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Show GENERAL HUGH S. JOHNSON Jour: WAR DEPARTMENT HARRYS-WASHINGTON. HARRYS-WASHINGTON. There is something some-thing smelly in the war department. Part of it is too many Harrys. Because Be-cause Harry Woodring wouldn't agree with Harry Morgenthau on a restrictive tax policy that paralyzed airplane and other production pro-duction for about eight months, he had to walk the plank. In his place came another Harry Wrong-Horse Harry Stimson. He came apparently because he had just made an all-out interventionist speech proposing something perilously per-ilously close to a war alliance with England. At least, he proposed the joint use of naval and air bases which would, for all practical purposes, pur-poses, make us a belligerent in this war. Certainly he didn't come to speed defense on the real front of the Bat- tie of America which is, at the moment, mo-ment, the industrial front. Nobody can argue that because that would require a dynamic figure a man who knows something about that job. Wrong-Horse Harry not only doesn't know anything about it, but be is about as dynamic as a shelled oyster. When he came, the assistant secretary sec-retary of war was, by law, charged, under the secretary's direction, with making plans and preparations for our present two great tasks industrial indus-trial and man power mobilization. A system for this had been under study and discussion for many years. The assistant secretary, Mr. Louis Johnson, after many false starts and a good deal of galloping in place had at last got his stride. He had learned his job. He had finally captured the confidence not only of the army, but also of industry and the public. Things were beginning to hum. The appointment of Mr. Stimson was a direct violation of a promise to him of that portfolio. The promise was not kept and the default proved to be even more than that for Louis Johnson. Mr. Stimson's first official act was to demand Mr. Johnson's official head on a silver salver. He wanted his own man. That fratricidal request re-quest was granted and, regardless of its disconcerting not to say paralyzing effect on the Battle of America. Mr. Stimson brought in his own man, Judge Patterson. Bad as this- helter-skelter playing of ducks and drakes with national defense might have been in 99 out of 100 cases, it turned out that Judge Patterson was just the kind of guy who could overcome the handicap of such reckless monkey-business. monkey-business. He was a soldier himself and a common sense administrator. In record time, he corraled the confidence con-fidence of everybody involved, army, industry, public. Then something happened. The President wisely decided de-cided to appoint Judge Advocate General Gullion a natural to conduct con-duct the selective service draft Wrong-Horse Harry boiled over. Gullion would.be appointed "over his dead body." He wanted Colonel Her-sbey. Her-sbey. whom Gullion intended to use as his deputy. There is nothing the matter with Hershey. Together, he and Gullion would have been the most perfect team in America Alone, and next to Gullion, Hershey would be the best selection. That isn't the point The point is the testy, crochetty petulance of one stubborn, feeble old man and his selection of secretary of war in this crisis. In the meantime, the selection of a draft administrator is deferred "pending agreements," when such direction is needed-tragicaUy. Also, all these matters are to be taken away from Mr. Stimson's own hand-picked hand-picked Assistant Secretary Pattersonwho Patter-sonwho was going to town. DRAFT TROUBLE This column recently criticized the appointment of Elliott Roosevelt aptam in toe a corps and his assjgnment to some desk ob in procurement. Elliott is within with-in the selective draft age limits. Although Al-though gazetted as a "specialist-there "specialist-there is no information that he has any special training or experience either as a soldier or as a purchas ing agent. nas Now, according to a press dis Patch, Elliott says I am a "disgu 8 old .nan." who- went through Z toit war as a soldier, but served only at a desk. I ioD knOW 7ha1 that has to do with the merits of ?s case. In 19i7 j had been a Sol yeearrsmiterrHgUlar 3y f ord"SedTVseerv:theAP'aCeSlwas i . serve. Among those P aces. I was in command of com! bat troops-an infantry brigade T the Eighth division. It and r aboard . convoy destined t "vwj utsiined for pr3n when the Armistice was signed ' . Elliott is reDnrtpH that he didn't ask lr S protcsting assignment and that h have been drafted anvwav T' he has a wife ,7, beca"se Maybe the Z I ZUlT special assignment but n, a"y what they will say ab'" 1 know -en with children," but ii.Tk'n d from the law itself th know " Absolute exempt!!,-""" 'S " fiucb |