Evening star., 1945-04-13

Truman called a spade spade
when the committee found condi-
tions it thought were hindering the
defense program.
AS vice presidential nominee
Senator Truman travelled the coun-
try from one end to the other last
fall, carrying the brunt of the de-
bate with Republican orators, until
President Roosevelt went forth in
the later days of the campaign to
visit the larger cities in a direct
appeal to the people to continue
his administration.
Mr. Truman had been Vice Presi-
dent less than three months when
Providence suddenly placed him at
the helm of the ship of state, at a
moment when the greatest war in
history was rushing to a climax and
peoples throughout the world had
their eyes turned toward San Fran
cisco for the approaching conclave
to prevent future wars.
The new President will be 81 on
May g.. having been born at La
mar. Mo, in 1884
Although Mr.. Truman won his
early political successes in Missouri
with the support of the late Tom
Pendergast, Kansas City's Demo-
cratic boss, his reelection to the
Senate in 1910 came after the Pen
dergast machine had been weak
ened by Federal attack and its
leader sent to prison. In the 1910
campaign Mr.. Truman ignored the
charge of Pendergast bossism and
ran as a New Dealer. One of the
campaign slogans he coined for
himself was "the good right arm OF
the President"
He attracted scant attention al
the beginning of his second term
when he suggested the committee
to investigate defense spending.
Extravaganza Exposed.
The Senate authorized the in
quiry, but allowed only $4,000 in
stead of the $25,000 appropriation
he had requested A report on the
committees inveStigative work dur
ing l94l charged that governmental
inefficiency and private selfishness
had seriously retarded America s
war production
The committee" the report de-
clared, has found numerous in
stances of gross inefficiency anC
still more instances where the
private interests of those concerned
have hindered and delayed the de.
fense program" It charged that
some dollar-a-year men helping tt
manage the war production pro-
gram actually had been lobbyists
for private business interests.
After that report came out, the
committee had no difficulty in get
ting appropriations. Mr. Truman
became a symbol for honesty in the
carrying out CT war contracts anC
his committee the accepted watch.
dog of war spending. Investigators
stuck prying fingers into war plants
shipyards, Army and Navy contracts
and the committees figures listed
millions of dollars waste.
Mr.. Truman once summed up his
disclosures of exrravagaEt wal
spending in these words:
The chief difficulty in Our wal
industrial program is usually the
human factor. Suspicion, rivalries
apathy, greed lie behind most ol
the bottlenecks."
Wins Bipartisan Support.
When he gave up the chairman
ship of the war investigating com.
mittee to free himself for a Wig.
orous campaign as Mr.. Roosevelt;
fourth-term running mate, Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike sought
to persuade him TO continue. He re.
fused on the ground that while hi
was member of the committee
anything it did might be construed
as political.
Il do not want even the shadow
of suspicion that the committee
activities in any way are determined
or influenced py political consider.
ations," he said, though he declared
that his resignation from it was
lone of the regrets of my lifetime.
For he had said many times hi
| preferred being a Senator to Vict
President. Only week before tht
Democratic national convention