Evening star., 1951-09-26
The ForrestuI Diaries
Defense Secretary Foresow World Future
Ringing on Soviet Policy After War
| he Ren;
!. The Diaries Beoin


in ways exceptional figure among the high
ernment officers of the and postwar periods Though
New Dealer he served for nearly years the
top levels OF the Roosevelt and Truman administrations
playing influential part in the waging and ending of the
World critical opening stages of the
"cold war" which has followed.
He coupled outstanding administrative abilities with
unusually reflective and philosophical bent of mind he
keen observer and was moved throughout by demanding
of public duty-quaities all of which clearly
hected in the papers which he left behind him.
He born February 49, 1892, at Matteawan (now
Beacon) Y the of local builder
had from Ireland boy. After going through
Princeton Mr. Forrestal entered the investment banking
house of Dillon, Read & Co., and with inerlude
naval aviator during the First World War; made rapid and
brilliant in Wall Street. reaching the presidency of
Dillon, Read at the age of 49,
years LATER June 1s4O Franklin Roosevelt-then
broadening his in face of the crisis precp
tated by Her onslaught Western Europenlisted Mr.
Forrestals services presidential assistant August
1940 he appointed to the newly created post of Under
secretary of the Navy and such he through
of the the officer chiefly responsible the
maeriel and procurement side of the Navys immense
time expansion
FOrrestal Replaces Knox Navy Secretary
May, 1914 Forrestal replaced Frank Knox after
the ater sudden DEATH Secretary of the Navy Shortly
afterward he began what he called his "daryan
aton of private notes and papers, less regularly
kept up from that time onward and ultimately running to
5000 typewriter pagescoverng his Secretary
OF the Navy and later Secretary of Defense On leaving the
latter office March, 1949 Forrestal recognizing
confidential nature of much of this material asked that the
diary be deposited in the White House. and there the papers
stored at the time of his death few weeks later The
White House subsequently released them to the Forresta
estate for publication subject only security review by the
Department of Defense.
collaboration with Eugene Dufhed, assistant pub
Usher of the Cincinnati Enquirer and wartime assistant to
Mr. Forresa the papers of greatest public interest
selected by Walter Mills chief editorial
writer of the New York Herald Tribune The diary proper
was supplemented by material drawn from Mr. Forrestas
correspondence files and by sufficient comment to explain
and give continuity to the whole The resultant volume
to be published by the Viking Press in october.
Senator Truman Warned Against Reconversion.
There follows the first of % articles which have been
excepted and condensed from this book:
July 1914
Undersecreary Bard, Admiral Robinson and I unched
today with Senator Harry Truman. We endeavored to
him of the unwsdom of permitting resumption of
civilian production told Senator Truman thought it
extremely dangerous not merely from the standpoint
of the effect production ITSELF but from the indirect
Geological results that would fownamely the assumption
that the in the bag He did not disagree violently
but said he could not along with view because he
confronted almost daily with evidences OF closing down of
plants because of contract cancellations When he left
the impression that had made any great head
way with our argument
(Truman) said that he being urged to accept
nomination President but that he proposed
resist 1 told that it his duty to take it in view
the that the alternative would be Henry Wallace This
alternative he regarded with the same misgvng as myself
but still felt he did not want to take the nomination saying
that he happy in the Senate and felt that he was able
to exercise much influence in Government he wished
Ut is curious that his-James Forrestas initial entry
in the volumnous collection of notes. memoranda copies
of important documents reports of cabinet and other
highlevel meetings which he to accumulate in his
private "dary"-happens to record meeting with the
under whom, neither then knew, Mr. ForreStal
out most OF the rest OF his And
curious how much foeshadows of the kind of problems
with which they to deal and the differing attitudes
they brought to them Mr. Forrestal to battle against
complacency many later occasions, and in far
critical differences than this he to find in the
end that he had made mo great headway" against the
Truman position But after Mr. Truman's succession Mr.
Forresal remain consistent in his attitude of loyal
respect for the President AS Democrats of the
conservative persuasion the two had much in commonD
At the time the Nation at the turning point of the
Second World War while the fourth term election still lay
ahead Even the opening sections OF the diary announce
most the major themes that to through the
coming years One the shaping of the postwar world
(See FoRRESTAIa Page A-s)