Evening star., 1951-12-03
Truman 10 Revise
Arms Production 10
Avoid BottIenecks
By Joseph A. Fox
Stor Stotf Correspondent

KEY WEST. Fla, Dec. 3.-Pres-
1dent Truman is planning early
and major changes in the defense
production machinery to insure
against bottlenecks when arms
output speeds towards a peak.
This developed out of a "a
hour visit here by Charles E. Will
son, defense mobilizer, who re-
turned to the Capital late yester-
DAY after reviewing production
hgures with President Truman
who, he said. seemed pleased"
with the results thus far obtained
despite Congressional criticism.
Mr.. Wilson said flatly that civ
1llan production has not been per-
mltted to interfere with the arms
program, Capitol Hill charges to
the contrary Notwithstanding, but
he was emphatic in saying that
the civilian economy would be
1eellng the pinch in 1852.
The defense mobilizer talked to
reporters just before a take-off
from Boca Chica airport in an
Air Force Constellation that might
have ended badly, but for an
earlier misadventure in which a.
fighter plane figured.
Engine Trouble Develops.
AS the Constellation wheeled
down the runway to leave, the
hghter took off and almost i'm
medlately radioed the crash tower |
that 1t was having engine trouble.
AS 1t clrcled back for q landing |
Two nre wagons raced into position
should their services be required.
1he tighter came down safely be-
lore group of spectators that
included Miss Margaret Truman.
In the meantime, the Constella-
ton which had been standing by
with propellers turning, developed
klnk which put one of its four
engines out Of commission.
Eventually repairs were made,
and the big plane took of at 3:l8
after a delay of about As minutes. /
Airfleld comment generally was
that 1t was lucky that the engine
had gone wrong before the Con- /
Stellation had d chance to leave
the ground.
i don't like this kind of ex-
cltement," Miss Truman grimaced /
With MI. Wilson in the plane
were Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, /
director Of the Central Intelligence
Agency; Stanley Woodward. AM
bassador to Canada, and Donald .
Dawson, White House administra-
tive assistant, who also had been /,
vacation guests of President Tru-
man.
No Criticism Intended. I
In talking about the arms pro-
gram, Mr.. Wilson made it clear
that he was not criticizing the
report OF the Senate Preparedness
subcommittee which has accused
production officials of putting
butter" ahead Of guns" He
said. in fact, that he had not
read the report. +
The defense mobilizer. who
came to Key West Saturday, and
spent several hours going over
production data with Mr.. Truman.
said that he had given the Presi- i
dent a picture of what we are
doing; getting the tempo of it." (
He explained that I'VE think
we are on the right track in the
dual job Of getting current pro-
ouctlon while at the same time
widening the base .
for future military production to-
be ready in case of emergency u
II we should have to go all-out."
Mr.. Wilson amplified that the
production level is up to his own
schedules, but added: /:
OF course We are not up to
Defense Department schedules.
They weren't schedules. They
were just things put down against
a time when they hoped they
could be done. They were just
hopes"
He continued: "The military
end items are coming along just
about as I expected and the speed il
up will come when we get designs
and tooling out of the way. You
don't get an appropriation in
March and production in the same
year"
Pinch Predicted Next Year.
Mr.. Wilson stressed that no
"appreciable quantities" of ma ,
terial or tools have been allotted :
this year to civilian production
if they could be used advantage
ously for the military, reiterating
that We've been in the design
and tooling stage and such civilian
production as there has been did
not interfere with military pro-
duction."
With designing and tooling out
OF the way. however, he continued,
the picture will be different, and
"the pinch in civilian production"
can be looked for next year.
Asked if he had discussed with
President Truman the Prepared
ness Subcommittee proposal that
a "czar" be set up in the Defense
Department to oversee production,
Mr.. Wilson said that he and the
President had for several months
been talking over the organiza-
tional changes that would be
needed as production machinery
gets geared up.
We'll make them at the right