Evening star., 1943-04-12
Moral Rearmament
Wins Endorsement
OF Senator Truman
Group Issues Document
Describing Support
Of21 U.S.. Leaders

Of21 U. S. Leaders
The work OF the Moral Rearma-
ment Group as vital national
service" was indorsed yesterday by
Senator Truman, Democrat, of Mis-
souri,.
The group has been under fire
in certain quarters recently, and
through the insistence of a local
New York draft board some of its
key men have been inducted into
the Army.
THE Fight to Serve" a document
published today by the group, giving
a detailed statement of it's work and
containing Endorsements from lead
ers of both organized labor and
management, was released by Sen
ator Truman at press conference.
Associated with Senator Truman
IN the foreword to the document are
a group of 81 congressional, labor
and business leaders. Among them
are Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd,
Representatives Wadsworth, Repub-
lican, Of New York and Lea, Demo-
crat, of California, Senators Capper,
Republican. of Kansas and Thomas
Democrat, of Utah: Felix Knight,
vice president American Federation
OF Labor: Frank Fenton, director of
organization, AFL: Allan S. Hay
wood, vice president CIO; Clinton S.
Golden, assistant to the president,
United Steel Workers of America,
CIO; Howard Coonley, former pres
ident of the National Association of
Manufacturers; Carlton Tibbetts,
former president Of the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce; H. Birchard
Taylor, vice president of Cramp
Shipbuilding Co.; and Dwight Mar
vim, president of the American So
ciety OF Newspaper Editors in
1941-42.
Work Is Praised.
Included also in the document
are letters from labor and business
leaders praising the work of the
Moral Re- Armament Group and de-
claring that it had been instru-
mental in aiding the war program
by helping to bring better relations
between labor and management and
so avert work stoppages.
In his statement to the press Sen
ator Truman emphasized the need
for dealing effectively with the
human problem" in the war indus
trial program. This problem, he
said. has sometimes been a chief
difficulty. AS chairman of the Sen
ate War Investigating Committee
he has gone extensively into the
question of production.
I cannot express on behalf of
other members of the Senate In
Vestigating Committee conclusions
which are the result of my own in
dependent study Senator Truman
said. But suspicious. rivalries,
apathy and greed lie behind most
of the bottlenecks. Any answer to
these problems is of first impor-
tance to the war effort"
He said Chat be believed the moral
rearmament program is finding an
effective solution to these problems,
and that they are the most urgent
problems in the whole production
picture"
Fighting Faith Urged.
What we need now is a fighting
faith which will last "a hours a day,
seven days week and So weeks a
year." the Senator continued.
Ut hnliaVo fooa ~
that while many of our so-called
industrial incentive schemes are
good for occasional spurts, they are
apt to fall down over the long haul.
We need to create a permanent in
centive in the heart of every man in
Office and workshops. This can only
come by instilling personal qualities
Of patriotism and self lf-sacrifce based
on moral and spiritual principles.
This is where the Moral Re-Arma-
ment Group comes in. The war
effort needs much more of this
practical type of patriotism, and I
believe they should have every en-
couragement to continue their vital
national service"
The Fight to Serve" reveals the
fact that extensive plans to expand
the program of Moral Re-Arma-
ment in plane factories and ship
yards had to be curtailed in January
when MRA's full-time key workers
were classified for immediate in
duction and the value of their pro-
gram questioned by New York
draft board. The Nation wide pro-
gram of MIRA was launched four
years ago
In recent months, handbook and
war review called You Can Defend
America" has dramatized message
to thousands of Americans in more
than 20 States at the invitation of
Governors. Legislatures, industrial