Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-14

some hurriedly- called conference, he
takes home work back with him.
More and more, as new war fronts
open around the globe, the nature
of the War Department staff duties
becomes more exacting and more
demanding on both time and ener-
gies.
Hence the private dining room,
for one thing. Officials working late
into the night can gather around
its tables to continue their con-
ferences. For official entertaining,
which is necessary at times, Mr..
Stimson or Gen. Marshall can have
the guests for dinner in the ex-
ecutive Offices instead of taking
time to 60 to downtown hotel.
The dining room and kitchen,
across the hall from Mr.. Stimson's
private Office, are the only rooms
now in readiness. The kitchen
faces on another corridor and is
abosit the size of one In an ordinary
Washington home. It is electrically
equipped and the two Army cooks
so busily engaged in it yesterday
took pride in its modern appoint
ments.
There is large electric re-
frigerator that would delight any
hotel chef But the pride of the
kitchen staff is the electric steam
table. 1t is so equipped that little
steam-heated food carts can be
wheeled into Mr.. Stimson's office
if he is too busy to take time off
for a meal in the dining room. The
dining room equipage includes
white china marked with the crest
of the war Office, with carpeted
floors and curtained windows. It is
decorated in simple taste suited for
formal or informal occasions.
Mr.. Stimson and Gen. Marshall
will have adjoining Offices in the
Pentagon Building as they have
now in the Munitions.
They can come and go by private
elevator. One of the push buttons
in the elevator also is for Secre-
tary Knox who will be located di.
rectly overhead. The elevator con-
meets with the executive garage in
the basement of the mammoth
building.
An interesting feature of Mr..
! Stimsons Office is the arrangement
for war maps. There are half a
dozen panels, IL by 8 feet, on which
the maps for the general staff may
be pinned. Each of these panels is
attached to a runway so that it may
be pushed out of sight into a recess
in the wall when not in use.
Office in Gray.
Mr.. Stimson's Office, more than
twice the size of his present one. is
finished in gray tones. On one side
are offices for his personal staff.
The elevator opens into lobby con-
Meeting his Office with Gen. Mar
shall's and there is an ante room
for visitors.
His personal apartment suite, if
he chooses to use it for that purpose,
is convenient to his work office.
There is shower and tiny ward
robe room; another room that could
be utilized as an emergency bed
room and a living room. No furni-
ture has been installed as yet nor is
it known for certain that there will
be any household furniture.
Gen. Marshall's Office, slightly
smaller. also is provided with a
shower and wardrobe room. These
latter contain mirror and chest of
drawers for clothes and ample closet
F.! room.
The executive Offices are the prize
offices in the Pentagon Building.
where window space for Offices is at
a premium. They overlook the river
and the main entrance to the build
ing, at which point a maze of paved
roadways Is being constructed.
Directly across from Mr.. Stimson
and Gen. Marshall is the general
staff conference room, business
like room without any frills. It is
there, no doubt, that the Secretary
will hold his weekly press confer
ences. Some of the most momen-
tous decisions Of the war probably
will be made in this conference
room, where each general and chief
OF bureau will have his marked
chair.
Escalators Convenient.
Escalators running from the
ground floor are conveniently placed
and extend also to Secretary Knox's
future once home.
Maj. Gen. Alexander D. Surles,
director OF the War Departments
Public Relations Bureau, has Offices,
which were occupied yesterday. on
.the second moor under Mr.. Slim.
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