Evening star., 1943-09-29

first-hand mar ~
ratives of eX- David Lawrence.
perien with American made
equipment by soldiers returned from
the Sicilian front-all tended to give
the distinguished group who at
tended an impression of America at
war which never before had been
vouchsafed any similar group.
The purpose was to impress the
audience with the tremendous Job
that lies ahead and to erase any
idea that the ending of the war is
just around the corner. There was
optimism and there was pessimism
There was business like presenta-
tion by each division of the War
Department of its work, and GER
tamly there was a better eXplana-
tion than has heretofore been avail
able as to why changes in specifica-
tions are made necessary by battle
front conditions.
There was emphasis, too, on the
failure to provide the weapons in
the quantity needed by given dates.
There was discussion of ways and
means of utilizing manpower more
effectively, of community planning
and organization to help the war
workers reduce absenteeism and to
persuade women to enter war jobs.
Success in Objective.
Altogether the whole conference
was success in its main objective.
The businessmen and labor leaders
went away convinced that the enor-
NOUS job ahead could be achieved
only If everybody did his part and
If there were neither laxity nor COM
placency on the production front.
The conference was carried on by
Undersecretary of War Robert Pat
terson, but he had several of the
Army chieftains presiding at various
sessions. From the very opening
session, when Gen. Marshall deliv-
cred an inspiring address followed
by some SOLDERING facts from Gen.
Strong, head Of the Military Intelli-
gence, the visitors knew they were
being told the truth about the war
situation in a manner they could
not have derived it from the frag-
mentary headlines or the necessarily
censored official statements or war
communicates.
After the conference was over.
some OF the speeches were issued
with certain military information
properly eliminated. but the persons
who attended realized they had been
given an overall view of what was
being done. AS Bernard M. Baruch,
who was one of the final speakers.
summed it up, the achievement of
industry and labor is one of which
the Nation can be proud. The job
done thus far is pretty good" he
said, but mot good enough"
1t Is unfortunate that more people
could not have heard the talks. One
wonders whether, minus certain
military informa tion, the talks and
graphs and maps and charts and
certain data could not be given the
American people regularly by the
War Department and perhaps also
by the Navy Department. It GER
tainly would help immensely in per-
suading the American people that
many OF the restrictions which now
disturb civilian life are necessary.
Merely to say, for instance, that oil
Is needed for military purposes isn't
enough. When one sees the whole
picture of how the needs of the
Army for gasoline are increased, the
resulting impression is a convincing
one.
Civilian Cooperation,
Somehow or other the people give
credence to the men in uniform who
are charged with the responsibility
OF conducting major operations. The
latter can do far more TO build uu
civilian cooperation behind the war
program than other agencies or
spokesmen can. This is not refiec-
ton on the civilians i it simply
means that the public is likely to
accept the outgivings of the War
and Navy Departments spokesnen
as more directly related to war oper-
ations Indeed, the two departments
may have been too conservative
heretofore and perhaps too cautious
in dealing with the public on the
subject of industrial production of
war weapons and what might be
termed industrial news.
The problems. of course, are over