pro-
duction program to be managed
In large part by council OF equal
number of representatives Of indus
try and labor who will debate how
production shall be obtained. And
yet when it comes to buying, these
same labor leaders urge a central
procurement agency outside the War
and Navy Departments.
Uniforms Might Serve.
Mr.. Roosevelt has asked Congress,
too, to set up single individual
price administrator but he has not
yet tackled the question of divided
authority and councils and boards
In the defense agencies which ought
to be headed up by administrators
with definitely outlined authority.
The best thing that could possibly
happen in Washington would be to
put most of the persons concerned
with the defense agencies into uni
forms and make them part of the
Army and Navy. Even the labor
leaders ought to be asked to don
uniforms and be given high rank,
along with prominent business exec
utives. so that everybody would be
tntegrated into the war program on
the same basis. The idea OF pre-
serving allegiances either to labor
unions or business organizations
while a war is being fought makes
for too many complications and en-
barrassments. 1t is the duty Of the
War Department to decide what
weapons it wants and when it wants
them made. 1t is the duty of the
War Department-and the Navy De-
partment, too, for that matter-to
issue contracts and place them
where the work will be most expedi-
tiously done.
The entrance of too many civilians
with business and labor affiliations
offers the same difficulty as the
placing Of political-minded persons
In high ONCE. The other day c&b-
met officer was given list of pros
pective persons for an important
activity related to defense and he
Is reported to have asked that cer-
tain names be stricken from the list
because the individuals were not
POLITICALLY acceptable"
No Room for Politics.
This sort of approach is bad for
the consummation of any war pro-
gram. Capitol Hill also has been
interfering with the proper handling
OF defense contracts by attempting
to satisfy this or that pressure group
or organization or band of constit-
usnts.- II this is q war such as the
President describes, there is no room
In it for politics Of any kind, party
politics or personal politics or group
selfishness.
When will the President begin to
develop a unified command on the
economic front? Production Is the
aH-important thing in the second
World War. Unfortunately, there
are too many signs that reform as
usual and the New Deal as usual
are considered important by persons
high up in the administration. Un-
less all Americans, irrespective of
political Affiliations, are treated the
same. and the same goal is held aloft
namely, the accomplishment of the
victory program-there may be sad
news for the American people at
the end Of 1912.
The President has done master
full job in international policy and
in presenting the American case to
the world, but he has yet to prove
that he knows how to be capable
Commander in Chief at home.
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