The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-02-07

|
words" said Brewster, you're
ready to be the goat"
I'm ready to be the goat" Nelson
repeated after him and then added
that on this job, II have everything
to lose and nothing to gain
And thus Washington's newest po-
litical ghost died a-borning, just as
a few people in the capital were be-
ginning TO comment on how strange
it would be if President Roosevelt,
in making Nelson head of war pro-
duction, had created future politi-
cal opponent.
A NON-DUCKER
This ferthrightness of Nelson's in
facing issues squarely and doing
something about them before they
are surrounded with gossip is one
of the mans most admirable charac-
teristics. He doesn't duck questions.
He looks the person he's talking to
squarely in the eyes and he gives
straightforward, honest, non-eva-
sive answers. When he doesn't know
the answer, he says so frankly or
admits he hasn't had time to think
| it through.
These attributes of simple honesty
| have won for Nelson the confidence
which everyone in the government
seems to have for him now. There
are plenty OF Washington politicos
who question whether Nelson has
any more authority or power than
Knudsen had under the old OPM.
After all, it's the Army and Navy
- are actually going to let the
contracts just as they've always
done. But Nelson, through his abil-
ity to win confidence, and with that
confidence win cooperation, may
have what it takes to put over this
war production effort.
Nelson's ability to meet an issue
more than half way-his ability to
walk right up to a controversial
question and wrestle with it before
it has a chance to sneak up behind
his desk and throw him-was clear
ly demonstrated in his first appear
ance before the Truman Commit
tee. This committee was all set TO
raise hob about the 300 dollar-a-
year men and the 400 "wocs'-the
without compensation" consultants
in the war production organization.
The committee Investigators had
been digging on the past records of
these big shots temporarily working
for the government, and letters had
gone out asking for data on the war
contracts now held by the corpora
tons these do1lar-a-year and woo
men held stock in or were employed
by.
Furthermore, the Truman Com
mitteeS report of January IS had
some blistering comments on this
subject, expressing opposition to "a
policy of taking free services from
persons with axes to grind"
Knowing these things, one of Mel
sons first moves was to ask Senator
Truman for permission to testify
on his policy in hiring dollar-a-year
men and woes. The committee COM
piled and Nelson walked right up
to the dragon and slew it. The re-
suit is there won't be any expose
of potential misdeeds there big bus
inessmen might be committing be-
hind Uncle Sans back. Not for some
months, anyway. While the commit
tee differed with Nelson on his pol
icy, it was all done in the best Of
spirit and in the end the commit
tee told the war production boss to
go ahead and do the job the way he
thought it should be done. They'd
back him up.
OPPOSES BIG
PROFITS
On the question OF what to do
about excess profits of war contrac-
tors, Nelson has equally frank the
cries, and he meets congressional
committee queries on this point with
simple statements that while no
manufacturer is entitled to consider
able profits, every manufacturer and
every workman is entitled to fair
profits.
Where there is undue protit--and
there will be some in a lot of this
war production on which there is
no experience to base costs - then
the contract will simply be renego-
tiated to reduce the profits.
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