The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-10-05


 been trying to make the most of a feud between Army and WIPE over who is to be, the real boss of war production.
 The fact that Nelson takes man from the Army, even though that man be 8 civilian, is therefore translated into a touchdown for WIPE and shutout for Army. In such manner are Washington feuds supposed to be scored.
 Wise guys at the War Department just smile at this particular bit of Inaive exporting, for the Army brass hats think they know where the Eb- erstadt sympathies and interests lie and if anything, the Eperstadt move gives the Army better in at WBP than it had before.
 But all this talk of feud between Army and WIPE is lot of balder- dash anyway, for if this war is to be won on the home front, it will be won by all these water boys carry ing the bucket for the same varsity team.
 IT'S VERSATILE SQUAD
 The fact that man can be trans ferred from "rmy to WIPE or vice versa-as in the cases of Douglas MacKeachie and William H. Harri- son, former WIPE directors of Pur- , chases and Production, who were given commissions and jobs in the Army-is a healthy indication that this is versatile squad, where a man can play end or half or where ever he is needed most.
 Why the Ecerstadt appointment to WIPE will cause more future com ment will come from reasons ether than its relation to any real or im- aginary jealousies between the man. agerial material.
 In the first place, this appoint ment indicates another revision of the priorities system = the fourth Purchasing agents and manufac- turers of private business who have to wrestle with these govern ment priorities problems can groan as much as they like about that hoping in the meantime that here at last is a man who will have the answers. First was Stettinius, then Nelson. then Knowlson and Bait with the Production Requirements Plan, and now Eberstadt.
 Giving to Ferdinand Eberstadt this Herculean labor of moving mountains of materials and even mountains of materials which may not be there, brings into the lime light a man who thus far in his Washington career has been bale to shun it. The joint Army and Navy Munitions Board is fairly secretive organization - s m l. though with broad powers. A man can do a lot of important work there without ever receiving wide at- tention.
 But as head man assigned the job of completely recognizing the allocations of scarce materials tc essential industries, seeing that they all have what they want when they want it, MT. Eberstadt steps right out in front of the grandstand to atch all the brick-batS that can be thrown at him.
 NOT USUAL WIPE TYPE
 Eberstadt's background is any thing but the specifications WIPES best friends and severest critics have been touting as the ideal WIPE type. He is not an engineer nor s technical man nor a production man. He is an ivestment banker right out of Wall Street, a man who made his fortune in the lean years of the depression by underwriting the stock issues of middle-sized cor porations.
 He came up through Dillon Read and a disastrous experience with Otis (. Go. in the grandiose schemes of Cyrus Eaton, to head his own firm. He is a Columbia lawyer out of Princeton.
 In his new role in the Washing ton bull ring mad china shop he can be acclaimed or sent back tc pasture.
 It all depends on what he can do to bring order out of the exist ing chaos.