davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28
The Future

The Woltson empire obviously is
not, today. a co-ordinated, single
purpose entity. But no one believes
Mr.. Wolfson is going to stand still
with whatshe has.
Every interviewer asks him what
his goal is. His employees want to
know. too.
Apparently his ultimate goal
has been forming only recently in
his mind. Before this reporter
talked to him, he had always an
Swered questions about the future
with smile and a mild observa-
ton that no one knows but the
Man upstairs"
Last week. however. Mr.. Wolfson
had a new answer. He phrased it
slowly. thoughtfully, as though he
still was turning it over in his nina:
Whot lin otter ultimoteIy is this-thoush
| might never moke it. At leost I'm going
to try.
! won't to put oil my interests together
into one organization. and ! want to ex-
pond thot organization. wont to supply
oil my own motenols-rieht from the row
moteros in the eround-process them,
use them in my own organization. Con-
struction and manufacturing ore my m
terests. But it costs money to buy
supplies from other people who must make
profit; and ] have to volt. sometimes
for months. on delivery Of things our prof.
ects need. ! wont to put everything to-
sether. be my own supplier. Then ! con
work cheaper ond foster thon any one else.
It's a goal other businessmen have
tried for. but few have realized.
The Krupp interests in Europe sub
stantially did achieve it munitions
was little more than sideline with
Krupp).
But no one acquainted with Louis
Wolfson would be positive he can
not build his complete empire.
Obviously Capital Transit does
not At into this pattern-and Mr..
Wolfson admits it. All he knows
right now about public utilities is
that he never wants to own another
one.
Capital Transit might be termed
an accidental-though profitable
purchase by a young man who was
going places. but didn't know quite
where when he bought it.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28

While the Pacific air, sea and
coral are being rent by atomic and
hydrogen explosions. little-publi-
cized but highly important organiza-
ton. whose mission 1t is to help
prepare United States forces for
new-weapons warfare, hardly has
time to raise its head to see what
the noise Is all about.
This is the Defense Departments
Armed Forces Special Weapons
Project, nose-to-the-g rindstoRe
outfit which trained key officers of
Joint Task Force in many aspects
of atomic weapons. JTF is now
at the Pacific proving grounds of
the Atomic Energy Commission con-
Guiding a series of tests of "all
categorieS."
The AFSWP currently is graphing
with literally hundreds Of problems
dumped in its lap by the Army. Navy
and Air Force. Its job is to keep
America ahead in atomic weapons
knowledge and technology.
Specific projects may not be dis
cussed publicly for security reasons.
but the AFSWP handles such re-
quests from the armed services as
designs for new size weapons-small
A-bombS, shells and the like-and
the best method of loading. trans
porting and delivering them.
Youthful Chief
Chief of the Special Weapons
Project is youthful Air Force major
general-Alvin r. Luedecke-whose
specially guarded headquarters are
located in the lower recesses of the
Pentagon. The 43-year-old. Texas
born general is a man of medium
height and weight. whose full crop
of black hair Is just beginning to
show specks of gray. Although soft
spoken, he is firm and direct and as"
sociates say he has superior talent
for cutting through to the heart of
the most complex problems.
During one of the rare interviews
he has found time to grant, Gen.
Luedecke explained that AFSWP'S
responsibilities lay chiefly in these
fields:
l. TO insure that there are no
gaps scientifically in our knowledge
of weapons effects. Information on
weapons effects must be provided all
the services and the Federal Civil
Defense Agency. which relies heavily
on AFSWP for this vital data.
2. To determine when atomic tests
are needed, and then to recommend
them. outlining the urgency. prob
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28

