Evening star., 1943-06-13
The Power
Of Harry Hopkins
By ODen L. Scott.

delegate to others more of the RESPONSE
bility for running the civilian side of
the war. This delegation of power is
made necessary by the growing volume
of strictly war and postwar problems
that now must be dealt with.
Mr.. Roosevelt has chosen two men to
act for him on many domestic issues.
Those two men are Justice James F.
Byrnes, as head of the new Office of
War Mobilization, and Judge Fred Vim
son, as head of the Office of Economic
Sterilization. The job of Mr.. Byrnes
and of Mr.. Vinson is to keep the various
war agency Gears" in line on matters
of policy.
Some of these czars, however are not
ing what they regard as strange signs.
They find that important national poll
cies are being decided, in which they
have very direct interest, without con-
sultation with them. In other words,
an official who must execute a program
under great difficulties discovers that he
simply is told that this program is de-
cided upon without being given a chance
to give his opinion concerning whether
that program is feasible or desirable, or
even possible.
Then the czars, who have very direct
relations with Justice Byrnes, have dis
covered that he was simply carrying out
orders in announcing, among other
things, a price rollback on meats and
butter, or broad program of food price
subsidies without consultation with the
men who must finance and execute those
difficult policies. Pursuing the matter
further, some of the czars now have
concluded that the real power in do
mestic policy matters is tracing to Harry
Hopkins and to little group of officials
associated with him at the White House.
Mr.. Hopkins as the most intimate aide
to the President and as result of his
many years of experience at the White
House, is better able than Justice Ryrnes
to know exactly what it is that the
President wants. Then Mr. Hopkins has
very close ties, directly and through his
associates that range all through the
Government, while Justice Byrnes and
Judge Vinson have very small organiza-
tons
Ben Cohen, who is right-hand man to
Justice Byrnes, has been co-worker of
Mr.. Hopkins for many years. Judge
Samuel Rosenman, who handles matters
of Government organization, writing
orders that shift powers from one Off
clal to another, also is closely associated
with Mr. Hopkins. Then there are many
lawyers and other officials in key posi-
tlons all through the Government who
were selected by Justice Felix Frankfur-
ter and who maintain their contact at
the White House. Among them is Ed
ward Prichard, who is to be right-hand
man to Judge Vinson as Economic
Stabilizer.
Then, Mr.. Hopkins personally keeps
a close watch on the War Production
Board and he works with the joint chiefs
of staff. Probably no person in the Gov
ernment, not even the President, is so
Intimately acquainted right now with the
functioning OF the civilian war machinery
through the various Gears" and their
agencies
Harry Hopkins and the group of top
officials around him are taking direct
interest In several situations.
1t is this group that has most to do
with policies designed to combat infla-
ton. Some of the decisions of greatest
Importance were made without any con-
sultatlon either with the cars who must
carry out those decisions or with the
industries affected by them. Matters
OF wage policy and of farm price policy
also are determined by this top group,
with Justice Byrnes then acting to carry
out the policies
Likewise, Mr.. Hopkins and the group
he heads make the ma jor decisions affect
ing the division of materials between
civilians and the military. When there
is clash of interests that calls for
decision by the White House instead of
by Donald Nelson's War Production
Board the decision is shaped often by
Mr.. Hopkins or his associates. The Army
and Navy have been pleased by the trend
OF White House decisions in this regard
More and more of Harry Hopkins at
tention now is turning to fourth-term
problems. 1t is from this group that the
things are being dropped that Henry
1914 Democratic ticket and that the
field is open to other hopeful candidates.
The purpose of this maneuver can be
to win back support of some party poll
ticians who have been straying, but
who are willing to come back if there is
hope OF reward. The President himself
never has indicated that he would seek a
different rllnninp mate in tho ava,,t of n
fourth-term candidacy.
The Hopkins group at the White House
is being severely criticized at this time by
many oldline New Dealers who have
not been among those in the most exclu-
slve inner circle. That criticism grows
from the fact that the White House has
been willing to sacrifice New Deal officials
without standing back of them Very
many New Dealers have been forced out
OF office lately under the fire of Congress.
Members of the Hopkins group explain
however, that war is not time in which
the White House can be expected to fight
for individual officials who are not able
to look out for themselves. It is a time,
too, when new reforms have to be
sacrificed in order to concentrate atten-
tlon on strictly war issues. They point
out that New Dealers now being forced
out may have their turn again when
peace comes back
Justice Byrnes, with no big organiza-
ton Of his own, is expected to direct the
civilian side of the war. The men who
must do the actual operating of civilian
l.