Evening star., 1942-06-18
.DoI|ar-a-Year
Men in WPb
.Hit by Truman
Changes in Personnel
Urged by Report;
Failures Cited

Charging that the war effort
has been "hampered" by the rep
resentatives of big business"
brought into the Government,
the special Senate committee in
vestigating national defense to-
day said changes were needed
lin both the organization and
personnel Of some branches and
divisions in the War Production
Board"
The committee, headed by Senator
Truman, Democrat. Of Missouri, said
there had been damaging delay"
in the conversion of major civilian
industries to war purposes, and
added that the WPB had not meas
ured up to its responsibility.
The report was particularly criti-
cal of Philip D. Reed, chief of the
WPB Bureau of Industry Branches.
declaring he had not taken "the
necessary action to obtain the maxi
mum conversion of private industry
to war production in the shortest
possible time"
Partially Upholds Guthrie.
In this connection. the committee
upheld part of the charges against
WPB by Robert P Guthrie, who
resigned March IA from the WPB
executive staff with a protest that
some dollar-a-year men had i'm
peded the war production program
because of private interests.
Mr.. Reed was Mr.. Guthrie's i'm
mediate superior when Mr.. Guthris
and his friends quit WPB, and the
report said Mr.. Reed was serving
WPB 'on a dollar a-year basis, on
leave from his position as chairman
of the board of the General Electric
Co.. from which company he is
presently receiving a salary and
bonus totaling s120 900 per year"
The committee has not been i'm
pressed with Mr.. Reeds ability or
accomplishments" the report said.
Will Abolish Some Jobs. .r
Shortly after the report was made
public WPB spokesman predicted
an extensive organizational re-
alignment" of the agency within q
month, which inevitably will bring
the abolition of some jobs"
But, the unnamed spokesman en-
phasized. the changes probably
would not be based on the Truman
criticism
WPB Chairman Donald NJ Nell
son refused to comment on Senator
Truman's demand for changes in
men and methods at WPB, but
sources close to Mr.. Nelson indi-
Gated that the realignment might
effect some of the changes Senator
Truman asked.
The WPB spokesman pointed out
that a Special Office of Organiza-
tional Planning. headed by DR.. Lu-
ther Gulick director of the Co.
lumbia University Institute OF
Public Administration. was estab-
lished within WPB May IA to work
out the new setup.
At that time. Mr. Nelson de-
clared that Dr. Gulick would iron
out any kinks in the administrative
structure" of WPB. to prevent top
heaviness and to get this war job
done in the quickest and most
efficient way"
Senator Truman asserted that q
change in both the organization
and personnel of some branches and
divisions in the WPB" was neces-
sary. There were indications that
such changes would be inevitable.
since many industry branches no
longer have any civilian industries
to work with.
Restrictions Urged.
Recommending additional re-
strictions on big business execu-
tives now serving in the war-pro-
Guction effort, the Senate commit
tee said it believed that the
Guthrie case points to the con-
clusion that certain dollar-a-year
men within the Bureau of Industry
Branches (of WPB) are unable to
divorce themselves from their sub
conscious gravitation to their own
industries
Senators said these conclusions
were based on both public and
closed hearings into charges made
by Mr.. Guthrie and others. In
cluded were details and critical sur
veys of these industries: Refrigera-
tors. radios, metal furniture, metal
signs and kitchen utensils. laundry
equipment, metal toys and games,
(See TRUMAN, Page AID