Evening star., 1953-01-08
Second in q Series.

Second in q Series.
back and asks for questions, pre-
ferring not to volunteer infor-
nation about himself.
What did he think is the most
important task of a new Secre-
tary Of Commerce at this time?
Well" he said, I've talked
about making a better atmos-
phere for business. Business has
felt that people in the Govern
ment have not been it's friends.
That is not a good thing. 1t
hurts confidence and confidence
is important. It's not just a
matter of aiding business, it is
a matter of helping the Nation. ."
Mr.. Weeks is a strongly built
man of SO, his oval head bald
ing. his blue eyes expressing no
unfriendliness but a great deal
of caution about this unusual
experience of going over his
life history with a stranger.
He has some important rec
concentrations to make to the
cabinet and, if he succeeds in
making them Administration
policy, to the Congress. He out
lined one of them with a "this
is of the record" warning.
Not Afraid to Speak Out.
What he seemed to fear most
was that he would be put in a
position of seemingly suggesting
policy before consulting the
President-elect. But being afraid
to speak out when he is on his
own is not this mans nature.
The clippings on file in the
morgues Of the Boston newspa-
pers show that he has allowed
himself to be quoted against
legislation with popular vote
getting qualities when he be-
lieved it to be harmful to the
country. And when the Demo-
cratic opposition gets itself into
positions of political or moral
weaknesses. he lets go. Many of
the headlines in the clippings
were: weeks Attacks" weeks
Blasts Curley' Cor Hurley-both
were Democratic governors), and
Weeks Assails Washington Ad-
ministration."
I remarked to him that he had
projected his personality in the
press as a very serious one. He
laughed at that-he was warm
ing up by this time and aban-
doning caution.
"I'll tell you one thing I don't
take seriously and all my friends
will bear me out on that" he
said. That's myself"
Mr.. Weeks works at long
table. almost IL feet long. Along
1t. at intervals. there are books
and papers neatly arranged.
His Office is in the Statler
Building. which is part of the
hotel structure. The lettering on
the door says: Sinclair Weeks;
under that Reed and Barton:
under that "United-Carr Fas-
tener Corp" Those are his two
principal Industrial interests.
The first manufactures silver
ware: the second. which is a
much larger corporation with
several plants, makes catch fas-
teners for the garment and auto
mobile industries.
His silver plant and two Of his
fastener plants have been organ
lied by the CIO. He has had a
couple of strikes but not very
serious ones.
His Other Connections.
In addition to these compa-
nies, Mr.. Weeks is director of
Atlas Plywood. Boston Five
Cents Savings Bank, First Ma
tional Bank, Gillette Safety Raj
or Co., National Association of
Manufacturers. Pacific Mills, the
Pullman Co., the West Newton
Savings Bank and several civic
institutions.
His clubs are the Somerset. Al
gonquin, University and Country
Club Of Boston and the Harvard
Club Of New York.
There is a picture Of one of
Mr.. Weeks factories on his Of
flee wall, also a 1917 poster re-
cruiting Real Men, 1890 Years
Old" for Battery F, the National
Guard unit of Newton. Mass.
Newton is a suburban city of co.
900 lust west of Boston.
There was also a picture of
the four-stacker u. S. S. Aga
memnon, a converted German
liner. which brought him back
from France.
"I commanded that battery in
World War I when my father
was in the Senate" Mr.. Weeks
said proudly. "and my son COM
manded It in World War II, when
I was in the Senate"
Following the footsteps Of his
father, John w. Weeks, who was
Secretary Of War in the Harding
and Coolidge cabinets. has been
important to him.
On another wall were pictures
of Senators with whom he had
served in 1914. He was ap-
pointed Senator by Gov. Leverett
Saltonstall when Henry Cabot
Lodge resigned to go into the
Army. Among others there were
pictures of Homer Ferguson,
Kenneth Wherry, Eugene Milli-
kin and Owen Brewster. The one
he was proudest Of was that of
Arthur Vandenberg. which bore
this inscription:
..For my very dear friend. Sin
clair Weeks, who has made a
deep impression on his colleagues
In his too brief term of service"
In accepting the appointment
In 1914, Mr.. Weeks announced
he would not be a candidate in
the election for the seat that