Evening star., 1947-09-30
Starts Work
On Food Conservation
With Par|eys Here

Washington had better be pre-
pared for some spectacular goings-
on when the Citizens Food Com
mittee gets under way this week
Charles Luckman arrived In town
last night and 20 minutes later was
wading through plans as though
he were plotting to unveil another
Of his giant soap-selling campaigns.
Mr.. Luckman, the head of Lever
Bros. and newly appointed chair
man of the Citizens Food Commit
tee, arrived at National Airport at
$50 pm. in his company plane, a
twin-engine Lockheed Lodestar
named Miss Lever" With him
were Thomas A. Gonser, Levers
public relations head, and Richard
M. Kelly, assistant.
In 20 minutes, Mr.. Luckman-
Chuck" is what they call him
was ensconsed in a sixth-fioo cor
ner suite at the Carlton and the
first of waiting callers were ushered
In.
Like NRA Days.
In a way it was like NRA days
all over, those days when business
men came to Washington to help
bail the Nation out of the depres-
sion. This time the job is to make
America conscious of food conser-
vation or waste less" as President
Truman put it.
There wasn't time for dinner,
only sandwiches in the Luckman
suite. Before he left the Lever
headquarters at Cambridge, Mass.
a hah-hour appointment schedule
had been set up for the Carlton
SO there would be no time wasted.
Last night Mr.. Luckman talked
with the business people he thinks
can help. There were men from
the advertising agencies - every
agency man seemed to be carrying
a briefcase or big envelope look
ing suspiciously like an advertising
campaign to SELF America on
President Truman's food conserva-
ton drive.
Then came radio people and other
acquaintances. Each group over
stayed its allotted time a bit and the
Luckman aides began explaining
the delay to the next group. But
nobody was impatient, waiting to
be shown in.
F Mr.. Luckman sat in the living
room of his suite in vest and shirt
sleeves and picked the brains of
those who came to tell him their
ideas. A slight, curly-haired young
man of SO, he sucks gently on a pipe
as he listens.
Got Offers of Help
Mr.. Luckman's aides explained
that offers Of help began pouring
into Combridge the moment word
of the Presidents appointment ap-
peared in the papers. Pledges came
from big business and small, trade
groups and others who might be
affected by food conservation
drive. The Boy Scouts and Girl
Scouts offered to help, as they did
during the war.
The aides explained that Mr..
Luckman likes to be thoroughly
briefed when he's going into a big
job. So he called on those in whom
he has confidence to come to Wash
ington last night and give him their
ideas. Before he left Boston yes
| terday afternoon, he already had
read the Hartman Committee food
report, released on Sunday, and
other documents sent him by the
| White House.
Today Mr.. Luckman is hearing
the Government people. John Steel
man. assistant to the President, is
seeing to that. Mr.. Luckman will
have an Office in the old State De-
partment Building, which now
houses the overflow of the execu-
tive offices.
Along about midnight Mr.. Luck
man took minute between arrivals
and departures to describe what he's
doing:
We're planning our strategy now.
We like to have a campaign worked
out TO discuss with the full COM
mittee when we meet with the
President on Wednesday,"
II any one is going to sell" food
conservation to the American peo-
nle IL will he Ch,1ck Tl1ckpao