trates on the groups New York OPP
erations.
Doran S. WeinsteIn. next to the
youngest of the associates. is ex-
ecutive vice president of Capital
Transit. He started with the Wolf
sons in Florida Pipe and went to
Tampa Ship before coming here.
Martin Segal, an attorney and per-
sonal friend of the WolfSons. joined
the group last year to watch the
Nesco (pots-and-pans) operation.
Lewis M. Schott. at 80. has be-
hind him judicial career. as the
youngest judge in Florida's history.
He and Mr.. Wolfson met during the
1948 Florida gubernatorial cam
paign. Judge Schott Is vice
president Of M. C. g. s.
Teamwork
AS far as personnel on the top
echelon is concerned. Mr.. Wolfson's
philosophy is simple. He once Of
fered an old football-playing friend
a job-any john one of his COM
panies. I'D rather give job to an
old friend than a new one" he
told him. I'D rather have you
working for me than get qualified
executive who's an unknown guam
tity as far as loyalty is concerned"
This attitude apparently begets
loyalty that helps Mr.. Wolfson keep
the empire under control. He points
out that his associates have never
voted against him at a directors
meeting.
It's not that he controls their
votes, Mr.. WolfSon explains:
How in the world can man
control another mans vote when he
is associated with a man? If the
man is going to continue the asso-
citation with group of people, he
has to think alike. When matters
of Importance come up for vote, you
assume that they either agree on
principal important matters, or they
won't be associated with you. Now
over a period Of years, you acquire
that feeling. You acquire the
thinking of each other. And you
don't have to have any control over
a mans vote
This analysis-which might con-
ceivably be considered disingenuous
was made before the Senate Dis
trict of Columbia Committee in a
hearing on Capital Transits woes
last December.
How They Operate
The way Mr.. Wolfson and his as
sociates operate is approximately
this. as explained to the committee:
THE people associated with me
can always feel free to participate
in anything get into. II they need
financial assistance. 1t is within my
power to give it to them. And I
have always given 1t to them"
The expansion of the empire
which never really ceases-results
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28

able cost and the technical feasibil-
ity of the proposed tests.
3. Technical training of military
personnel, including instruction in
the storage, handling, maintenance
and delivery of atomic weapons and
orientation for key commanders and
staff officers in the technical aspects
of atomic warfare.
4. Logistic support to the serv-
ices in fields relating to special
weapons equipment.
The Pacific atomic tests, such as
those now being conducted, are the
responsibility of the Acc and the
armed forces. of course. although
AFSWP exercises technical direc-
ton of the military effects phases"
Big Nevada Role
The tests in which AFSWP plays
a principal role. he said, are those
made in the United States-usually
at Yucca Flat. the Acc installation
in the Nevada desert. Last years
series in Nevada. for instance. took
more than two years to prepare.
approximately 100 different Or
ganizations-from the Government.
universities and private industrial
neutrality-suspicious. in the
effort to determine where we are,
what we need and how we can get
it," Gen. Luedecke said.
To carry out the tests, the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28

nouncement he had decided definite
ly to come here. He has already
picked out the handsome Satsuma
plate he will give his old friend and
tutor, Gen. Macarthur, the man who
brought genuine democracy to ia
pan and made it stick. Whether
there is any obscure Oriental SYM
boliSm involved in this gift it would
be hard to say. SatSuma is made
in the southern island of Kyushu.
among japanese whose ancestor
warriors deeply resented foreign in
curSionS.
Those who know him we'll take
the combination Of Yoshida ref
erences to United States travel and
retirement as a sign the willy old
fox foreSeeS a period of relative
stability in Japan. This in the face
of the current scandal involving
shipping interests alleged bribing
of his cabinet ministers. Five of
Mr.. YoShida'S present team and
seven former members are alleged
to have taken kickbacks from ship
ping contractors who got big Gov
eminent contracts.
But political scandals are recur-
ring phenomenon in Japan. Mr..
Yoshida privately feels that he can
ride this one out, although several
in his cabinet may have to resign.
With them may 60 his own personal
choice of successor, Deputy Premier
Taketoro Ogata. Even if Mr.. Ogata
resigns now. however. he probably
would be able to stage a comeback
later. But he is so closely identified
with Mr.. YoShida that his chances
of succeeding to the premiership
depend mainly on Mr.. Yoshida's re-
tanning control of the Liberal Party
after stepping down.
This Is by no means sure thing.
The Prime Minister has been having
difficulty controlling his own party
for some time. Up to now he has
been clever at playing of one fac
ton against another, however, and
so has avoided fall.
Ex-Wor Criminal
PROBABLY the most likely candldate
for the premiership when Mr.. Yo-
shida moves out of the picture is
Mamoru ShigemitSu. who spent
seven years in Tokyos Sugamo
prison as a class A war criminal.
He was tried with Hideki TOTO and
the other leaders, but got light
sentence. He probably would not
even have been brought to trial but
for the insistence of the Russians.
Mr.. Shigemitsu. who signed the
surrender document for Japan
aboard the battleship Missouri in
Tokyo Bay, is now head of the Pro-
gressive party, another conservative
political group which is the Liberal
Party's chief rival in the Diet
(parliamepD. Although he is not
exceedingly strong even within his
own party, Mr.. Shigemitsu has
name which might we'll become
rallying point in case anti-Ameri-
canism were to become popular
issue.
The unfortunate H-bomb fallout
incident, in which several japanese
fishermen were stricken with radia-
ton sickness. could we'll become the
spark that revives the smouldering
hate-America movement. Americans
and A-bombS are volatile combi-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28
Third Of q Series.

