The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-03-09
R. S. REYNOLDS
Continued from Page One


needed, he said, is to keep America
prepared for the third world war, even
though all our hopes and plannings
are directed to the effort of avoiding
such a catastrophe.
1--WE should never again permit Ger
many or any other nation to out-pro
duce us, or in any other way tempt
any nation to believe that we could
not produce the planes necessary to
our Defense" he declared. In this
connection he made a statement that
aluminium was actually Germany's
secret war weapon.
| BY his plea to keep the plants open,
he pointed out that he did not only
have in mind the protection that
would thereby be afforded against pos
sible foreign enemies, but he was
thinking also of the necessity for full
employment in an economy of abun-
dance. This, he said, would entail
new uses for the metals produced.
and would result in low costs.
Mr.. Reynolds told the committee,
that when the war commenced in
Europe in 1889 he knew that vast
quantities of aluminium would be re-
CURED if this country was to under
take any kind of preparedness pro-
gram. 1t seemed obvious to him, he
said, that the United States ought not
to have permitted Germany to outdis-
lance this nation in the production of
the magic metals, aluminium and
magnesium"
And yet Mr.. Reynolds asserted,
that is just what happened"
To assume in those first years of
threatening peril that we should have
sufficient aluminium, he told the COM
mittee, was ridiculous" and he
added:
1T seems fantastic now but in Jan
uary 1910, the War department even
removed aluminium from the list of
strategic materials"
Pursuing further the topic of his
own efforts to make the nation con-
scious of the vitalness of aluminium
in making this country safe against
the European menace. Mr. Reynolds
recalled that, in the antitrust litiga-
ton between the Department of JUS
tice and Alcoa, witnesses for the lat
ter in 1910 assured the courts that
there would be no shortage of alum
mum Moreover, he said, the Council
for National Defense, the predecessor
Of the present War Production Board,
took the same position. He argued
that the extent to which that posi-
ton was inaccurate can be judged by
noting that by October 1943 produc-
ton of aluminium in the United States
times the 1899 rate.
Mr. Reynolds asked permission to
make frank statement.
"This is nothing against Jesse
Jones'" he explained by way of pref
ace after we came through and
had full production, Mr.. Jones said,
everybody thought you
we're going broke-I thought you were,
myself How did you manage it?' 1
said, Mr.. Jones, you overlooked a
great personality He smiled, think
ng l was going to boast a little Bit
md then asked, Who was that?' |
eplied that it was God Almighty. He
aid, Did you have him on your side?
said, Mr.. Jones, how could 1 fight
TIC, WPB, and Alcoa, all at the same
ime? Certainly, had God Almighty
n my side.' He said, Mr.. Reynolds,
hat explains everything
$50 l want to tell you, l do not
lain any credit; but l could write
ook on business miracles performed
y God Almighty.
Anyway, it wasn't done for. Rey-
olds Metals, it wasn't done for R. S.
.eynolds-It was done to save the
reedon of the world"