Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1951-03-16
rM1dlaNba,
Liza KY w., I-., kss.
Wilson Dominates Cabinet

THE MAN WHO really dominates
l cabinet meetings these days is
not the President but Defense Mobi-
lizer Charles E. Wilson. Truman is
so fond of Wilson personally, SO
determined to give him complete
power, that the big square-jawed
ex-head of General Electric carries
far more weight than any member
of the cabinet.
In fact, some cabinet meetings
have featured none-too-friendly ar
guments in which Wilson always
gets what he wants.
For example, Wilson will an
nounce to the cabinet: "We need
more timber for defense construc-
ton. The lumber people tell me we
can get it from the national for
ests."
The national forests are under
Secretary of the Interior Chapman,
while the timber in them is under
the forest service and Secretary OF
Agriculture Brannan. And if the
latter argue about the need OF
saving timber for future genera
ton and suggest using only half
the proposed amount, Wilson's
brusque reply is: 1--WE need all OF
it."
Usually the president calls in the
opposing cabinet member and says:
II think you'd better 60 along with
Charlie. 1 had an awfully hard
time getting him to take the job
and I don't want him to leave be-
cause he doesn't get cooperation.
Chief inner-cabinet grippe against
Wilson is that he listens chiefly to
his advisers from industry and not
to his colleagues in government.
Generally speaking, Wilson is do
ing a good job, is especially trying
to help place orders with little bust
ness-despite the fact that he
comes from one of the biggest COM
panies in the world.
Wilson's chief need is a
few men around him who can do
more long-range planning.
PeopIe.to.PeopIe
In the summer of 1947, this writ
er had an interesting talk with Gen.
George Marshall, then secretary of
state, about the importance OF
penetrating the iron curtain IN
order to refute the Moscow radio
and convince the Russian people OF
the basic friendliness of the Amerl-
can people.
Secretary Marshall seemed con-
WINGED at that time that much was
to be gained from drawing dis
tinction between the Russian peo-
pie and their government and
making it clear that the American
people had no quarrel with the Rus-
sian people.
In a nation which has no free
press, no churches, no parliament
to exercise a check rein on the
Kremlin, the only way to prevent
precipitous declaration of war is
contact with the people of Russia:
This fact is, of course, the chief
reason for the iron curtain. The
Kremlin's greatest fear is that the
Russian people will get too friendly
with the outside world.
Secretary Marshall, at that time,
favored making a speech in the as
sembly of the United Nations urging
Moscow to remove the iron curtain
and permit free intercourse between
the people of Russian and the out
side world. 1t was suggested that
after such a speech was made.
translations in the Russian language
could be dropped behind the iron
curtain-by weather balloons If nee
essary. The speech wasn't made.
Senator Wherry's Toast
Before French Premier Rene
Pleven returned to Paris, he at
tended a stag dinner at the French
embassy where he sat directly
across the table from Sen. Ken
Wherry of Nebraska. the arch foe
of European aid.
Throughout the meal. the French
premier and the Nebraskan isola-
ZIONIST chatted pleasantly about past