Evening star., 1950-02-12
Economic Advisers Held
Difficult to Obtain
President Seems Reluctant
To Promote KeyserIing
By Frank r. Kent

Failure of the President to fill the very
important vacancy on his Council of
Economic Advisers, caused by the resig-
nation of its chairman, DR.. Edwin G..
Nourse, has created considerable criti-
cism. However, it is easy to understand
the delay. Generally it is ascribed to
two things: First. the difficulty in, per-
suading a first-class economist Of repu-
tation and standing to accept the post;
second, Mr. Trumans reluctance to
name Leon Keyserling, now the acting
chairman and generally regarded as
eager to become chairman.
The chief reason for the difficulty in
getting a first-class man to accept is,
believed to be the general feeling that
DR.. Nourse, who stands very high in the
economic field, was more or less circum-
scribed, frustrated and hamstrung by
his two colleagues-Mr. Keyserling and
Mr.. Clark.
Concerning Mr. Keyserling, several
reasons are urged why he should not
be made chairman. One is that he is
not really an economist at all in the
sense that he is a graduate of any rec
ognized school. According to Who's Who,
Mrs Keyserling is a graduate of the
London School of Economics, but no
such claim is made for Mr.. Keyserling.
He was for a brief period, his sketch
states, an assistant at Columbia in the
department of economics, but otherwise
for the past Is years he appears just
to have held variety OF jobs under
the Roosevelt administration. A second
reason is because he does not appear to
see the improperly of presidential AL
wiser on economics functioning as cru
sader for particular policies and ideas
in which he is interested or in exhibiting
any form of partisan political activity.
The generally accepted theory of the
Presidents Council of Economic Ad-
visers is that it should be composed OF
men capable of giving him the soundest
possible economic advice without regard
to parties or politics. If their advice is
colored by personal prejudice or pre-
dilections, it not only can mislead the
President but do irreparable damage to
the Nation. Of all men in the Govern
ment, save only those on the Supreme
Court, the members of this council,
should be objective and detached, un-
concerned about promoting their own
personal ideas, concerned only in giving
the President incontestably solid facts
and sound advice. Clearly, if the Presi- e
dent cannot have that kind of council
he would be better off with none.
The 42-year- MI. Keyserling is an
earnest, able and aggressive young man
whose intentions undoubtedly are good.
But he isn't objective; he isn't detached;
he does crusade and he is anything save
non-political. The latest demonstration
of this was given the last of January
when he attended the pep rally of
Democrats in Raleigh, N. c., engineered
by Jonathan Daniels with the view to
allaying opposition to MI. Truman and
promoting Democratic unity Mr.. Key
serling not only attended but, along with
such detached and non-political fellows
as Chairman Boyle of the Democratic
National Committee, Vice President
Barkley, Secretary of Agriculture Bran
nan and others, made a speech. ~
It just does not seem the place where
a presidential economic adviser ought to
have been nor a speech he should have
made-that is, If it is expected that the
reports of the Presidents economic ad-
visers are to carry weight in Congress
and in the country. A final reason why
Mr.. Keyserling should not be named
chairman is that the post should go to
man who does not seek it rather than
one who does. 1t may be an injustice to
MI. Keyserling to say that he is seeking
the place but such is certainly the gen.
eral impression. The fact that Mr..
Truman has not appointed him after so
many weeks is generally regarded now as
evidence that he is not going to-. There
are those who say that if Mr.. Keyserling
is passed over. he will resign. But not
many believe that