| Show NEWS NEW S BEHIND B E H I N D THE T HEN NEWS E W S r. r By Ray Tucker Telegrams Telegram's Washington Columnist WASHINGTON The war war honeymoon between President Roosevelt and Wendell L. L Willkie i is s showing signs of nearing its end Neither distinguished gentleman gentleman gentleman gen gen- can afford to admit it publicly until the lend lease-lend bill has been passed but then they will drag out their campaign fighting togs F D DRs DR's Rs R's friends are slightly sore and jealous of his 1940 rival They did not appreciate the way in which he hogged the limelight in London and stole the show from Harry Hopkins The latter latter latter lat lat- lat lat- ter was sent to England for a up build-up but Mr Willkie smothered smothered smothered ered him Willkie's friends are whispering that he was recalled to appear before the senate committee committee com corn for this reason alone It was obvious that his testimony was not needed Even more distasteful distasteful distasteful dis dis- dis- dis tasteful to the new dealers is the fact that Mr Willkie established established established closer friendship with Churchill than Mr Hopkins did The new dealers hear that once the aid to Britain measure has become law Mr Willkie again will assail the administrations administration's administrations administration's tion's Lions domestic policies President Roosevelt's velt's more headed hard-headed advisers insist privately privately that soon he must order ordera a sharp restriction on production production production tion of peacetime goods He must place all American industry on a war basis in their opinion Otherwise they maintain that the United States cannot produce produce produce pro pro- duce arms in sufficient speed or or- volume to enable Britain to beat off Hitler's all out attack There are several reasons why the president is reluctant to act acton acton acton on their advice at this time It might antagonize those sections of the country which do not share the Atlantic seaboards seaboard's war views It might also give point to senatorial charges that the lend lease-lend bill would make him more of a dictator than he is under existing legislation He appeared to veto any curtailment curtailment curtailment cur cur- program when he approved approved approved ap ap- ap- ap proved the Gano Dunn report that the country's present steel capacity is sufficient for both military and civilian needs But that document forecast only a ton surplus of production tion tion-an tion an extremely narrow margin mar mar- gin gin if if national income mounts to 90 billion dollars by July of 1942 It is running at the rate of about 80 for 1941 The inescapable fact is that general priorities and you-can't- you that buy orders are coming The new deals deal's politico mists have urged a business as usual attitude on the president for reasons entirely unconnected with the European war They have warned F D DR R that any attempt attempt at at- attempt at- at tempt to freeze production or purchase consumer goods would end endanger nger economic improvement Improvement Improve improve- ment mont at least temporarily Their charts reveal that widespread widespread wide wide- widespread spread benefits from rearmament rearmament rearmament ment will not be felt until the second half of this year probably probably probably ably beginning in July Not Until until until un un- til then will new factories be constructed and be ready to go goto goto goto to work on billions of dollars worth of navy army-navy orders Until Until Until Un Un- til then the decline in unemployment unemployment unemployment ment will hardly be noticeable Meanwhile the rush of industries industries indus indus- industries tries to pile up inventories is the principal factor in keeping present production at high lev lev- els The fear of priorities higher prices and shortages has generated generated gen gen- crated a boom in consumer goods especially in automobiles household household household house house- hold furniture kitchen utensils Were the president to stifle these gold rushes by proclaiming a manufacturers' manufacturers moratorium the recovery picture for 1941 would become a dream Opponents of the lend lease-lend bill are making their strategy fit the man as the struggle nears the end of the chapter Not in years has Capitol hill hili witnessed such buttonholing of senators and personalized lobbying on wavering wavering wavering wa wa- wa- wa vering members A certain eastern senator for instance is an extremely devout churchman He scans his conscience conscience conscience con con- science and consults his religious friends whenever he faces a crisis So the lend lease bill foes persuaded the editor of a leading leading leading lead lead- ing religious journal to work on him Recently he announced that he was agin the bill A farm member originally favorable favorable fa fa- favorable fa- fa was visited and telephoned telephoned telephoned tele tele- phoned by officials of several agricultural organizations They impressed on him that agriculture agriculture agriculture ture would suffer more severely if the United States became more deeply involved He took his stand with the antis A Roosevelt pro-Roosevelt man hails from froma a great midwestern state where King George was demonstrated to be unpopular at the polls The scheme now is to prove that British kings Icings would run last in any popularity contest in that region He is thinking it over The administrations administration's experts on the soviet appear to have sold President Roosevelt and Secretary Secretary Secre Scene tary Hull on the idea that Stalin will continue to play playa a diplomatic game of dog in the manger Aside from Stalin's understandable understand understand- i able desire to see the capitalistic and nazi-fascist nazi nations destroy each other there are even more realistic considerations behind his aloofness from a major war The most compelling is the military and industrial weakness of the soviet The army lacks first class weapons of all kinds It cannot be called a modern fighting force Factory production production tion lags The railroads are dis- dis and inadequate for troop transportation on a large scale There is no real system of military military mili mili- tary communications How the new dealers' dealers influence permeates the national defense commission was recently re revealed revealed revealed re- re in an incident involving the survey of unused factories bythe by bythe bythe the National Association of Manufacturers John Biggers a Knudsen aid was scheduled to make a speech describing the N A Ms M's activity As written by N NAM A M publicists it contained this sentence Management Management Man Man- Management must contribute its experience experience ex ex- and ability Labor must contribute good workmanship and loyalty It was then sent to the commissions commission's publicity agents for final review and ap ap- ap- ap Here is how that sentence emerged from new deal typewriters ers ens Management must contribute contribute contribute con con- tribute its experience Labor must continue to contribute its loyalty loyalty loy loy- alty and patriotism Copyright 1941 McClure Syndicate S |