Third Of Series.
camp, she will be the economic rock
on which the United States and it's
allies must depend to preserve what
ever stability or reduced tension re-
suits from the conference.
With almost seven years of occu-
patton less than two years behind
her, Japan is just getting her sea-
legs again. Her principal source of
native guidance since surrender has
been 73-year-old Shigeru YoShida,
anti-militarist ex-diplomat who
managed to say no often enough to
Gen. Douglas Macarthur to escape
the collaborationist faint. He has
now been Prime Minister so long
six years out of"the last eight-that
his rivals for power are parties
rather than individuals.
In contrast to Korea, where
Syngman Rhee seems destined to
lead his country until he dies or is
otherwise incapacitated, it seems
probable that the transition of
power in Japan will be in rela-
lively quiet, democratic atmosphere.
The formalitieS of republican gov
eminent are well established so that
it is reasonable to expect the voters
to get a chance to express their
choice Of successor.
1t Is burning question in Japan
today when the time for that choice
will come. Mr.. Yoshida himself has
always said he would not step
down until he had steered his Lib
eral Party and the nation out Of
the troubled waters that buffeted
them after the peace treaty was
signed. He has been putting off a
visit to the United States for the
same reason.
Retirement ToIk
Recently. however, Mr.. Yoshida
has been making frequent references
to the joys of retirement and to his
prospective trip to this country.
There was even a premature an
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28
The Pitfalls

1t has been not all easy profits
and cheers from the sidelines In the
Wolfson career. He has run into
setbacks that. while not expensive
SO far. have resulted in q good deal
of bad publicity and some tangles
with Justice Department and Cap
itol Hill investigators. No one,
however. has called him crook
and made it stick in court.
. Capital Transit The setback
that seems to bother Mr.. Wolfson
most is Capital Transit. He says If
he knew in 1949 what faced him
here, he would have thought longer
before buying. GA lawyer friend says
he advised MIR. Wolfson against the
purchaser
Mr.. Wolfson'S analysis of Capital
TranSit's trouble is as follows: Labor
costs are going up. patronage is still
shrinking from the unnatural World
War II peak operation. traffic in the
District is getting worse. This
squeeze, he says. keeps profits below
what the Public Utilities Commission
says is a fair return. The only way
the stockholders can get their cur
rent dividends, he maintains, is to
take the money out of nest egg of
past undistributed profits. This he
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28

from a careful study Of other
peoples balance sheets. Any one
can suggest a good buy. Then Mr..
WolfSon studies the balance sheets
with an eye out for what he be-
lieves is poor management of fun
damentally sound business. When
he spots such proposition, he passes
the word to his associates, and they
buy in.
When the Wolfson group buys, it
buys big and fast. Mr.. Wolfson says
he never goes into a company any
more unless he can get control.
Plenty of ready cash helps close a
deal rapidly.
Mr., WolfSon has been known, on
occasion. to buy without ever see
ing the property. According to "Miz
Clements" he never laid eyes on
New York Ship, Nesco or Newport
Steel before he owned them.
When a deal Is closed, some Of the
associates move onto the board and
into company Offices. while Jack
Surasky roams the plant looking for
excess or misused equipment and
personnel. Over ages 60 out.
Mr. WolfSon's role is on the
finance and broad-policy level. He
delegates almost all operations to
his Subordinates and gives them a
free hand. He tells them the re-
suits he wants and lets them achieve
the goal in their own way.
The associates say their leader
works them hard-but works him
self harder. And. of course. the
money they make eases the anguish
of burning the midnight oil.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28

