Show ROUND MERRY Files Debunk Accidental Atom Expert By B- DREW V PEARSON V WASHINGTON The Thc ASHINGTON-Thc The American Ameri Amen can public has a habit of seizing upon personalities connected with historic events and making them heroes They arc are interviewed inter- inter 1 viewed on the thc radio played up p pin in the magazines their faces flashed on every movie screen in inthe inthe inthe the country Overnight O and out of the unknown they become great men Sometimes of course It happens happens hap hap- pens that the real heroes get no acclaim This however is Inevitable in inevitable inevitable in- in evitable and not par particularly dangerous unless the synthetic hero attempts to stay on the scene and use the of his overnight up build-up to influence influence- unduly the American public Such an accidental hero was made when the historic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima o 0 Overnight v ye ern r n i g h- h Ii t 1 the man who through pure luck was wan assigned to the construction of production facilities for the atomic bomb became a hero The scientists who spent years working out the secret of ot the thc atom the men who were spurned by the army and navy until they took their idea to the lat late President Roosevelt w re given publicity back seats while one hero General Leslie R. R Groves strutted across the stage No one would begrudge General General General Gen Gen- eral Groves his moment of swag- swag ering splendor if he had taken his bow and passed on However he has remained to hog the stage remained to pose as- as asa a great expert whispering in senators senators' senators senators' senators senators' sen sen- sen- sen ears trying to tell teU them what laws lawS' to pass and now dominating Bernard Baruch's study of atomic energy Sample of Efficiency In Efficiency In In the files of the war production board file No Is one small sample ample of the overrated efficiency cy of Leslie R. R Groves Then a colonel colone Groves was In charge of building the much discussed discussed discussed dis dis- dis- dis cussed P Pentagon building giant home of the war department Near the site of the building was the Vest West Brothers Brick company company com corn pany then engaged in making brick considered essential for forwar war plant construction However the brick plant was In the path of a leaf clover series of highways which Groves planned around the Pentagon building The brick plant did not interfere with the Pentagon building itself only with the ornate modern highway system So Groves decreed that the plant be moved This meant that several hundred thousand dollars worth highly critical materials would have to be diverted from the rest of the war program for new construction of the brick plant at another location It meant structural steel steel rails reinforcing steel alloy steel lumber electrical equIpment equipment equip equIp- equipment ment brick dryer cars rubber conveyor belts dryer fans heatIng heating heating heat- heat Ing equipment etc It also meant overburdening the railroads by hauling miles car-miles of brick per day into Washington to replace replace replace re re- re- re place th the brick being made by bythe bythe bythe the West Vest brothers The war production board therefore recommended that the brick plant remain where it was until after the war and one of the roads detour slightly to go around it Groves however said no Beauty Before War Reports War Reports Herbert J. J Weber then of the war production board I myself myself myself my my- self visited Colonel Groves I pointed out to him that the only product of ot condemning the brick plant would be a decorative approach to the Pentagon building building build build- ing lug which would not have the slightest relationship to the prosecution of ot the war I showed him the charts of detours around the brick plant which would bring the approach roads to the Pentagon just as effectively as would the route through the brick plant albeit less decora- decora I 1 might just as well have talked to a brick wall Colonel Groves showed himself totally devoid of interest in subordinating ing every other consideration to the prosecution of the war He showed himself incapable of patriotic motivation In this matter Co Colonel Ion e I Groves now Groves now the allegedly great General Groves Groves did did in f fact ct materially and knowingly re retard retard retard re- re tard the prosecution of the war The war production board had to allow the diversion of highly c critical r ri I t tic I c a 1 materials Colonel Groves knowingly created that situation in order to ta construct a decorative approach to the i Pentagon building No one would begrudge General General General Gen Gen- eral Groves his present spotlight spotlight spot spot- light on the stage if it he were not today applying these same Pentagon Pentagon Pentagon Pen Pen- tagon tactics to dominating the future control of ot the atom atom atom-a a future which affects the life of every everyman man woman and child in America Battle of 0 OP P A A Mall Mall clerks on C Capitol p tol Hill say that the biggest biggest big big- gest deluge of letters ever to hit the se senate ate and house poured in just after the house stripped the price control control control con con- bill bilI A total of ot arrived arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived in one week being about 10 to 1 in favor of oC 0 O P A. A Man Mall clerks had to work in three-hour three shifts to handle them The mail made a lot of ot congressmen congressmen congressmen con con- gressmen sore especially Senator Senator Senator Sena Sena- tor Eastland of ot Mississippi But after his secretary told him that many of the letters were signed by veterans with serial attached the gentleman from Mississippi cooled down |