The Winner: Kaiser

Henry J. Kaiser, the big, bald miracle man from the West Coast, will get a chance to build his cargo planes. In his bulging brief case this week was a written promise from WPBoss Donald Nelson, authorizing him to go ahead-- to make 100 of his projected 70-ton transports-- provided he could show that he could build them without taking materials away from the aircraft industry. He had Nelson's promise to make the number 500 as soon as the program proved practicable. And he had another, bigger promise: eventually he would get a crack at building fabulous 200-tons flying boats, capable of carrying 50 tons of freight to any corner of the world.

Thus Kaiser emerged from his nine-day whirlwind tour of Washington with a signal victory, gained only after bitterest battle with all the it-can't-be-done experts (TIME, Aug. 10). He had to convince Nelson, Nelson's advisers, two Senate committees; he had to beat down the Army & Navy, which still do not see where he can get the materials. But behind him he had the pressure of an enthusiastic public opinion.

At a private luncheon at the Army and Navy Club, blunt Henry Kaiser outshouted Airt Chief Henry ("Hap") Arnold and tough Lieut. General Brehon Somervell, chief of the Services of Supply, when they challenged his ability to produce. He had found an unexpected ally in ubiquitous Harold Ickes, who suggested that the Bureau to Mines might help find some untapped mineral resources. Then Donald Nelson, acting tougher than Washington had ever seen him, took Kaiser's proposal to the White House, convinced Frankling Roosevelt in one session that the man who had shown shipbuilders how to build ships should be allowed a flyer at plane making.

Finally Donald Nelson called him in, said: "Henry, I'm going to take another chance on you." Henry Kaiser, no whit tired by his campaign, got to work.

From his new Washington office near the Mayflower Hotel he issued orders and directives. He put out feelers for precious minerals, he hired plane-wise engineers. Most important, he got assurance--from somewhere--that engines would be forthcoming for at least his first 100 planes.

Where the planes would be built was still a secret. Kaiser had talked of devoting nine shipyards to construction of 5,000 planes. He could start the first 100 at one of his Pacific Coast yards, where great fabricating and assembly shops could be converted to plane building and the huge cranes used for shipbuilding are big enough to lift even giant planes like the Mars.

While Henry Kaiser was in Washington arguing for permission to build planes, his able son Edgar, in charge of the three Kaiser yards at Portland, Ore., was busy making plans for converting the yards and figuring how the planes could be built. Accustomed to many makeshifts, he figured on buying little machinery, making tools on hand do as much as possible.

Father Kaiser promised the first of his transports within ten months. Skeptics are sure it will take longer. But the freighters that cannot be sunk by subs will be welcome whenever they are finished. General Arnold admitted, as he announced that the Army itself had converted 21% of big bomber production to freighters: "Right now we need cargo planes badly, and two years from now we will still be needing them."

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