davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1948-11-28
Our Aircraft Industry Slouly Regains Its Strength
Huge Task of Rounding Up the Talent Tools
andResou sNeeddt t America CroupA Force

'ment policy must supplant the year.
to-year cuts and boosts Of the past.
The Air Force sought a five-year
plan.
The law providing for expansion
Of aircraft production to meet the
threat to world peace was often
called the "70-group bill" while
under debate in Congress. 1t passed
last spring with only few dissent
ing votes in either House. The law,
however, only provided funds for
initial purchase of planes for TO-
group program-2,727 for the Air
Force and 1885 for the Navy.
A later bill to implement the first
with a continuing policy for pro-
curement of planes and personnel
to bring 10 groups into being passed
the House, but died in the Senate.
1t was the feeling in the Air Force
and the industry, however, that a
Federal policy had been established
for consistent buildup of the air
arms, at least until the peace was
secure.
How the industry Is moving to-
ward new production might be typi-
fed by the Boeing Airplane Co., one
of the biggest and most successful
in the business.
Under impetus of new contracts,
the huge Government-owned plant
at Wichita was reopened last
March. This No. 2 plant produced
1,644 Super Fortresses during the
war. Returning production men had
the building and little else to start
with.
Plants Rusty and Empty
Half the factory doors wouldn't
open, a plant official said, and
much of the general-purpose ma
chinery had been removed to
storage elsewhere, sold at bargain
rates or loaned to some Federal
Evening star., 1948-11-28

Much of the outside metal
work was rusting and there was
great need Of paint.
1t was estimated that some S40,-
100000 worth Of jigs, dies, tools,
fixtures and machinery had been
removed or destroyed. A 750-ton
press, for examples had been sent
to New York, and other machinery
shipped to Marietta, Ga, for stor-
age in a huge, closed B-29 plant
there.
At Omaha, Nebr, it was said,
the Air Force had stored some
65 acres of machinery under can
vass outdoors. The machinery
wasn't even catalogued, the official
said, because Of lack of manpower.
Returning engineers were sent
scrambling over this storage pile,
hunting for lathes, drill presses and
the like. Huge precision lathes, for
example, lacked the special tools
to go with them, or drill presses
we're incomplete.
After VI day, orders came
through to pull the engines and
fittings from 16 Super Forts in final
assembly and torch down the air.
frames. This same thing happened,
incidentally, at the big plant in
Marietta.
Great numbers of jigs and fix
lures were torched into pieces for
scrap, and dies for forming air.
craft parts were melted down.
Much Of the material scattered
could have been stored in the fac
tory space.
Not even the nucleus of pro-
duction force remained when 1t was
decided to get the big factory going
again. The countryside was can
vassed for skilled workers.
Typical of what we were up
(See SHIPPEN. Page CD
Evening star., 1948-11-28

setting full employment in the United States
peaceme promises to be
higher this year than before in war or peace
Simultaneously reached altime high, with
6l,5O0OOO people the Nations payrols.
the
living American capita production
the rest of the world More than
gobal output live by concentrated in
steel will be produced this for every
child the country In primitive
production 2 pounds Twenty pounds Of
considered the barest beginning for
industrial society
industry sees best customer The oil and
demands for steel effort to rush
Shipment manufacturers
Building
shared the increased
Evening star., 1948-11-28

