The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1948-12-17

Snyder. Donaldson. Brannan.
Tobin Remain in Cabinet?
Special to Central Press
WASHINGTON = President
Truman is devoting much time
these post-election days to con-
sideration Of the cabinet which
will serve him in his second
administration.
Top Washington observers,
with access to White House
sources, believe the president
has as yet made no definite de-
cisions about requirements
which loom eventually in the
spots now occupied by Secre-
tary of State George c. Mar
shall, Defense Secretary James
Forrestal and Interior Secre-
tary Julius A. Krug.
The other cabinet posts are
more likely to remain as they
are - with Treasury Secretary
John w. Snyder, Postmaster
General Jesse M. Donaldson,
Agriculture Secretary Charles
Brannan and Labor Secretary
Maurice Tobin more or less GER
tain to stay.
Marshall wishes to retire aft
er formation of the North At
lantie Alliance. The president
may ask Supreme Court Chief
Justice Fred M. Vinson to step
down from the bench and take
the job, draft Supreme Court
Justice William o. Douglas, or,
perhaps, even turn to a Repub-
lican, such as Senator Arthur
H. Vandenberg of Michigan.
There has been no decision
on who will succeed Forrestal.
When Forrestal goes, Army
Secretary Kenneth Royal and
Navy Secretary John Sullivan
probably will go with him. Mis-
souri-born Air Secretary Stuart
Symington is likely to remain,
Mentioned as a possible Forces
tai successor is Senator Chan
Quincy (R), South Dakota, Sen
ate defense committee chair
man..
Krug may be succeeded by
defeated Gov. Mon c. Wall
gren of Washington - or the
president may reappoint for
mer Interior Secretary Harold
Ickes, who did yeoman service
for the Truman campaign in its
closing days.
Certain Washington strateg-
lists are far less upset than
might be expected concerning
the Chinese governments mill
itary reverses.
They do not like to see the
Communists making such head
way against Generalissimo
Chang Kai-shek's Nationalist
troops in northeast China, but
they think it may all turn out
for the best.
Withdrawal of Chiang's fore
es from Mukden, capital of
Manchuria, was long urged by
these strategists before the cap
itals fall.
They contend that Chang
should consolidate his forces.
knock the Communists out of
central China, and then move
northward and finally take over
Manchuria.
In fact, these strategists are
firmly convinced that the weak
ness of the Nationalist armies
to date is simply that they are
spread too thinly over a large
area. This is one of the reasons
for opposition in Washington
to larger aid grants to China.
Now, however, it is antici-
pated that China's Nationalist
forces will consolidate - of me-
cessity. II the generalissimo de-
cides to make a fight along the
lines of American strategy,
there may be a sharp change in
the administration outlook on
aid.
Don't be surprised if Senator
Robert A. Taft (R), Ohio, takes
the Senate minority floor lead
ership - despite predictions of
the experts that he would not
be interested.
1t is true that if the Repub-
lieans had won the Senate, Taft
would have refused the major
ity floor leadership. Under those
circumstances, he could have
exerted more influence as COP
policy committee chairman.
His situation shapes up diff
ferently, however, in a Demo-
cratic controlled Senate. A mi
nority policy Craftsmanship is
not a strong position in relation
to party affairs.
On the other hand, Vice Pres
ident-Elect Alben Barkley, as
minority leader in the last Con-
gress, was by all odds the strong
man on the Democratic side of
the aisle.
So it seems highly likely that