Evening star., 1949-06-23
Resources Board Symied
Deprived of Chairman for Six Months, Security Resources
Boards Vital Program Is Lagging
b. Frsaeis p. Dsssiss

The National Security Resources Beard
has been without q permanent chairman for
almost six months. In that period. IL was
learned. this has taken place:
!. The boards stad has declined from
800 at the nrss Of the year TO about $50. In
some instances replacement Of staff mem
bers is being left until o new chairman Il
appointed.
Z. Work has been carried forward. but
not ~ the pace which would be maintained
were there o permanent chairman TO set
headlines and check accomplishments. Only
on major matters. IL was said. does Acting
Chairman John r. SteelmAn insist On com
pletion Of tasks by q set time.
J. No civilian and industrial mobilization
plan has been put together In It's entirety.
The board has no, passed On any plans for
economic warfare nor has IL approved q
program for standby emergency legislation.
Mr.. Steelman. with other duties as presi-
Dental assistant, was named acting chair
man OF the board by President Truman
when Arthur NJ. Hill. the boards frst chair
man. resigned December IA 70 return 10
private business.
Nomination Withdrawn.
Last February. Mr.. Truman nominated
Mon c. Wallgren. former Governor OF Wash
ington. to be chairman. The Senate Armed
Services Committee voted TO table the norni-
nation and 1t never reached the Senate for
a vote. The nomination was withdrawn by
Mr.. Truman on May II and no other
nomination has yet been submitted.
In naming Mr.. Steelman as acting chair
man. Mr.. Truman issued q statement which
indicated the importance Of the boards
work.
He said almost half Of the Federal budget
sis directly devoted to national defense and
international programs and the work OF
nearly all the major units Of our Govern
ment bears an intimate relation 10 mobiliza-
ton problems"
The board was established under the Ma
tional Security Act Of l947 and assigned
the function Of advising the President con-
cerning military. industrial and civilian
mobilization. The board Is composed OF
the chairman and the secretaries Of these
departments: State. Treasury. Defense.
Interior. Agriculture. Commerce and Labor.
Despite DR. Steelman's other duties. 1t Is
stressed at the board that he spends con-
siderable time at the boards once In
the old State Department Building. across
the street from the White House. II
was explained also that he has opportu-
nifty to meet with the other members Of the
board. when such meetings appear neces-
sary following Cabinet meetings.
Hoover Groups Criticisms.
Criticisms of the boards progress made
by a Hoover Commission task force last
fall were taken as a basis for checking the
boards operations in the period 1t has been
without q permanent head The criticisms
and the answers to them given at the board
follow
/. The board has not yet been able to
complete an adequate staff.
taS
vey on which this statement was based was
made In August. l948. The condition was
said to. have been eliminated before Mr..
Hill resigned But since then the stan
has declined from 800 to $50 In number.
Some Of this decline has been due to what
is called normal attrition." In general
it was denied that 1t was due to the absence
Of a permanent head. but 1t was admitted
that Is the reason some vacancies have not
been filled. Divisions nave been told to
wait until we get q new chairman" before
filling vacancies