Evening star., 1950-09-17

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BY w. L. White. (Harcourt, Brace
G. Co.; $2.)
Reviewed by Joseph A. Fox
Bernard Names Baruch has
been in the public eye since the
World War I years, when he took
a Government assignment under
Woodrow Wilson after graduating
cum laude from Wall street, where
he had run a $5-a-week boyhood
job into a fortune of millions
before reaching 40.
In the more than three decades
which since have elapsed, the tall,
angular Baruch has become an
almost legendary figure on the
Washington scene, where official
dom has never been reluctant to
seek his views on the problems,
economic or otherwise, which for
the moment happened to confront
the Nation.
Paradoxically, however, as his
biographer recounts in connection
with Baruchian warning against
inf1ationary policies at a con-
gressional hearing in 1916:
"The customary Baruch for
mula got its time-honored re-
sponse; most respectfully they
listened, and then did the op-
posite."
Into Public Life.
Son of an impoverished South
Carolina doctor who had served
with distinction in the Confeder-
ate Army, "Barnie" Baruch had
his first taste of public life in
1915 when President Wilson
named him to the Council of Ma
tional Defense, which was
launched with high purpose in
1917 as a wartime procurement
agency.
AS was to happen again in a
quarter of a century when an
other civilian war machine had its
troubles, the CND was developing
into a knitting society,"" until,
as the biographer relates. Mr..
Baruch was able to show the
President that the chaos could
only be ended with a grant of
real power" Reorganization
brought into existence the War
Industries Board, with Mr..
Baruch as chairman.
When the era of "normalcy"
swept out the democratic admin
istration. in 1920 and brought II
years of Harding, Coolidge and
Hoover, Mr.. Baruch's "opportuni-
ties for public service were under
standably limited" but the elec-
ton of Franklin D. Roosevelt
promised to restore him to the in
ner circles. However, the palace
Guard" otherwise identified as
"the Frankfurter boys" were too
powerful, according to Mr.. White.
His Advisory Role.
Later on, when an old Baruch
friend, James F. Byrnes. was
shifted from the Supreme Court
to become director of war mobil-
ization, he named Mr.. Baruch to
an advisory post.
In this role. he figured impor-
tantly in getting this country's
synthetic rubber machinery turn
ing. Afterward, when Mr.. Byrnes
had become Secretary of State in
the Truman administration, he
selected Mr.. Baruch to head the
American delegation to the United
Nations Atomic Energy Commis-
sion. where he was largely instru-
mental in drafting a plan for in
ternational atomic control that
failed because of Russian oppo-
sition.
Russian Trouble.
In these discussions Mr.. Baruch,
the biographer says, got along
well with the Russian represen-
tative. Andrei Gromyko, who at
one point suggested that he go to
see Stain. Advisers thought the
permission of President Truman
should be obtained. What hap
pened in this connection is not
disclosed.
Goodness developed between
President Truman and Mr.
Baruch in 1948, repeatedly when
the financier turned down a re-
quest to serve on the National
Democratic Finance Committee
at time when the Truman stock
was low.
In the ensuing months. Mr.
Baruch has become sharp
critic of the administration's for
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