Evening star., 1947-01-24
Harold D. Smith, Vice President
OfWorId Bank, Dies in Virginia
Wartime Budget Chief
Stricken With Heart
Attack at 48

Harold u. Smltn, 40, VINO d.
rected the Budget Bureau during
the war years. resigning last year
TO become vice president of the
World Bank, died of a heart attack
late yesterday on his farm at Cul-
peper. Va.
In public service for more than
a quarter of a century. Mr.. Smith
rose from Kansas farm to be-
come President RooSevelt's choice
TO head one of the Nations most
difficult jobs.
Mr. Smith was looking over his
prize cattle when he was stricken
about $50 pm. He died before
medical aid could reach him. DR..
Paul Dickens of Washington, the
family physician, said Mr.. Smith
had suffered from heart ailment
for several years.
Took Post June 19.
After seven years as head of the
Budget Bureau, Mr.. Smith resigned
June 10 to accept the World Bank
vice presidency at the beheSt of
Eugene Meyer, the banks first
president. When he left the Budget
Bureau despite the protests of Pres
ident Truman, Mr.. Smith said:
The prospect of assisting in the
promotion of world prosperity and
peace, on which the future of man.
kind now SO largely depends, is a
challenge which l cannot very well
ignore
When Mr.. Meyer resigned as pres
ident last December, Mr.. Smith also
rendered his resignation, but was
prevailed to remain as acting pres
ident until the board of directors
could elect successor.
Learning last night of Mr. Smiths
death, President Truman said: +
am terribly shocked. He was one of
the ablest servants in the public
service"
Secretary of the Treasury Snyder,
who also is United States governor
of the International Bank, said
The Nation has lost great public
servant in whom had the utmost
confidence. Mr.. Smith gave un-
selfishly of himself in carrying out
the great responsibility of budget
director and more recently in the
contribution he made to the organi-
zation OF the Internat tional Bank
for Reconstruction and Develop.
ment."@
Emilio G. Collado, United States,
member of the World Banks board
of directors, said he knew the
banks directors and staff will be
shocked and grieyed."
Mr.. Meyer said that in "the six
months during which I had his as
sistance as president I learned to
admire his sterling character, his
whole-hearted devotion to his duty
and his answering loyalty to the
public interest"
Was Aide to Murphy.
Mr. Smith had served for two
years as administrative assistant
and budget director to Associate
Justice Murphy of the Supreme
Court, who then was Governor of
Michigan, when the call to national
service came in April, 1899.
Coming to Washington to inquire
about the position, Mr.. Smith was
introduced to President Roosevelt
by former Secretary of the Treasury
Morgenthau. He Immediately caught
the Presidents fancy as the right
man for the job.
If his job of checking on the bill
lions Congress appropriate was
rugged before the war, it became
many times more arduous in the
war years.
Once when a reporter checked on
how Mr. Smith was doing, he learned
the Budget chief had been home for
dinner but twice in the preceding
seven weeks. His was an incessant
task of enormous detail. but he had
an enormous capacity for work and
won the APPRECIATION of members of