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Show WORLD LEADERS PICTURE By the thread of qne man's lift hung personal relationships whicl affected nations. Prime minister! and potentates, once close to Frank Un Roosevelt, now must learn how to get along with an unknown gentleman gentle-man in the White House. Certair army-navy officials, who always knew how Roosevelt would react on this and that, now must do business with a man they once criticized. To illustrate how the pendulum of fate has swung, here are some of those who will miss Franklin Roosevelt most: WINSTON CHURCHILL was able to call the late President on the telephone at any time night or day. Their relationship was more Intimate than with most members of their own cabinets. When Churchill Church-ill couldn't get Roosevelt, he talked to Harry Hopkins. Their friendship was equally close. Hopkins and Churchill used to stay up late at night sipping brandy long after FDR had gone to bed, and it was those late-hour talks that sometimes worried U. S army-navy men. For vital policy sometimes was moulded after midnight Churchill had planned to hold national na-tional elections, probably in June, and Roosevelt's friendship would have been one of his great campaign cam-paign assets. That asset is now out the window. Instead he must do business with a man he doesn't know and who chairmanned a committee whose members were quite critical of certain British lend-lease and international in-ternational air policies abroad. Some political observers believe that makes Churchill's political future fu-ture very uncertain. ADMIRAL ERNEST KING The Commander of the Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations really ran the navy under Roosevelt, and he ran it with a high hand. He ignored the late Secretary Frank Knox whenever when-ever he felt like It, knowing he would get a sympathetic ear at-the White House. He even overruled Knox on such a trivial matter as a gray-blue summer uniform for the navy, though Knox had decided it would cut too heavily into the consumption of textiles. Knox's successor, Secretary of the Navy Forrestal, has played in with King. He had to. If King didn't agree with him. the admiral came out bluntly in press conference and said so. But now there is a new 'man in the White House who wrote a caustic caus-tic report bitterly critical of the way the admirals slowed up the war by failure to build adequate landing boats. The new President also did not hesitate to throw his hooks into the navy whenever the brass hats got inefficient, especially on their inexcusable in-excusable procrastination in building build-ing destroyer-escort vessels. So fellow-admirals, are watching to see just where King now sits. GENERAL B. B. SOMERVELL No army officer clashed with the Truman committee more frequently and more head-on than the tough-talking tough-talking chief supply officer of the army. Somervell differed with Truman Tru-man on all sorts of things, and the Truman committee reports are studded stud-ded with criticism of the army's supply sup-ply job. Truman is not a man to nurse personal grudges and won't demote or transfer Somervell. General Marshal always maintained that despite de-spite mistakes he was the best man they had. But Somervell will never become chief of staff, or rise any higher in the army. HARRY HOPKINS Of all those around Roosevelt, Harry Hopkins will miss him most. Their' s was a very close personal relationship. Although Harry has been criticized vitriolically, sometimes even by other oth-er presidential intimates, FDR never nev-er wavered in his devotion. In a way, Harry took the place of Roosevelt's Roose-velt's eldest son, Jimmie, whom he once hoped would be his secretary. So Harry will miss his old friend terribly. The critics will say that Hopkins will miss him because of the glamour, glam-our, the power and the prestige. But actually there was a love and devotion devo-tion between the two men which few realized and even fewer understood. Note Several years ago, Roosevelt Roose-velt gave Hopkins permission to take notes on their discussions End write his memoirs. "You have no money. Harry," he said, "and you're foolish if you don't take notes on our conversations. con-versations. You have my full pel-mission pel-mission to use them later." But Hopkins, always too busy, always engrossed with winning the Chiefs next objective, never had time to take notes. He knows more about Roosevelt than any other living man. but most of the secrets will go with Hopkins to the grave. BERNARD BARUCH The man i who talks with Presidents, no longer has the key to the White House I During the bitter battles between the War Production board civilian group and General Somervell's military clique. Baruch always backed up " Somervell. In fact, he was one ol Somervell's most vigorous support ers. Truman, on the other hand, foughl in the WPB civilian corner. Also Bernie was for Byrnes, not Tru man. at the Chicago convention So he may not be such a close frienr1 j to Presidents any more. |