Evening star., 1950-08-07
Symington Likely Man
To Head Mobilization
OF Nation S Industry

Full scale preparedness for war |
will mean a prompt centralization
of overall controls for the Ma
tion'S industrial mobilization.
The man in whose hands the
centralized authority will be placed
probably will be w. Stuart Sym
ington, chairman of the National
Security Resources Board.
These statements are based on
the ideas expressed by number
of Administration leaders studying
the mobilization plans in the light
of past experience.
There is a conviction that the
World War II delay in unifying
industrial mobilization and the
civilian economy must not be re-
peated. Then it took almost
year and half-from Pearl Har-
Dor to the setting up of the Office
of War Mobilization-befor uni
fication was achieved.
ByrneS Held Job.
The role Mr.. Symington may
play in the future was played in
World War II by James F. Byrnes,
who became known as Assistant
President" He headed the OWN.
welded together the work of the
various agencies and counteracted |
the Splintering of authority among |
them.
Under present plans, President |
Truman's partial mobilization pro-
gram is to be divided among the |
old line agencies for administra-
ton.
The Commerce Department will
handle priorities and the ALLEGATION
of scarce materials between mill
taary production and the necessary
civilian output.
Labor will handle manpower
problems. Allocations Of fuel and
power will go to Interior. Agri-
culture will be given the food and
farm problems Stemming from
shifts in the economy and preSum-
ably the job of riding herd on
speculation in commodities. Credit
controls will be administered by
the Federal Reserve Board as il
the past.
New Agencies Planned.
This is expected to be the in
itial Setup. But with the coming
of an emergency of major proper
tionS in which the jobs would be
greatly expanded, the work-and
staff-would be split off from the
old line agencies and new emer-
gency agencies set up.
Then would come the need for
uniflcation. Plans considered seri-
ously now are to expand the role
of the NSRB and its chairman.
Mr.. Symington is an industrialist
with Defense Department expert
ence as well. He was formerly
Secretary of the Air Force.
The Office of War Mobilization,
set up in May, 1943, had the re-
Sponsibility of unifying the pro-
duction, transportation and dis
tribution of military and civilian
supplies.
1t was directed to develop uni
fed programs and to establish
policies for the maximum use of
the natural and industrial re-
sources for military and civilian
needs, for the effectiveness of the
national manpower not in the
armed forces, for the maintenance
Of the civilian economy and for
the adjuStmtnt of such economy
to war needs and conditions"
A similar charge would have to !
be laid on any unifying and CO.
ordinating agency of the future.
President Roosevelt's creation
Of OWN was in line with the
ideas of Mr.. Truman, then chair
man Of the Senate Special War
Investigating Committee. When
OWN was established Mr.. Tru-
man said his committee had long
been urging such an agency with |
centralized authority.
There had also been proposals |
In Congress for the creation of a
War Mobilization Board to do the
same job assigned OWN and Mr..
Byrnes.
An expansion of the RESPONSE
bilities of the NSRB, however, will
mean shift in Mr.. Truman's orig
inal plans as to how that board
should function. In May, 1948, the
President wrote Arthur M. Hill,
then chairman of the NSRB:
Il do not intend to vest in
the National Security Resources
Board any responsibilities for CO.
ordination of the national Secllri-
ty programs of the Government
which require the exercise of di-
rective authority over any depart
ment and agency, or which imply
final power of decision resting
with the board"
1t is pointed out that the Pres
1dent may see fit to change his
theory of 1948 to meet conditions
of 1850.