Evening star., 1942-01-14
A Welcome Move

In announcing MS lnCenIlOH 10 re-
vamp the war production setup and
to confer upon Donald M. Nelson
full authority to make and enforce
decisions, the President has taken
a step which will be welcomed
throughout the country as convinc-
ing evidence that this Government
has settled down in earnest to the
grim business of winning the war.
1t has taken long time to get to
this fourth and, one may hope, flnal
reorganization of the Nations de-
tense machinery. Throughout the
period when we we're getting ready
for war the direction Of the defense
program rested upon a division OF
authority and a divided response
bility which resulted inevitably in
fumbling, wasted effort and con-
fusion. But that is water over the
dam. With the country actually at
war, the President has acted prompt
ly and decisively. And he has acted
with the great advantage Of having
had ample opportunity to study and
appraiSe the man he has chosen to
be the sole boss OF the procurement
and production phases of the war
effort. This in itself, is OF consider
able importance, for Mr.. Roosevelt,
having made up his mind after ma
ture reflection that Mr.. Nelson is the
man for the tremendous job which
is to be intrusted to him, is not apt to
be easily persuaded that his choice
was a bad one.
Certainly there is nothing in Mr..
Nelson's record to indicate that the
President has picked the wrong man.
In his appraisal of the magnitude of
the task confronting the country, he
has been clear-eyed and farsighted.
AS long ago as last May he was
warning the American people that
you can't stop a panzer division
with a row Of electric refrigerators,
and was calling for sevenfold in
crease in our military program. At
that time such proposal, involving
a drastic curtailment Of civilian pro-
duction and an annual military out
lay of s35 900 100000, was widely re-
garded as preposterous. But Mr..
Nelson stuck to his guns and, far
from retreating, continued to boost
his estimate as the war clouds
gathered.
In politics he is a Democrat, and
is considered by some to be a New
Dealer. But by no stretch OF the
imagination can he be classed with
those visionaries who would use the
war program to revamp the Ameri-
can industrial system. Essentially,
he is a businessman who worked his
way up from furnace-tending job
to a $70,000-ayear post as head OF
one of the country's largest mail
order houses. He has acquired the
habit of success, and he knows his
way around-both in Government
and in business. When he became
executive director Of the Supply
Priorities and ALLEGATIONS Board some
four months ago, he made his posi-
ton clear. II may make mistakes in
this new job" he said, but if I'm
right 80 per cent of the 1me I'll be
more than satisfied. would rather
make some mistakes anu get the big
Job done than to make no mistakes
and jeopardize the whole works"
That was the philosophy of man
who had already caught the eye of
Bernard M. Baruch, chairman of the
War Industries Board of the first
World War and a consistent and Wig
orous advocate of one-man control
In this conflict Sizing up S. P. A. BIS
new executive director, Mr.. Baruch
ventured the opinion that Donald
Nelson may be the man." He seems
to have been good prophet.