Evening star., 1944-08-28


ready for war, which was not at all.
AS result of this unpreparedness
bad time here seems likely to fol-
low the end of the fighting in Eu-
rope. sOne hates to strike pessi-
mistic note just as our armies are
about to achieve complete and
glorious victory. But not to present
the realities is to aid in the decep-
ton of the people. 1t is to foster
the idea that once Germany col
lapses, our troubles are over.
There could be no greater mistake.
The truth is we are far less pre-
pared for peace than either Russia
or Great Britain. We have no plans
except paper plans The Govern
ment is without any adequate setup.
Just as we shrank from preparing
for war in 1941, so now we shrink
from preparing for the end of the
war.
There has been an immense
amount of talk on the subject
There have been some handsome
gestures. And there have been some
first-class reports and recommen-
dations notably those of the
Messrs. Baruch and Hancock But
there has been little action save in
q alf-hearted, Intellectual and
foolish way.
Typified in Congress.
The manner in which Congress is
&NIoI, Ino linz with fhn tyifol y,r0h-
lem Of reconversion is typical. Two
years ago it passed an anemic anti
imitation act. It wobbled on indus
trial mobilization just as it now
Uobbles on industrial demobiliZa-
ton. Apparently, it wants to act
with force and sense but it not only
delays action, at heavy cost, but
when it does act, there, invariably,
emerges compromise, full of con-
cessions to special groups and never
wholly devoid of political flavor.
Now that the presidential cam
paign is becoming more active. these
things become more true. Congress
backs and fills, equivocates and
evades on all matters pertaining to
postwar economic tability-recon-
version, taxation, demobilization,
unemployment, contract cancella
ton, strike regulation, debt control
and fiscal policy.
But just as Congress wobbles on
these matters so does the President
and so do the war agencies which
he has set up. The whole record on
the domestic front from our en-
trance into the war has been one of
appalling ineffectuality. Mr.. Baruch
summed it up two years ago when
he described the administration
price-control Setup as "a faltering
step forward"
The more this record is considered
the more thankful one is that there
are in the Army and Navy a fine
group of hard-hitting. determined
men who knew what they wanted
and went after it, And they got it,
too, despite the fact that at one time
or another they had to fight the
Council of National Defense, the
SPAB, the WPB, the OPM and other
executive agencies, to say nothing of
the politicians both in Congress
and close to the White House
1t Is very great tribute to these
men that they were not afraid to
fight, that they never yielded and
that eventually, In most instances.
they had their way. Except for
their sturdy fearlessness the war
could not have been won And the
sort of opposition they encountered
was met by practically every real
man brought in here from the out
side to do a real job. MI Jeffers.
who did his rubber job despite the
obstacles thrown in his way, was an
example
No Concrete Plans.
But it isn't the job of the Army or
Navy to make postwar economic
plans. That is the job of the Presi-
dent and the Congress and they
both have fallen down on the Job
very badly. There are no concrete
plans worthy of the name. The leg
islation paSsed-and about to be
passed-is feeble, tinged with DEM
agoguery and heavily weighted bv
undue consideration for the special
groups.
Both Congress and the executive
are tlmid. 1t is politically too dan
eerouS to do anything genuine be-
fore the election. Of course, it is
impossible to expect Congress in an
election year-or for that matter in
any year-to cast aside politics and
heW to the line, without leadership.
The only place from which leader
ship could come is from the White
House. None-literally none-comes
from the White House on these
matters.
The President is far too busy be-
Ing commander in chief to bother
with them. No secret is made of the
fact that for many months-long be-
fore he went to Hobcaw last winter
to rest-his aides have found the
greatest difficulty in getting him to
make decisions on important domes-
tic issues, or even to sign the more
or less routine but essential orders
without which no move could be
made.
1t still is. These things do not
interest him. He dislikes having to
worry about them. Military STRAIT
egy, international affairs and fourth
term politics absorb all his ener-
e!es. He has neither time nor taste
Tor anything else. The result is an