Evening star., 1946-04-12
CoIumnist Discusses
Year Since Roosevelt
Calls Problem of Reconversion
Truman's Only Major Mistake
By Daud Laurence

humans Only MAJOR Mistake
BY David Laurence
These words are being written Just a
year to the day and the hour that a
flash came over the teletype announc-
ing that Franklin D. Roosevelt had died.
In the span of time that has elapsed,
the Nation and the world have had an
opportunity to evaluate the meaning OF
that event
Would things have been different ma
tionally and internationally if Mr..
Roosevelt had lived, and how different?
This question inevitably arises as one
surveys what actually has happened.
II Mr.. Roosevelt's health had re-
manned good SO that he could have
tackled postwar problems with vigor
it seems plausible to suppose that he
would have dealt with the last IL
months far more effectively than has
President Truman.
Mr.. Roosevelt would have been more
successful with the labor situation than
his successor because he would have
recognized the importance OF reconver-
sion and getting production balanced
with demand. To accomplish this, he
probably would have retained wartime
controls on both wages and prices. He
would have relinquished controls grad
ually. Retention of wage and salary
control appears now as the one step that
would have prevented the present era
of imitation. A readjustment in rates
to care for the take-home-pay problem
would have been inevitable but Ma
tional Labor Board directed by the
President doubtless would have fixed on
a IS per cent or even II per cent increase
of basic rates without the costly strikes.
Handicapped on U. N.
Mr.. Roosevelt would have been active
in maintaining the United Nations as an
organization working for peace and IN
this respect his policy would have been
no different than that Of Mr.. Truman.
There would have been one advantage
Mr.. Roosevelt knew what he had
promised Russia and would have been
able to deal with Moscow more ef1ec-
lively than has Mr.. Truman. This Is
no criticism of the present incumbent,
because, after all, he came into ONCE
handicapped by lack OF information.
The Truman administration under the
circumstances has done an excellent job.
In relations with Congress, Mr..
Roosevelt might have Jared worse than
has Mr.. Truman because the feeling
between the executive and legislative
departments was bitter year ago. MI.
Truman has by no means gotten ms
wishes on legislation but he is on better
terms with the Senators and Repre-
sentatives than was Mr. Roosevelt.
1t seems certain that the late Presi-
| dent would have dealt with the prob
| lem of the armed services far differ
entity than has Mr.. Truman. The Navy
would certainly not have been punished
| after its magnificent showing IN the
war. Mr.. Roosevelt would never have
allowed the Navy to be weakened nor
| would he ever have made the blunder
of forcing a merger on any of the armed
| services when by honest conviction so
| many of the men in the Navy and Ma
rine Corps feel that the defense of the
United States is thereby being impaired.
Best Friend of Navy.
Mi Roosevelt would probably have
asked the heads of the armed services
to form council to study the best plan
for defense He would not have taken
sides as to a concrete plan for unitica-
ton till the military experts had
threshed out the mistakes and achieve
ments of World War II. Mr.. Roosevelt
had a thorough knowledge of what
powerful blows had been and could be
struck by air power, but he also knew
what the Navy has meant to America.
He was the best friend the Navy ever
had and that's one reason why the war
against Japan was shortened and Ja-
pan was rendered virtually helpless
even before the atomic bomb was
dropped.
AS for demobilization, Mr.. Roosevelt
probably would not have been able to
stem the clamor for withdrawal OF
troops from overseas at a faster pace
than was warranted He would have
been up against much the same oppo-
sition in Congress to extension of the
draft, but in the end he would have
worked out compromises. Mr.. Roose-
velts experience would have besn in
valuable in the postwar period.
Those who fought the New Deal, on
the other hand, have felt quite relieved
in the last IL months that Mr.. Roose-
velt's aggressive handling of domestic
problems was not copied by Mr.. Tru-
man. The conservatives were for
while inclined to support the present
Chief Executive, but lately they have
veered to their own kind of conserva-
tives in the Republican ranks. So poll
tics is just the same as it would have
been, international affairs are not much
different, and only in the domestic pic
ture might there have been consider
able change in the tempo of recon-
version to civilian production.
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