Louis E. Wolfson, the Florida in
dustrialist whose control Of Capital
Transit Co. is one of his minor con-
Germs, leaned across his boomerang
shaped desk in New York last week
and laid out his attitude toward
Washington's mass transportation
problems as follows:
hove a responsibility to see thot the
stockholders Of Copitol TranSit get
fair return. II there is no fair return.
then ! will hove to toks other action to
protect their equity. u Necessary, ] will
even 90 so for os TO liquidots the COM
pony. IN protect the stockholders, with
in the limits Of the Low, in spite ct
onything-incIudins Congress and the
Public Utilities Commission.
- It was q strong statement, and an
excellent mirror of the business
philosophy of this rags-to-richeS
tycoon. Louis WolfSon has literally
parlayed his fathers Jacksonville
scrap yard into an industrial COM
pick emhracing-according to his
associates gueSStimateS - about
5000 million worth of assets. This
Horatio AlgereSque feat. most Of 1t
performed in the last five years. has
brought Mr.. WolfSon to national
attention as world conner.
Mr.. Wolfson's business attitude
Of stockholders first" has brought
him time and again into conflict
with his customers who wish the
public came first with Mr.. Wolfson's
public utility.
But for better or for worse. the
self-confident, 42-year-old Louis
Wolfson is in the saddle here-and
is climbing into industrial saddles
in other parts of the country.
What sort of man is Louis Elwood
Wolfson? Where did he come from.
where is he now, and where is he
going?
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28
Scrap Yard

The Wolfson family was not al
ways in the Cadillac-gift class. Mr.
Wolfson'S father, Morris, came to
this country from Russia as youth,
finally settling down in Jackson
vile. At first the elder Wolfson
supported his family by picking
junk out of alleys. He worked up
to a push cart, then a truck, and
finally established scrap yard.
Louis and his big brother Sam
worked in the yard as soon as they
were big enough. Even then, the
future tycoon seemed to have q
knack for business. AS an old colored
handyman at the yard puts it,
Mister Sam, he worked with his
back; Mister Lou, he worked with
his mind"
School days for Mr.. Wolfson ap-
pear to have been more fun than
business. His grades were only av-
erage, but his athletic proves got
him tuition plus $400 a year at the
University of Georgia.
There Mr.. WolfSon studied foot
bali and business. And when a Shout
der injury cut short his gridiron
education. his academic interest in
business tagged.
But not his practical interest. AL
ready in his freshman year, Louis
Wolfson had taken six months off
to go home and organize the Florida
Pipe & Supply Co., which he be-
heVed would be more profitable than
the scrap yard. Leaving college now
Tor good, he took over the reins OF
Florida Pipe. Though the company
originally had only 10000 capital, it
was doing an annual gross of over
81 million by the end of the '3Os
Then the defense build-up came
along to boom Florida Pipe. The
company had heavy inventory OF
scarce materials and the Govern
ment was building camps at few
erish rate. Willing buyer and willing
seller got together-and made Mr.
WolfSon wealthy young man.
CLASSIFIED AT because of the foot
ball injury and a.kidney ailment, Mr.
Wolfson ran the business during the
war. By 1945, he was able to buy
the Tampa Shipbuilding Co. FOL
$l.9 million. This was really the start
Of the Wolfson empire.
During the Jacksonville years
young Wolfson took several nier.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28

does (while fares 60 up and the
customers how'll.
To Washingtonians who wish he
would give first consideration to
the riding public, Mr.. Wolfson says
he will meet his civic responsibility
but not at the expense of the
stockholders.
Mr.. Wolfson says he is willing to
spend money in any community
effort to solve CTC's problems. but
his unpopularity here makes such
a joint effort hard to organize.
. Tampa Ship. The Federal Gov
eminent claims Mr. Wolfson's COM
pany Still owes Uncle Sam about
$3.50, 900 for rent. missing tools. dam
age to Government property and
money due on surplus property at
the now defunct Tampa Shipbuild-
ing Co. Some of the claims date
back before the Wolfson ownership.
The case is filed in the United
States District Court at Tampa. The
Wolfsons have filed a $500, 900 coun-
terclaim.
. st. Johns Ship. A District grand
jury investigated reports that Mr..
Wolfson had used improper influence
when he bought the Jacksonville
yard from the War Assets Admins
tration. No reason was found, how
ever, to indict.
. Income tar. The Internal Rev.
enue Bureau claims Mr.. Wolfson
owes about 100000 on his 1883
income taxes. He says he doesn't.
The matter is still up in the Nair,
not yet having gone to court.
Gambling probe. The Kefauver
committee checked Mr.. Wolfsons
gift OF $l50,000 to Florida guberna-
torial. candidate Fuller Warren in
1948, because other large contribu-
tons came from gambling interests.
But Senator. Kefauver said after
the probe that no wrong doing had
been found on Mr.. Wolfson's part.
And apparently Mr.. Wolfson re-
ceived no substantial favors from
Gov. Warren, childhood friend.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28
Far East Leadership:
Who Will Succeed Yoshido
At the japanese Helm?
BY EorI n. Voss

