Show I 1 NEWS BEHIND H I ND THE NEWS Written for The h Tee Telegram By R Ray Tucker e WASHINGTON The two men who will operate the United States navy in the event of a major war war Operations Operations Chief William D. D Leahy and Fleet Admiral Admiral Admiral Ad Ad- miral Claude C. C Bloch have Bloch have never never never nev nev- er done or said a spectacular thing in their private or public lives They will never take chances with our million fifty-million- dollar battleships Tall spare Admiral Leahy who runs the works and ranks second only to the invalid secretary of the navy is a fed corn-fed boy from Iowa He has specialized in gunnery gunnery gunnery gun gun- nery and he knows the cost and value of every shell gun and hull He will never endanger the fleet fleetin fleetin fleetin in time of conflict unless first convinced that the maneuver Is worth it He belongs to the cautious cautious cautious cau cau- Jellicoe school which merely merely merely mere mere- ly shadowed the German fleet in inthe inthe inthe the North sea Sia rather than to the Admiral Dewey faction Even Evenin in his hobbies hobbies contract contract bridge golf and fishing fishing he he lists to the conservative side A fellow admiral racked his brain to remember colorful anecdotes anecdotes anecdotes dotes about Leahy and Bloch but though he served with them at Annapolis and on shipboard shipboard shipboard ship ship- board he could not bring forth a single spicy story spectacular spectacular spectacular spec spec- he wound up only in that they have a prodigious Capacity capacity capacity ca ca- for hard work In these days that's something Admiral Bloch who walks the bridge of the flagship Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsyl Pennsyl- vania of our battle force is the Calvin Coolidge of the navy Ho He never spent a nickel or a shell without having a good reason for it As the navys navy's budget officer several years ago he was the delight delight delight de de- de- de light of pinching penny-pinching congress congress- men Like Admiral Leahy Admiral Bloch's only real leal service in action was as a young officer aboard the old Oregon But after the Spanish war he served with the Asiatic fleet for many years and andis is supposed to know all the problems problems problems lems that would beset Uncle Sam in event of a Far Eastern con con- filet Because of that particular knowledge he was made head of the fleet although several men outranked him when he was cho cho- sen His selection indicates again the conviction of topflight strategists strategists strategists strat strat- that some day we wo must square off against Japan Admiral Bloch is a short man with a swarthy face totally bald except for a fringe of white hair which he keeps closely cropped He has a bright easy smile which lights up an otherwise grim face when he turns it on But these days he keeps it fairly well doused for nobody in the navy shoulders the responsibilities he does at the present moment A certain national radio chain recently received orders to submit submit submit sub sub- mit the script of a detective program program program pro pro- gram to Federal Communications Commissioner Paul Pul Walker In view of Mae West's Vests unhappy experience experience experience ex ex- ex- ex the chains chain's up high-up officials officials officials of of- immediately suffered a sharp attack of jitters Mr Walkers Walker's curiosity was stirred by reports that the villain in the radio piece was known as Paul Walker For a while it appeared that the radio moguls moguls moguls mo mo- really thought there was something in a name But Mr Walker as it turned out was not in a mean mood His 12 year-old year son had heard the broadcast broadcast broadcast broad broad- cast and reported the coincidence coincidence coincidence dence of the names at the dinner dinner dinner din din- ner table So Mr Walker simply wanted to know what crimes his namesake had been accused of The Tho incident is symptomatic however Almost every radio station station station sta sta- tion especially those which sponsor sponsor sponsor spon spon- sor speakers critical of the administration administration administration ad ad- ministration has an acute attack of nerves They require advance submission of all speeches that criticise the New Deal Station managers admit of off the record that there is an invisible censorship censorship censorship censor censor- ship of the air Henry Wallace has frequently been touted as a 1940 presidential prospect but he doesn't act the part For an aspiring candidate candidate candi candi- date he exhibits a spirit of independence inde inde- almost almost hostility to hostility to toward ward the political bosses that seems to damn him Big Boss Joe Guffey of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania recently ordered Henry to fire a man who had somehow angered the Mr Wallace Vallace informed the senator that hiring and firing agricultural workers was not a political tion Likewise the tho secretary re rejected rejected re- re suggestions from Senators Lee of Oklahoma and Ellender of Louisiana that he staff his department de do- with politicos rather than experts Mr Wallace has high ambitions however He wont won't discuss his 1940 plans but h his s aids will will and and do His strategy however seems to be to pose as a nonpolitical idealistic fellow rather than a glad Even more than Harold Ickes hes he's the and the road kind Though he occupies only a minor minor mi sal- nor post key man in the American American Ameri Amen can Federation of Labor as it strips for final action against John L. L Lewis' Lewis committee for industrial in industrial irs irs- organization is young Philip Pearl Hes He's the man who advises on William Greens Green's speeches and statements For years Mr Green was at a disadvantage in all his public tilts He said the wrong thing in the wrong way at the wrong time whether he was battling with fellow unionists or economic economic eco ceo royalists Last September he heeded suggestions that he hire a hall hall or or a publicity man man and and Mr Pearl was the perfect answer to a bewildered labor chieftains chieftain's dream The jewel formerly covered covered cov coy ered the White House for a press association has numerous friends among the Washington press corps and knows what its it's all about Mr 1 Greens Green's utterances now bear the signs of his journalistic journalistic journalistic jour jour- savvy and polish Mr Lewis resists all suggestions suggestions suggestions that he engage a press agent He figures he doesn't need a ghost writer But it is understood that a brilliant reporter temporarily temporarily tempo tempo- out of a job may soon tie up with the C I O. O The fight in the labor ranks is becoming so bitter that each side needs a historian his his- torian Move is begun to repeal TydIngs Tydings Tydings ings act permitting resale price- price fun fixing Bill is pending to enable ep- ep able social security board to compel compel com corn pel states to establish old-age old administration personnel standards standards standards stand stand- ards on a merit basis Senate committee is prying into alleged concealment of shrinkage in municipal municipal municipal mu mu- bonds held as security for public works loans Any ruling ruling ruling rul rul- ing by national labor relations board h holding that a corporation is engaged in interstate commerce commerce com corn merce is subject to reversal by courts if not supported by evidence evidence evi evi- dence Congress grants for enforcement of motor carriers carriers car car- act Copyright 1938 1038 for The Telegram |