Evening star., 1943-06-29
End Quarre|inq,
He Suggests 10
Rival Officials
Congressional Probe
Of Charges Asked
By Commerce Head

NEdIIlcT StOTy ON rage ALL
President Roosevelt said this
afternoon that Vice President
Wallace's blast at Secretary of
Commerce Jones took him by
surprise, and he added that he
still believed the polite sugges-
ton he made last August to
agency heads to stop their
Wrangling was a good one.
Asked at his press conference
whether Mr.. Wallace's statement
blasting Reconstruction Finance
Corp. material buying policies had
been submitted to him or War Mo-
bilization Director Byrnes. Mr..
Roosevelt said that he couldn't tell
reporters ANYTHING about it, adding
that he had just seen the newspaper
headlines five minutes before, and
had not had an opportunity to read
the papers.
The bitter dispute between the two
high administration officials broke
into the open today as Mr.. Wallace
accused Mr.. Jones of obstructionist
tactics in regards to operation of
the Board of Economic Warfare and
the Secretary charged Mr.. Wallace
with malice and misstatements."
Did Not Know of Case.
When Mr.. Roosevelt set up the
Office of War Information last
August, he said one of the reason,
for creation of the agency was to
solve conflicts between establish
ments, and when he recently created
the Office of War Mobilization, this
same duty was imposed on Mr.,
Byrnes.
In view of these two steps the
President has taken to bring har-
mony into the executive department.
he was asked how the Vice Presi-
dents statement affected this sit.
uation.
Mr.. Roosevelt said he did not
know, but that he wished such
things would be brought to him. He
said he did not know about thi,
particular case but he thought this
polite suggestion of last August still
was a good one.
| Mr.. Wallace, as chairman of the
Board OF Economic Warfare, de-
clared In long and sharply worded
statement for the Senate Appropria-
tlons Committee that Mr.. Jones. as
chairman of the Reconstruction
Finance Corp, had obstructed the
BEW in its "single-minded effort
to help shorten this war by secur-
ing adequate stocks of strategic ma
terials.'
The Vice President saw in Mr..
Jones attitude "a timid, business
as-usual procedure" The RFC sup
plies funds for BEW buying OF
strategic materials"
Jones Deprecates BEW.
Mr.. Jones replied in this state
ment:
The release given out by Mr..
Wallace today is filled with malice
and mlsstatements. He makes two
serious charges:
Il. That RFC has failed In the
purchase and stockpiling of stra-
tegic and critical materials. The
facts are that not more than 10
per cent of our purchases and COM
mltments for these materials have
been initiated by BEW. RFC COM
mitments for foreign purchases have
been approximately $500 0OO, 900, of
which not more than 10 per cent was
originated by BEW. We have ac-
tually received and paid for mate
rials to the value of 1,6O0, 900, 900, of
which less than per cent can be
credited to BEW initiative.
2. That RFC and 1 have obstruct-
ed and delayed programs of devel-
opment and procurement initiated
by BEW. There has been no seri-
GUS delay by us of any vital program,
Il will answer the statement in
detail and be glad to have a COM
mittee of Congress fully investigate
! the facts"