Japan has no formal place on the
agenda or among the participants Of
the Geneva Conference on Far East
ern affairs opening April 26. but her
presence will be felt in number of
ways.
AS the industrial giant Of Asia,
firmly committed to the Western
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28
The Mon

Mr.. WolfSon has retained the
football-hero physique GO feet 2, 200
poundO that made him an all-State
high school grid star and won him
an athletic scholarship at the Uni
versity Of Georgia in the '30s. In
contrast to the stereotype Of the
paunchy boardroom denizen, he is
trim, straight and exudes youth and
vigor. His face is young, and the
only hint Of middle age is a sprinkle
OF gray in his full shock of wavy
hair. The gray. his confidential Sec
rotary intimates, was brought on by
Capital Transit.
Like many former athletes, Mr..
WolfSon's thinking and talking run
along sports lines. Life is game:
business is a competitive sport. In
his own words, "a person in bust
ness has the opportunity to be a
real champion. I'm not champion
today, but I hope to be one Of these
days"
Friends say Mr.. Wolfson judges q
business opportunity by the chal-
lenge it can offer. He likes to make
his profits through ingenuity and
a capacity for fast. hard work
especially when others have failed.
The Tampa Shipbuilding Co., his
first real adventure in the big
leagues. is case in point.
The old owners of Tampa Ship
thought they were unloading dying
property on young country boy.
But Mr.. Wolfson, then 33, bought
the yard, scrounged some lucrative
foreign orders and two and one-half
years later liquidated the company
with a 81 million profit.
Transit Is q Come
Mr.. Wolfson feels similarly about
Capital TranSit-but with reServa-
tions: II like its challenge. 1t keeps
us in shape and on edge. But it
takes up too much of our time"
Business nowadays is Mr.. Wolf
sons only sport. His friends say
he works Is hours day at it. So
he gets his physical exercise vicari-
ously at the hands of a maSSeur.
Relaxation takes two forms About
10 days month he spends with his
wife and four children at his Miami
Beach w-place home. Away from
his family. he looks to sports fig
ures-Jack Dempsey, Max Baer, AL
lie Reynolds of the Yankees, Joe
Di Maggie and Coach Wally Butts
Of Georgia-for companionShip.
A story concerning Coach Butts
often Is used by Wolfson partisans
to illustrate his generosity-a trait
emphasized by his friends. The
coach once went to see Mr.. Wolfson
in Jacksonville and had car trouble
while there. Mr.. Wolfson said he
would get his auto f1xed-but in
stead traded it in on a new Cadil-
lac. which he gave to Mr.. Butts.
Arizona sun., 1954-10-22
Her Daughter
Spurned College
Education
By JUNE L'RHUE

NEW YORK, (GlobaD = Many
mothers share the disappointment
of Mrs. x whose 18-year-old daugh-
ter says she will not go to college.
II am going to get married, set
tie down and raise a family" the
recent high school graduate said
II don't want to be a career wom-
an like you, Mother"
"But your children won't be able
to compete with children whose
mothers have a college education" "
rebutted the provoked mother, "be-
cause you won't have as much to
give them"
eff am at home with them all
the time," the daughter replied, II
can give them everything What
else could they possibly need be-
sides food, clothing, amusement,
love, education and spiritual train
ing?"
Little else. You have covered
very well. But, how can you be
sure of the quality Of these things
if you yourself are not prepared
inteliigently to take your own
place in the scheme of things?"
"My responsibility will end. with
the food, clothing, love, and amuse-
ment," said daughter. "The school
and the church will do~the rest.
That's where your judgment
falls down. Children must be con-
ditioned by a supplementary and
basic home guidance program be-
fore they can understand their
place in the educational plan out
side," replied Mother. "You are
the only person who can do the