The First Call

The Senate paid big, solid Charles Wilson its best and rarest compliment. Without even calling him up to Capitol Hill for a going-over, it unanimously confirmed his appointment as Director of Defense Mobilization.

But 5 1/2 hours after he was sworn in, Wilson found that some Congressmen were ready for a chat. The Joint Committee on Defense Production, like the rest of the U.S., was eager to know the scope and direction of his plans. Wearing the blue, pinstriped suit in which he had been sworn in earlier in the day, Wilson was the first to arrive in the shining marble hall in the Senate Office Building. He tucked his big hands into his side pockets, pulled his chin firmly back and greeted Congressmen pleasantly as they straggled in.

Direction, Yes. Arkansas' studious Senator Fulbright began his gentle probing. Did Wilson think that the administrative approach to mobilization was right --"Are we going in the right direction?"

Wilson hesitated a moment, said: "In direction, yes," then added that he could not say much more than that because "what I've done so far is exploratory to a large extent."

Fulbright asked him to draw on his experience in the last war and make a comparison with the present situation. Wilson was very optimistic about industry's ability to supply both war and civilian goods as compared with 1941. "My guess is that it can supply 50% to 100% more in the next year than in the first year after Pearl Harbor. We have . . . a smaller reserve of unemployed to draw from . . . but our production capacity is very encouraging."

Did he feel that he had full responsibility? Answered Wilson calmly: "That's what they tell me."

Listening Preferred. The hearing ended with congressional expressions of confidence in Wilson and in Economic Stabilizer Alan Valentine and Price Boss Mike DiSalle, both of whom had accompanied him. Charlie Wilson took the bow diplomatically: "I think all three of us would rather have come up here and sat at your feet for advice rather than tell you what we're doing at this stage."

Nobody expected that Charlie Wilson's appearances before congressional committees in the future would always end as quickly or as cordially. But Washington, well acquainted with his work in World War II, agreed that there was at last a firm hand on the tiller of U.S. mobilization. As his first official act, Wilson had reached into business for two able, topflight men to assist him: General Lucius D. Clay and Sidney Weinberg. Both men will serve without pay. General Clay, 53, bleakly efficient former military governor in the U.S. zone in Germany, got a leave of absence as chairman of the board of Continental Can Co., and resigned as chairman of the New York State Civil Defense Commission, to take the post. Weinberg, 59, a senior partner in the Wall Street investment-banking firm of Goldman, Sachs & Co., was a bustling, energetic vice chairman of the War Production Board in World War II. An old friend of Wilson's, he shares the same suite with him at the Shoreham.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.