Evening star., 1943-02-27
Nelson Seen
.Eigureheud
In WPB
Wilson Accepted
By left-Wineers,
Labor Politicians
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Donald Nelson has virtually abdi.
Gated as chairman of the War Pro.
duction Board He now Is only fig.
urehead, and full power has beer
assumed by Charles E. Wilson. who
holds the title of executive vice
chairman. Mr.. Wilson has been g
severe critic of the Army and Navy
organization and has been accepted
enthusiastically by certain labor
politicians and left wingers as being
sympathetic to their purposes.
This makeshift arrangement-and
most of President Roosevelt's deci-
slons have been makeshifts and in
handling the production side of the
war-merely means that the Nation
must wait till tens of thousands more
American boys are wounded or killed
for lack OF equipment and reinforce
ments and must wait till many more
billions Of dollars of precious war
production are sunk by submarines
Washington toward the major prob
lens that lie between us and victory.
Theoretically the business of max
Ing war is that of the Army and
Navy. But not in America. Here the
Army and Navy must sit submis-
sively and patiently waiting for poll
tics-as-usual, business usual, la
bor-as-usual and intrigue usual
to be exposed to public view before
the American people learn about the
scandalous situation which is epito-
mized SO frequently nowadays as
the battle of Washington"
Refuse to Face Facts.
The fight between the Army and
Navy on the one hand and the So
called civilian economy on the other
hand is nothing more nor less than
q refusal Of business, labor, poll
ticians on Capitol Hill and in the
administration to face the facts of
total war. Instead, the admins
tration allows inner conflicts to drift
on and on in the deluded hope that
somehow the victory can still be won
by an America "only ankle-deep in
war"
The crying needs of the hour are
more escort ships for the Navy, more
bombers for North Africa and the
Pacific, more cargo-carrying ships
to transport fighter planes, repair
parts, octane gas and supplies for
our overseas forces.
Distrust as between the WPB and
the Army and Navy is tragic COM
mentary on the lack of co-ordin-
ating influence in Washington that
all factions and groups should be-
lieve in and serve. One would think
to listen to press conferences and
arguments among high-ranking
civilians that the Army and Navy
we're enemies of the people or that
they were wholly without knowledge
of guns, planes or supplies.
"If the armed services" writes
a businessman, who is a partisan OF
Mr.. Nelson, in letter to this cor
respondent, could get out of their
heads that they know anything at
all about production that is not
20 years behind the times and con-
centrate their efforts on fighting
the enemy, we would see more
effective use of critical materials, a
greater output of war materials and
more Germans and Japs under the
sod"
Superficial View.
This is quoted not because the
source is particularly well-informed,
but because this comment represents
the superficial view which runs
through the WPB attack on the
military that now has been taken up
by some Congressman and Senators
who want to control production to
no small degree because it means
they will have a voice in the con-
tracts their constituents will get.
Wearing the uniform today in the
Army and Navy supply services are
some of the ablest men private in
dustry ever had. But when they wear
a uniform they think in terms of
reports brought back from the front
from flying officers who see the de-
fects in equipment experienced at
the battle front, or naval officers
who know what is needed to go
through submarine packs. The
Army ordnance and Navy ordnance
are two of the most efficient pro-
duction activities in America
There are inefflciencies in every
big organization and the Army and
Navy is not immune from them. But
the big alibi in WPB is the excuse
that the Army and Navy don't tell
them their requirements months in
advance when, as matter of fact,
Hitler and Hirohito never tell us
where and how they will conduct
their offensives and thus our Army
and Navy have to meet constantly
expanding or changing situations
q circumstance which the civilian
minds of WPB. eager to refrain from
stepping on the toes of the civilian
economy, do not like to face.
Some day the American people
will demand that there be an end to
the dilly- dallying in WPB and other
civilian agencies and that the con-
duct Of the war from production
line to battle line be placed COM
pletely in the hands of Gen. Mar
shall, Admiral King and Admiral
Leahy. These men are not interested
In politicians or politics but only in
saving the mother of somebody s
son from unnecessary loss in wal
already undu.y prolonged, consider
ing the resources and manpower o1