The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-02-25

How great a surprise his labor
draft message was to his close adj
visers is illustrated by War Man
power chief Paul McNutt. On the
night before FDR sent his mes
sage to Congress proposing the
new legislation, McNutt was
speaking before a group of his
manpower administrators, asSur-
ing them that there would be no
national service act.
81 would be the first to know
about it," he said.
Next day, without a word to
McNutt, the President urged
Congress to pass a national serv-
ice act.
Only few insiders knew it but,
much earlier in the war - in fact,
just after Pearl Harbor - Nc
Mutt himself proposed a national
service act. Later, after Judge
Vinson became Economic Stabilizer
McNutt sold him on the idea and
together they carefully wrote a
draft bill which set up safeguards
for labor and carried none TO the
Constitutional dangers of the Aus
tin adsworth bill.
However, some of Bernie Ba-
ruch's friends on Capitol Hill ap-
parently tipped off by him, sent
word that they would not pass it.
So the whole thing sapsed until
The President sprang his surprise
move = which he did without
consulting Byrnes, Judge Vinson
or his Cabinet.
NOTE: Instead of taking the
national service bill carefully pre-
pared by Vinson and McNutt,
Judge Sam RoSenman has now
asked Oscar Cox, Leo Crowley's
legal expert, to do the job.
AGENCY CHIEFS OPPOSE PLAN
How sharply the Roosevelt Ad-
ministration is split regarding the
labor draft is indicated by a series
of backstage meetings held by diff
ferent leaders. One was called
by Donald Nelson, at which he
quizzed War Production Board
moguls about the labor draft. Al
most unanimously, they replied
that industry didn't need it, that
it would only ca,lse trouble, per-
haps hinder production.
simultaneously, Under Secretary
of War Patterson suggested that
Under Secretary of the Navy For
restal call a meeting of different
war agency chiefs in ForreStals
office to discuss the matter. The
meeting was held, and Judge Pat
terson delivered a hard hitting,
somewhat emotional speech for
the national service act.
However, there was not much
response. After the meeting broke
up and the different agency chiefs
compared notes, it was evident
that almost all of them were op-
posed.
The Patterson meeting, how
ever, gave the tip-osf as to who
: had sold the President ON draft
ing labor. 1t was the War De-
partment.
ALL boss Bill Green and CLIO
Chief Phil Murray had all doubts
OF this removed when they went
to call on the President.
LABOR'S WAR RECORD
Before registering a protest at
the White House, Murray wrote a
letter to General Marshall, say
ing that he had heard the Army
was dissatisfied with labor, and
without asking whether Marshall
had or had not held his famous
press conference attacking labor.
ne did not know much about it
and was passing the letter on to
General Somerven, in command
OF Army Service Forces.
Somervell, in turn, wrote MUIR
ray a glowing tribute regarding Ia
boris part in the war. Nelson also
wrote Murray that labor had done
magnificent job. Finally, Sec
rotary Perkins, In reply to Murray,
wrote him that work stoppages
had set back production only eight
hundredths of one per cent, and
that labor's record was 80 92-1OO
per cent perfect.
Thus armed. Murray and Green
went to the White House, laid the
letters before the President.
"There Is the record. Mr..
President" Murray said, '.from
your own people. We are mot
perfect, but few people are per-
feet, not even your Admins
tratiOn and i doubt II anyone In
the war has . better record than
Labor was 80 S2-100 per cent.
The President expressed surprise
and said he had not realized la
boris record was that high.