lmany cases nave Oeen scattered
sold for a fraction of original cost
or destroyed outright. No priorities
exist to get them back.
Too, the whole production picture
has changed. Fighters have changed
over, and bombers are following
suit, to jet propulsion-a power
plant still in infancy and believed
capable of enormous improvements
in thrust.
Air frames to take this power
and it's future potential present new
design and engineering problems.
Wing skins, for example, are
thicker and some must be machined
down to a taper and fitted with
f1awless precision.
Swept-back wings on the new
North American fighter, now In pro-
duction near Los Angeles, must be
six or eight times as strong as those
on the wartime Mustang. This Is
only one price which must be paid
for speeds approaching that OF
sound.
West Coast manufacturers, who
turn out about rs per cent Of the
airframes, and obtain power plants
landing gears and other fittings
mostly from the East, find that as
speeds increase they cannot hang
additional guns, radar and the like
on postwar aircraft.
Disagree on Future Types
These components must be de-
signed to At into one sleek. stream
lined whole. Thinner wings fol-
high speeds require redesign OF
landing gears and engine nacelles.
To be reckoned with also is the
increasing emphasis on guided
missiles powered by jets, ram jets
and rockets, or various combina-
tions. Most Of the big companies
have one or more Of these projects
in development and still under
wraps.
One manufacturer believes guided
missiles will be the Air Forces
principal weapon Of offense and de.
fense by 1860.
Others disagree while admitting
that by that time it may be dificult
for q layman to distinguish between
expendable missiles, remote-contro
aircraft and piloted planes. The
latter may have folding or retract.
able wings to take them through
the speed Of sound, giving them 9
weird appearance.
Thus Air Force procurement, or
the threshold of q new era In super.
sonic military aviation, must bal
ance the immediate need to brinl
a striking force into being agains
such improvements as can be bull
into air vehicles at fairly certain
periods in the future.
On one general principle all O.
those most nearly concerned ART
agreed - manufacturers, procure
ment officers, the military. the Pres
ident's Temporary National All
Policy Commission, the Joint Con
gressional Aviation Policy Board
and apparently Congress itself o.
the last session. This is tn. .convic.
ton that some continuing procure
Evening star., 1948-11-28
By W. H. Shippen, Jr.
Aviotion Editor OF The SfeF

The aircraft industry is getting
set to throw lot of weight behinc
Uncle Sans efforts to restore some
balance of power to an unsettled
world.
Yet tour of Midwest and West
Coast plants tuning up to supply
the 70-group Air Force reveals ar
uncertainty among contractors az
to whether last springs overwhelm'
ing vote by Congress to establish ar
Air Force in being will be carried
through.
Reporters from Washington on 8
6,0O0-mile swing just completed
were asked in Wichita, San Diego
Los Angeles and Seattle If the $14,.
400, ,O00, 900 budget limitation for the
armed services in the new flsca
year will mean cutbacks. These
it was feared, might come even be-
fore initial phases Of the five-yeaI
plan can be activated.
Industry Recovering Slowly
In the industry it was believed
one of three things will happen;
The ceiling will be raised along
lines said to be favored by the
Chiefs of Staff; Secretary of De-
fense Forrestal will boost the All
Force share in his first unified
recommendations expected to be
submitted to the Budget Bureau to-
morrow, or the 70-group plan will
be trimmed back.
To see how the industry is re.
gathering scattered men and re-
sources to fulfill new contracts, 6
number of newsmen visited such
plants as Boeing at Wichita anc
Seattle, Consolidated Vultee anc
Ryan at San Diego and Douglas
Lockheed, North American anc
Northrop in the Los Angeles area
The itinerary, arranged by the All
Force in cooperation with the Air.
craft Industries Association, did MOI
include the giant Consolidated plan'
at Fort Worth because reporters hae
gone there recently to see produc.
tion of B-36 very long range bomb.
ers.
The industry, crippled by the sud
den, postwar loss of men, money ane
materials, is regaining its strength
slowly.
Trained men are hard to get back
especially engineers, technicians
and production line foremen nov
making more money elsewhere aae
not eager to return to jobs depend
ing on Government contracts.
Whole Picture Changed
Getting money is tough, too
Neither banks nor stockholders arr
anxious to invest in advanced tool
ing and machinery on oral agree
ments or even letters of intent, ant
there is a long lag, the manufactur
ers say, between reproduction ex
penses and final payments from tn
Government.
Materials are scarce and high
priced on a boom market, while ma
chinery. jigs, tools and fixtY res Il
Evening star., 1948-11-28

the bright the American Iron
capacity which reached the
hit
1949 further anticipated in 1880
industry growth spending
housing
steel for defense is expected to increase next
of steel production the
the availability of and the de-
velopment of iron
increased through $700O0OO0O
modernzaon When major projects
the industry will than 100000
than the end of the
being finishing mills well in steel IA
being explored In Canada and Latin
awaiting
development of s200IOO0000.
Steel harneed provide the necessities of modern living
for prosperity in the immediate future
Evening star., 1948-11-28
Unions Ready to Bargain
For Labor Act Fair to All
Trumans Advisers and Union Leaders Are
Not Too Far Apart on What they Think
the New Legislation Should Contain
By Jones Y. Newton

before the Nation and Congress repeal
substitution Of mlder form OF LABOR
restrictive of organized labor
Assuming Congress Taft Hartley probability but
just how strong should
organized labor
Evening star., 1948-11-28
Japan Due for Treatment
After Reds Finish China
Military Men Think Chang Kai.shek's Fate
Is Already Sealed, With Communists
Next Going to Work on Japs
By Constantine Brown

