Evening star., 1944-07-28
FriendsBe|ieyeByrne
Is Preparing 10 Quit
Public Life Quietly

BY the Associated Press.
After nearly 80 years in the center
OF the Washington political whirli-
gig-and a brief turn on the Su-
preme Court-James F. Byrnes, 65-
year-old South Carolinian, is be-
Ieved by his friends to be prepar-
ing to step quietly out of public
life.
Smiling Jimmy, after IL years as
a Senator and IA years member of
the House, went on the highest
court of the land few years ago,
believing he was fixed for life. -
The war came and President Roose-
welt, who had called on his friend
many times in the past to do trou-
ble-shooting for him, drafted him
once more.
Made Mobilization Director.
He took Mr. Byrnes off the court
and made him director of the Office
of War Mobilization, the most pow
erful wartime job ever held by a
civilian in the Nations history, ex-
cept that of the Chief Executive
himself. Assistant President,
many called him. Mr.. Byrnes thus
completes the cycle of serving in all
three coordinate branches of Gov
ernment in less than four years.
That was big sacrifice for Mr.
Byrnes. The President realized 1t
as well as Mr.. Byrnes, but he knew
his trouble shooter would not hesi-
tate. That was in June, 1943. AT
the time Mr.. Byrnes said he had nc
ambition to be Vice President.
But at the recent Democratic Ma
tional Convention, Mr.. Byrnes ap-
parently had undergone a change
of heart. Some of his intimates at
Chicago said he would not decline
the nomination. They even claimed
Mr.. Byrnes had the second-place
post sewed up with well over the
required $50 majority.
But that was before the conven-
tion opened. Something happened
between then and July 10. Wore
was passed that the CIO Political
Action Committee had turned
thumbs down on the President s
home front boss. Mr.. Byrnes, who
had not planned going to the con-
vention at all until the preceding
week end, finally issued a formal
statement taking himself out of the
second-place scramble lin Difference
to the Presidents wishes"
Again Mr. Byrnes made the Sacri-
fce-this time, his friends said, per-
haps a bigger one than when he left
the highest court.
In Spartanburg, S. c., Walter
Brown, assistant to Mr.. Byrnes, said
last night that his chief had no
definite plans" for the future be
yond staying on the job for which
he left the Supreme Court until it is
finished-and that depends entirely
on the length of the war
Commenting on Columbia Rec
ord story saying Mr.. Byrnes would
retire to private law practice at the
end of the year, Mr. Brown declared
that ANY statement as to what he
plans to do, practice law or any
thing else, or as to any time. is not
true" Mr.. Byrnes was not available
for comment
Office Here Is Quiet.
Mr.. Byrnes' White House Office
was atune with the summer heat
wave today-a bit sleepy compared
with the days when wage and pro-
duction and price tangles nearly
threw the champ untangler The
war mobilization job still is job,
but Mr.. Byrnes is known to be
looking ahead in the not too distant
future to picking up a new and less
drastic career-possibly a law prac-
tice he deserted so long ago he can
hardly remember.
His office associates said yester-
day he had fixed no time for his
resignation. But one put it this
way: Whenever this job ceases to
be war job he (ByrnesI is not
going to be here"
Mr. Byrnes on June II told Sem
ate committee studying reconver-
sion and rehabilitation legislation
that he would not accept a job di-
recting postwar readjustment; that
he had plans for the future which
he did not disclose.