The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-09-08

The whole trouble in the organi. zation came from the loyal camp followers of each side, constantly tugging ct tho coat sleeves of their superiorS and needing each into the belief that the other was out to get him. There was c lunatic fringe of q few trouble-makers on each side who did most of the dam age.
 Wilson tried twice to resign but the President wouldn't let him. To try to bring harmony into the or- ganization. Nelson called back to Washington Sidney Weinberg of New York, who had been one of his closest friends, and assigned him to stop the feuding within WIPE.
 THE TROUBLE BEGINS
 All this came to Q head early last winter when Nelson began to work on his policy of reconversion. Gut. backs were beginning to appear. Nelson set up Q special group in the WIPE to get reports on cans cellations of Army and Navy eor- tracts, SO that Ofiice of Civilian Requirements and Smaller War Plants Corporation could utilize idle facilities.
 The WilsoniteS resented this be. ing handled outside their organiZa- ton and the fight began. It went on oil last winter and 1t was set- tied only by Nelson's turning the whole thing over to Wilson to ,han- de. The committee named, sub. ordinate to the Production EXecu- tive committee, did little more than okay Ideas of the armed services. which were against any resumption of civilian production til the war was won.
 Nelson next turned his attention to reconversion. and made pub- lie statement that he was prepar- ing orders which would permit civIl- ian use of aluminium surpluSeS that were piling up, and permit the man. ufacture of experimental models for postwar production, Army produs. ton men immediately jumped on these proposals and for Q month the battle ragged hot and heavy. Then Nelson got pneumonia and went into the hospital.
 Wilson was on c spot. He had been told by Nelson to issue the or. ders and he himself was apparently in favor Of issuing the orders, but all the pressure from the armed services and from his own subordi- mates was against their issuance. So for weeks the orders were de- layed. When Nelson began to con- valesce, his aides ran to him with stories that Wilson was sabotaging reconversion. On the other hand, Wilson, before leaving Washington, was able to get in his dig that Nelson held up Wilson orders. THE BL0W-UP COMES
 That was the situation in the sum- Iner when two things happened, of no particular connection. First, Sidney Weinberg, who had been brought back into WIPE by Nelson to make peace, switched sides in the middle of N0lson's illness, be- : coming a Wilson man. The sec- ond, and more important was that tiS AIIIly UcShn VO put OuC SLOEleb that there were shortages in a num- Der of important items like trucks, tanks, big guns and ammunition.
 Nelson, unconvinced that war pro- duction was in such terrible shape and genuinely concerned over the need for organizing reconversion to prevent postwar unemployment, went ahead with his four orders which came out early in August. They were hedged with qualifica- tions, permitting the manufacture of certain items of civilian supply under conditions non-competitive with war production. Nevertheless, 1t is start toRards reconversion.
 The final blow-up in WIPE came just after the orders were out. Eric ton within WIPE was now such an open scandal that wilson's resigna- ton had to be accepted and Nell son had to be sent some place to permit reorganization.
 Such is official life in Washing ton.