Reports from Nanking display optimism the chance
that Chinese Nationasts will be able of immediate
threat their capital
American military Generalissmo
Chang Kaisheks that limited quantity
ammunition which this country beatedy rushing TO
Evening star., 1948-05-20

into the Phlla- LoWeh Meilett.
delphia convention not merely the
dozen Oregon delegates but repu-
tation for unbeatability. Gov. Dewey
was given the nomination in 1914 as
the campaigner who could defeat
Roosevelt, If anybody could; he had
been elected Governor in the
Presidents own State; he was the
party's ball of fire. He ran a good
race and established, so he thought,
first claim on the nomination this
year.
He wasn't greatly disturbed when
Senator Taft and then Stassen un-
dertook to dispute his claim. But he
was disturbed in due time when the
younger man began to reveal a
greater popular appeal than his
own. The revelation was such In
Wisconsin, Nebraska and Pennsyl-
vania that Dewey was forced to
make the desperate play just COM
pleted in Oregon.
Debate Is Cited.
The second reason for considering
a defeat in Oregon tragic for Dewey
is that he finished the fight there a
bigger, better, more persuasive can
didate than he ever had been before.
Those who heard the Dewey-Stassen
radio debate heard new Dewey. 1t
wasn't the smooth, SNUG, correct
elocutionist to whom the public had
become accustomed; the gifted
speaker who knew all the words and
all the proper intonations, the
places to pause, the places to raise
the voice, the places to turn on the
full baritone. In other words, it
wasn't the Dewey who delighted his
Evening star., 1948-05-20


am sure that if you asked James
If he could build a railroad locomo-
tive he would say, Sure can," and
start to work. am equally positive
that if you questioned him on his
ability to harpoon whales, he would
ask for a harpoon and start OUT In
search of Moby Dick or one Of his
brothers.
During his two or more years with
us he has tried his hand at about
everything that can 60 wrong with
a house and its accessories, and
amazingly enough for one who
doesn't have degrees from M. I. T.,
the International Correspondence
School, the Cornell School of Vet
erinary Medicine, and half dozen
others, he has always been success
full.
Successes Listed.
He has laid cement walks; built
stairways; rewired half the house;
cultivated a lovely rock garden;
cured the pups, Dinah and Bundle,
of everything from measles to collie;
designed, built and painted porch
furniture, and cooked darned fine
souf1es. I am quite sure that when
he started half his projects he knew
no more about how to complete
them than I would have.
AL of which is a rather long
winded introduction to today's essay
which concerns James and our new
power lawn mower. When 1t was
delivered I asked James if he knew
how to operate power lawn mower.
This was as superf1uous as asking
Dewey If he wanted to get In the
White House.
James took off the sailor cap
which he always wears, eyed the
rather formidable machine for few
seconds and said, Just what I been
needing. Lemme loose with it."
went back in the house and was
enjoying my favorite pastime, that
of throwing bills in the waste
basket, when I heard noise remi-
niscent of a P-38 taking off. Only
this time I could hear the pilot"
Yelling.
Whoa. Slow down, you rascal
you. You heard what I said, didn't
you? Whoa"
It was James at the controls Of
the lawn mower, and when he
passed the window from which I
vas watching he was at the mercy
of the machine. But when he saw
Evening star., 1948-05-20
Holding Operation Only
New York Democrats Plan No Harm
To Truman Doubt They Can Help Him

