Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Truman Denied Credit
For orderly Transition
Writer Says President Leaves
Bod Inheritance
By Fronk R. Kent

Bad Inheritance
By Fronk R. Kent
about Mr.. Truman's efforts to effect an
orderly transition" of the whole gov
ernmental machine from his admins
tration to that Of his successor, Gen.
Eisenhower He has given orders to his
subordinates to Cooperate" and been
highly lauded by his journalistic aides
for this sporting gesture"
On the surface. perhaps, it would seem
so. However, when the realities are con-
sidered it appears anything but. Aside
from the fact that 1t is hard to see how
any man with pretenSe of decency
could have done less. the truth is that
the disorder of the Truman administra-
ton is so vast that use of the word
orderly" in connection Herewith Is alb
surd. Despite the economies effected by
the Hoover commission, the whole
mess" in Washington about which so
much was said in the recent campaign
and the existence of which was Stoutly
denied by Mr.. Truman Though once, to
his great annoyance. mentioned by Gov.
Stevenson), is almost beyond belief.
For nearly 20 years the Government
has been in the hands of the spenders
and eXperimenterS. Those who urged
economy and efficiency were scoffed at
and looked down upon; those who de-
viSed new ways of wasting money and
inspired the creation Of new boards. bu-
reauS and commissions, through which
the governmental machine was expand
ed and the number of Federal jobhold-
ers increased. were dominant and hon.
ored. The result is state of unparal-
leled confusion, duplication and inefi-
cheney. With the Federal finances out
of control, taxes, while heavier than ever
before in history, are still inadequate.
There is hardly Government agency
or policy that is not in tortured and
torn condition. The economic stabili-
cation program has completely begged
down and the return of the former eco
nomic stabilizer, Mr.. Disable, offers lit
tie hope that it can be salvaged. The
Veterans Administration is under at
tack for inexcusable expenditures and
laxity. A commission which recently
surveyed our activities in Europe has
reported a shocking duplication of agen-
cies and vast numbers of employees for
which there Is neither work nor excuse.
The manner in which the so-called point
four program is being administered Is
creating more irritation than friendli-
ness toward us among the nations We
are attempting to aid. The defense pro-
duction schedule has been slowed down
and is way behind schedule as a result
of the costly administrations
labor strikes, with which we have been
afflicted since, more than two years ago.
the threat Of war from Russia was first
recognized as creating q national emer-
gency.
In whatever direction one looks. the
disorderly mess is apparent and appall-
ing. Yet, in face of all this Mr.. Truman
is preparing three messages to Congress
in which he will contend that everything
is going well and under control. He will
recite his achievements, ignore the
ugly facts and assume that his critics
are all low-miNded. ignorant and vicious.
Those with opportunity for close obser-
walton report that MI. Truman has got
ten himself into a state of mind where
he actually believes that he has been a
great President, and his capable literary
aides, who are preparing the messages,
are determined, SO far as it is possible.
to convince the country.
OF course, the truth is that few Presi-
dents have ever muddled things worse
than Mr.. Truman and the orderly tram
sition" for which he is giving himself
and, from some quarters, getting-credit
Is joke. In size and number, the I'M
solved problems which he is about to lay
in the Eisenhower lap are almost un-
precedented in seriousness and COM
plexity. In the foreign field, the domes-
tic field and the field of national defense.
1nefficiency mixed with politics has COM
blned to create botch which will take
all the strength of the general to
straighten out into a reasonable SEM
blance of order.
No informed person will consider that
statement either partisan or exaggerated.
1t can too easily be proved. The only al
tentative Gen. Eisenhower will have
to tackling this herculean task is to let
things continue to drift in the direction
they have been so long-and that Is I'M
thlnkable. He was elected because of
the belief that that was exactly what he
would not do. It is bad inheritance Mr..
truman Is passing on-and for much of
1t there is no excuse In particular there
is no excuse for the SNUG, self-righteous-
ness with which the orderly transition"
is being made. Among other things Mr..
Truman has made plain is that he is
passing on extremely little personal good
will toward his successor. It is not pleas
ant to think that he should be able to
make what he is now doing appear, even
TO few people, as sporting gesture"