Evening star., 1942-03-06
BIuckout
Continued From First Page.

sponsibility lodged in a single au-
thority to require action In accord
ance with that policy.
The hit-or-miss policy now in
effect, they believe. was given ample
demonstration during Tuesdays
blackout practice when some Fed
eral buildings made an effort to
comply with the blackout order,
though they had been officially ex-
cepted, and others showed so many
lights that Chairman Pat McCarran
of the Senate District Committee,
making a tour of inspection during
the practice blackout, declared they
made a perfect target for the enemy.
Some Federal buildings not under
P. B. A. have used their own funds
to prepare their windows for black
ing out, while some buildings under
P. B. A. have made repeated and
unfulflled requests for blackout pro-
visions in key Offices.
Might Arouse Resentment.
In one building, it was learned,
p. B. A. had some windows painted
black on Tuesday, removed the paint
the next day.
AS far as could be learned. the
Office of Civilian Defense, which has
labored with the Army and Navy to
devise blackout plans for various
strategic points throughout the
country and has studied the extent
of blacking out necessary in differ
ent areas and how it can be effected,
has not been consulted on the ques-
ton of blacking out Federal build
tngs.
Some public officials have ex-
pressed fear that the failure OF
Government buildings to black out
might arouse the resentment of
private citizens in Washington, en-
dangering the 100 per cent co-opera-
tion they showed in the Tuesday
practice. In some instances Tues
day, the bright lights of Federal
buildings reflected on the blacked
out windows of private citizens to
whom it had been explained that
blackout preparations now are the
only way to insure the continuation
of normal activities under blackout
conditions.
Mr.. Snyder said personally he
wouldn't mind sitting in the dark
for couple of hours if his Office
lights were switched out, but ad-
mitted a similar attitude could not
very well be assumed by the Chief
of Staff Of the Army.
Can "Just Turn Out Lights
If Washington began to have re-
peated raids, he said. P. B. A. would
install blackout curtains, but no
body has told us we will have raids
of long duration. Until we get
some, we can just turn out the
lights"
He wasn't sure whether P. B. A.
would go ahead under any circum-
stances if the Budget Bureau failed
to pass on to Congress the s25,000,-
900 estimate
Mr.. SNYDER declared that agencies
which felt certain Offices should be
blacked out should make their re-
quests to him and P. B. A. crew
would be dispatched to do the job
If P. B. A. felt the backing out was
really necessary.
This, apparently, is not as simple
as he indicates. Three weeks ago,
for instance, a requisition for black
out materials at least for one room
was sent to the P. B. A. from the
Office of Civilian Defense. That
room is occupied by James M.
Lands, o. C. D. director. Not only
have no blackout materials ap-
peared but one window has never
even been provided with regular
shade.
A buildings protection unit set up
by the P. B. A. at the request of the
President a month ago is making
plans, according to Mr. Snyder
One plan they have under way, he
said, is the rearrangement of mas
ter switches so that such points as
stairwells and already permanently
blacked-out strategic" spots such
as guardrooms and telephone ex-
changes would not be thrown into
darkness. This is still in the plan
ming stage despite the fact that
three months have elapsed since
war was declared.