by ignoring him. Last week the
State committee threw $50-a-plate
dinner to pay of the party debts.
All the big shots attended-Ed
Flynn, Chairman Fitzpatrick, James
A. Farley, Mayor O'Dwyer, Ex-Sen-
ator Mead. The usual toast to THE
President of the United States" was
given. In an evening of oratory no
other reference was made to man
named Mr.. Truman.
Kind Word From Mayor.
Following White House recogni-
ton of the new state of Israel, the
Mayor experimental with kind
word for him when speaking at q
rally here to celebrate the new state.
The applause was polite, but not
very encouraging.
The Mayor Is the present white
Hope" the only proved vote-getter
for the crucial elections ahead. He
has his troubles with the organiza-
ton but he retains his hold on the
public, so the leaders will string
along. He has been especially sue
cessful with labor and labor prob
lens.
At the moment he has had the
misfortune to get caught in pub
lie storm over who shall be New
York County Surrogate. This OFF,
cial presides over the most lucra-
tive political hunting ground in
America, dispensing patronage worth
literally millions of dollars year.
Both parties are proposing NOM
inees condemned by the Bar Asso-
citation and such public figures as
Samuel Seabury.
Mayor ODwyer didn't really need
any new troubles; he has had to
support an increased subway fare
to balance his inflated budget.
He can probably take his choice
of the three nominations open in
40 and '50-Mayor, Governor, Sena-
tor. Many believe he would prefer
to 60 to Washington. Albany is
strenuous and he is 60; anyway, he
can't enjoy its presidential jump
ing -of1 point possibilities-he can't
be President, as he was born In
Ireland.
released by the Bell Syndicate, Inc)
Evening star., 1948-05-20
THE EVENING STAR. Washington, D. C. All
2o

me out Of the corner Of his eye
and he was going what seemed to be
good 80 m.p.h.-he didn't let on
that he didn't know what he was
doing.
Look at her clip" he cried over
his shoulder. III do this ol' yard
in no time"
Tears Through Hedge.
The lawn mower banked and
headed for Neighbor Ely's yard.
It tore through low hedge that
separates our property and started
moving Mrs. Ely's lawn.
Cut our yard first" I called.
But James didn't hear. I had the
feeling that any minute he might
bail out" and leave the mower. But
ne stuck with it. Before he got it
under control. he had moved Mrs.
Ely's lawn, clipped half of DR..
Chambers yard, which is on the
other side Of our house, and scared
the be-daylights out of covey of
sand-pipers when he unWillingly
moved part Of the beach.
But he brought the machine in.
I asked James how she" went.
Best lawn mower I ever ham
died." he said. See how much cut,
and amt been gone more'n twenty
minutes"
Tomorrow he is going to cut our
yard. Said he would have cut it
first time out, but he wanted to
practice a while.
Wanted to get the blades set just
right" he told me. mo use spelling
our grass when there is other grass
to practice on"
Being as I like James, I am going
to buy him some goggles and a
parachute before let him take the
mower out Of the hangar again.
distributed by McNauRht Syndicate Inc)
Evening star., 1948-05-20
On the Other Hand
Dewey in Debate With Stassen
Sounds Like Entirely New Man

elocution teacher but left his listen
ers cold.
It wasn't the neat young New
Yorker of other days, but a calm.
unhurried, grown-up man, full of
experience and common sense.
That's the way 1t sounded. Easy
as a logger's old shoe. BY contrast,
the excited big boy from Mime
sofa sounded a little like the Dewey
we used to know.
Clearly the three weeks Of bump
ing around Oregon by bus and on
foot, meeting the lonely ranchers,
with the crowds, and get
ting mussed up in a real rough and
tumble had been good for the East
ern Governor. There seems to be
sound basis for reports that he had
succeeded in shifting the drift in
the strategic State. The only ques-
ton was whether or not the shift
was sufficient.
Dewey Called Winner.
As for the debate itself, to this
somewhat biased listener Dewey
had all the best Of it. The issue
was the wisdom of "outlawing" the
Communist Party. Stassen has re-
peatedly declared himself in favor
of such action. But in the heat OF
the radio wrangle Stassen an
nounced that the Mundt-Nixon bill
now before Congress would accom-
plish the purpose he has in mind
That left him wide open. The
author of that bill and the COM
mittee in which it was born-the
American Activities Committee
are driving for its passage on the
ground that it will control the Com
munist Party without outlawing 1t
1t would be mistake. they say, to
outlaw the party. Dewey called
Stassen's attention to this, saying
for himself that he considered the
bill harmless, but Of doubtful con-
stitutionality. Stassen seemed to
suggest that, nevertheless, II he
were President he would use some
such law to carry out his promise
to outlaw" the party.
The exchange may or may not
have changed anybody's views on
the subject. Those who have
thought we must do something
drastic to the Communists, regard
less Of the Constitution and the
Bill of Rights, probably will COLI
tinue to think so. But, apart from
all that, it is interesting to see
Dewey emerge from the Oregon
Trail several sizes larger than he
was when he entered it.
Evening star., 1948-05-20

