The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-10-07

poor Miss Perkins instead oi Democratic preparedness a Some of the Democratic poil- tleoeS up In Washington privately are wondering the same thing, Conildentlaliy, they are delighted For punching Miss Perkins is considered rather an outWorh paStime. Westbrook peglor has been doing it 30 long it has got mootonous. People even get sym. pathetic ct the thought of somes one knocking Q woman.
 That is why Democratic leaders have been surprised and pleased that Dewey has not jumped on tho record of President RooseVelt's Secretary Of Commerce In regard to rubber,
 They are not sure whether Dewey Is pulling his punches be- SO many Republicans like Jesse Jones and because Jesse Jones nephew has been leading the anti Roosevelt revolt In Texas, or whether it'S beeahse Dewey doesn't know oil the facts.
 Certainly Mir. Dewey and his large staff of researchers have available the public statements made by Mfr Jones in which he hlltheiy promised the public 1t would have tires in short order, They must have, for instance, the amazing statement, made Feb, 2, ie42, just after Pearl Harbor, in which the United PreSS reported;
 "secPetaFy of Go IA m cree Jones the House Banking COms mNtee today that he believed the United States will be get. ting ell the rubber we need from th Dutch East Indies by the end of 943, despite the present Japanese threat to that area" NEW DOCUMENT FOR DEWEY However. one important doeu. ment in MT, Jones, rubber record may not be available to Mir. Dewey. Tn case he hasn't seen 1t, this columnist is delighted to publish 1t. It is c letter written by Ed Stettlnius, now Under Secretary of State, then e member of the National Defense Council, in which he put sthe responsibility for synthetic rubber delays squarely on Jesse Jones com placent shoulders.
 Stettinius had various confer. ences with Jones, adciSing that war was iminent and that we must begin building up c synthe- tic rubber industry. He had also written Jones several letters urg- Ing rubber production. Further more, Emil Schram, head of the REC under Jones, had worked out a plan to finance Goodrich and Phillips Petroleum in setting up Q O,000- ton rubber factory.
 This was In July, 194O, mere than . year before Pearl HarbOr, but Jones stepped in and block cd the Goodrich Phillips deal. SChram, dlsgusted, resigned.
 Finally, Stettinius, also disgust ed with Jones provrastination, wrote him a letter caluclated to make any ordinary human being think twice before he delayed longer. Stettinius said h e was washing his hands of the whole matter. The letter, hitherto un- published. and dated Nov. 25, l040, one whole year before Pearl Har- mor, follows:
 November, 25, 1S4O. "The Hon. Jesse J0Sles
 Federal Loan Administrator
 ''WashingtOn, D. c.
 Dear Mir. Jones:
 There has bene some ques- ton raised as to the speed with which the arrangements for the production of synthetic rubber are progressing. This Is only to be expected, because 1t may be a matter of vital importance in the defense effort. I want to take this opportunity therefore, to make Q matter Of record this DivislOn's responsibility in Che program.
 "YOu will recall the unsatlsfac- tory situation which resulted wkhen conversations were car- ried on between representatives of the industry and both the DEC and the Industrial AEa- terials Division of the Defense Commission. At your request, therefore, and with the approval of the commission, I turned the whole matter ever to you for final determination. With my letter Co you of October g were enclosed a copy of my report Co the DDefense Commission, and Che report Of this Divlsion's chemical group outlining she synthetic rubber situation. Lh nnmne material was Nont Co tho INa Az.