Everywhere they look they see
only headaches and dilemmas. Their
own organizations are in terrible
shape and cannot be disciplined into
following any given line. The Presi-
dent is violently unpopular in the
party's ancient strongholds. Hence
their view that holding opera
ton only is indicated.
when all is confusion, it's time
to stop acting like supermen and
take care of your own bailiWick,
one highly placed politico put 1t.
Defeatism Is Absolute.
The New York defeatism Is abso-
lutte. They admit the State is gone
Therefore, they say, even II Mr.
Truman could be stopped-which
he can't-it would be pointless to
draft Gen. Eisenhower, and anyway
that can't be done either.
The professionals are virtually
unanimous on these points, includ-
ing those who don't like each other
They write of as amateurs the old
Roosevelt followers now clamorlng
for Gen. Eisenhower.
They predict that the bulk Of the
delegation will 60 along quietly on
Mr.. Truman's denomination. A few
of the district leaders and Con-
gressmen from Brooklyn and the
Bronx may not vote for him or
else will let their alternates attend
the convention. This conduct will
be forgiven and forgotten the next
day.
They hope to be able to follow
the White House line in the cam
paign, but in case Of conflict OF
interests they will duck. Nothing
will be permitted to irritate the
40 and so customers.
So far. they have solved the prob
lem of Mr.. Truman's unpopularity
Evening star., 1948-05-20
This Changing World
Two interpretations Are Considered
In So.Called Soviet Peace Overtures
e Overtures

well that it will be some time before
these measures can become effective.
Regardless Of how many billions Of
dollars Congress appropriates, many
months will be required before
planes start coming of the assembly
lines:
The fact that our ground forces
eventually will be strengthened
from seven to eleven divisions can
surely cause no sleepless nights to
the Soviet Army leaders when the
present strength of the Red forces
not counting the satellites
amounts to some $50 divisions.
The defeat of the Communists at
the Italian polls unquestionbly is
important as trend. But the
Russians can always change that
situation by active aggression,
against which only scarce means Of
defense exist. Then the local Com
munist militia units and their lead
ers will play the role of important
tools in the hands of the Polit-
buro.
One possible concern to the
U. 8. s. r. may be the defec-
ton in the ranks of American
labor unions, which In recent
months have become increasingly
hostile to Soviet attempts to DOM
mate them. It Is known that in
plans for an eventual clash with
the United States, the Soviet war
planners count heavily on disrup-
tion of our industrial life and on
sabotage of the American war effort
by strikes directed by Soviet agents
in this country.
Smith Statement Recalled.
The last two diplomatic manifes-
tations from Moscow, the twisting
of Ambassador Walter B. Smiths
statement of May 4 and the reply
of Prime Minister Stain to the
alleged Moscow-inspired open let
ter from Henry Wallace, are con-
sidered by experienced observers
as an effort to throw dust into the
eyes Of peace-hungry Americans
and to help Russian propaganda
in the United States.
The objective appears to be to
create confusion as to the real aims
of the U. S. S. R. in the forthcom-
ing American elections and only in
to attempt to slow down
our limited rearmament.
A number of Congressman who
voted for the preparedness bills are
concerned over how to an
swer their constituents If they are
asked whether they have not been
taken into camp by the admins
tration-manufactured war hys-
terra"
These observers are firmly con-
vinced that the recent manifesto
tions OF the Kremlin are not signs
OF a change of heart. but are cal
culated deceptions which might re-
suit in q Soviet outbreak in West
ern Europe, possibly before the end
of the year.
Evening star., 1948-05-20

man no harm in
t he convention
and they doubt
seriously If they
can do. him any
good in Novem-
ber. They prob
ably won't even
try very hard
lest they annoy
somebody W h o
might vote for
their cdnQlQdLe
for Mayor next
year and their
n o m ! n ees for
Governor a n d
Senator in 1850,
Evening star., 1948-05-20

WV St&'>]tADs
The first has
b e en- obvious
ever since he
and Harold E.
StasSen elected
to make that far
Western State a
decisive battle
ground. E &c h
was out to dem
onstrate that he
is the greatest
vote getter in
t h e Republican
P ar ty. E a C h
wanted to bring